Why Can't You Sleep Like a Ba... Video Transcript

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ANNOUNCER: While there are lots of perks to being an adult, getting good sleep may not be one of them.

What do you think is the most common sleep complaint?

MAN: I think insomnia is, without a doubt, is probably the reason why a lot of people aren't getting the right amount of sleep.

ANNOUNCER: Right! While specific sleep disorders like sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome increasingly plague us as we get older, the biggest complaint is good old-fashioned insomnia, reported by a whopping third of all Americans.

PATRICIA MURPHY, PhD: Sleep-onset insomnia or difficulty getting to sleep at the beginning of the night is typically seen in younger people. As we get older, sleep-maintenance insomnia or early-morning awakenings are more common. Sleep-maintenance insomnia is when a person has no trouble getting to sleep but wakes up several times during the night and has difficulty getting back to sleep; the net result being you don't sleep as much as you'd like to.

ANNOUNCER: Experts say changing bedtime behaviors can help. Among the big don'ts? Caffeine, alcohol and using the bedroom for anything but sleep-related activities.

SONIA ANCOLI-ISRAEL, PhD: Use the bedroom only for relaxing events, not anything that makes you stressed. So you don't watch the news in the bedroom. You don't read a murder mystery in bed. You only do relaxing things there.

ANNOUNCER: If good sleep is still elusive, there are safe and effective medications available.

SONIA ANCOLI-ISRAEL, PhD: The main sleeping pills that are on the market fall into two classes. There are the benzodiazepines and what have now been called the non-benzodiazepines.

Most of the sleeping pills that fall into the benzodiazepine category are much longer-acting. Some of them are shorter-acting. But they have more side effects, and so most physicians these days prescribe the non-benzodiazepines.

ANNOUNCER: Having the right answers to questions about sleep may be easy, while getting good sleep can be tough. And it's not unusual to dismiss problem sleep as just part of life, but you don't have to settle for it.

PATRICIA MURPHY, MD: You want to go see a doctor about your sleep problems if they are chronic if they're lasting for more than a month or two months is typical. If they interfere with your daytime functioning is the big reason you should go see your doctor.

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