What's Keeping You Up? Video Transcript

Webcast Transcript

RICHARD ROSS, MD: Oftentimes, people's sleep is disrupted by the bed partner, the partner with sleep apnea who snores very loudly or who kicks at night or may be awakening from frightening dreams.

ANNOUNCER: Even a loveable but demanding pet can interrupt a peaceful night.

PATRICIA MURPHY, PhD: A lot of people will sleep with their pets or have routines with their pets and their pets may not be sleeping well either and keeping them up. And the way to deal with that, I think, is to train your animals to be on your sleep schedule.

ANNOUNCER: But whatever the reason we're sleeping badly, experts suggest there are simple ways to make changes.

PATRICIA MURPHY, PhD: Turn off the TV half an hour before you go to bed. Maybe sit down and read a book, maybe read the newspaper, do something that's just relaxing for you and then go get ready for bed.

ANNOUNCER: Keeping a sleep diary can also help identify problems that need addressing.

PATRICIA MURPHY, PhD: You write down simple information like what time you went to bed last night, about how long you think it took you to get to sleep, what time you woke up in the morning, and any factors that might have influenced your sleep. Whether you had alcohol or caffeine, whether there was noise during the night or you had to wake up for some other reason. And then each morning, you can also look retrospectively at the day before and talk about factors that might have influenced your sleep.

ANNOUNCER: For short-term relief, a doctor may recommend a sleep aid.

PATRICIA MURPHY, PhD: There are the classic sleep aids, Valium and other drugs that actually last a long time in the body. They definitely help you sleep, but the problem with them is you're still sleepy in the morning.

RICHARD ROSS, MD: There are newer medications that act a little bit differently, and some of the excitement about these newer drugs has to do with the fact that they seem to have a shorter duration of action. So you can take something, and get help with sleep, but then not feel very tired, hungover or drugged the next day.

ANNOUNCER: Speak to your doctor to know what's right for you.

So maybe we can't change our busy lives, but it turns out there are ways we can change our restless nights.

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