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CNN Sunday Morning

Weekend House Call: Sleeplessness in America

Aired March 02, 2003 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Today on "Weekend House Call," do you have trouble sleeping? Well, if you do, you are certainly not alone. In fact, it's a problem for 60 million Americans. Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is joining us this morning to give us a wakeup call on this national epidemic. Good morning to you, Elizabeth. An epidemic, huh?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes. I mean I think everybody I know has some sleep issue or another. Maybe it isn't actually sleep deprived, but it's some sleep question. And so what we're going to talk about this morning is we're going to talk about why do people have so many problems, what can they do about it, and how much sleep do you need in the first place?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (voice-over): Scientists don't understand all of the reasons why we sleep, but one theory is it gives our bodies and brains a restful period of recuperation. The body uses that time to rebuild damaged tissue, and the brain uses that time to replenish neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, which affects alertness.

There can be severe consequences when we don't sleep or when we sleep poorly. A recent study in the archives of internal medicine links sleep deprivation to cardiovascular disease. In addition to heart disease, poor sleep causes fatigue, depression, poor concentration, and an increase in the number of accidents.

This is especially true for car accidents. Every year, sleep deprivation contributes to approximately 100,000 crashes, with 1,500 deaths. According to a poll by the National Sleep Foundation, 74 percent of Americans say they have regular sleep problems. That say the most common cause is stress, followed by sleep apnea, which is also linked to obesity. One thing experts agree on, a problem sleeping is not a problem to ignore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: We have a quiz for you now to see if you truly have a sleep debt. The first question is, are you awake for 30 minutes before you're able to fall asleep? Do you wake up often during the night? Do you feel groggy in the morning? Do you feel tired during the day?

Now if you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then you may indeed have a sleep debt. And to answer questions about sleep debt and sleep disorders, or to ask you questions, give us a call. Our phone number is 1-800-807-2620. You can also e-mail your questions to housecall@cnn.com. And to help answer our questions, we have with us Dr. Russell Rosenberg, who is head of the Sleep Disorders Clinic at Northside hospital. Welcome.

DR. RUSSELL ROSENBERG, NORTHSIDE HOSPITAL SLEEP INSTITUTE: Good morning.

COHEN: And let's start in right with our first question. "How important is it to get a regular sleep schedule? Are there significant benefits to getting eight hours of sleep every night, as opposed to six one night and 10 the next, or less during the week, with catch-ups on the weekends?" That's a question from Frank in Connecticut.

Dr. Rosenberg, what do you think? Can you do less one night and more the next?

ROSENBERG: Well, most people sleep deprive themselves for a long periods of time. And getting a regular sleep-wake schedule is particularly important so that you can fall asleep when you want to and wake up when you want to and feel refreshed the next day. So a lot of variability isn't really a good idea. It's particularly troublesome, especially if you're a shift worker or have different things you have to do at nighttime. But yes, getting a regular sleep- wake schedule is particularly important and probably best for your help.

COLLINS: All right. Elizabeth, we want to start answering some of our viewers phone calls. See, everybody can relate to this. There's no question about it.

COHEN: Oh, yes.

COLLINS: And we have Gideon (ph) on the line in Texas. Gideon (ph), what's your question?

GIDEON: Well, I'm a frequent flyer and I do have difference in hours, sometimes eight hours. I cannot get more than four and a half or five hours of sleep. What should I do? I need help.

COLLINS: He needs help, Russell.

ROSENBERG: Well, most people who end up with chronic sleep debt have to suffer the daytime consequences, some of the things you saw on the piece prior to our talking. And, essentially, when you don't get enough sleep your mood can be poor, your concentration is difficult.

So I understand why you're wanting more sleep. And there are a wide range of things that can help you can sleep, both behavioral interventions, or behavioral treatments, as well as taking an occasional sleeping medication. So I think a good thing to do is, if you can't get regular sleep, pay attention to it, see your family doctor or go to a sleep specialist.

COLLINS: All right. Very good. Some good advice there, and we do have a lot more of it.

We are going to take a quick break for now, though. When we come back, we'll ask Dr. Rosenberg why some people fall asleep quickly, like my husband, who can sleep standing up, and others toss and turn for hours, like me. Please call us with your questions.

Our toll free phone number is 1-800-807-2620, or you can also e- mail us at housecall@cnn.com. Rest for the weary on "Weekend House Call" after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Do you just seem to get more and more frustrated if you can't fall asleep? Well, some sleep specialists advise don't watch the clock and don't focus on how much time you have left to sleep. This can absolutely cause insomnia. And some helpful advice, though. Try setting your alarm then hiding your clock and your watch before you go to bed. I kind of like that idea.

I want to remind you this is "Weekend House Call" and we are talking about sleeping problems. Elizabeth, you have an e-mail with a question or two, right?

COHEN: Yes. We have one that you were talking about before, your problem comparing you to your husband. Well here is a man who is comparing himself to his wife.

John from California says, "I was wondering why it takes my wife like less than a minute to be asleep, whereas it takes me a half an hour to fall asleep. We eat the same, we do or more or less the same exercise." That's from John in California.

Dr. Rosenberg, can you explain to John what's going on?

ROSENBERG: Well, some people are just very good at falling asleep and others have more difficulty. And what works for one person to wind down may not work for another. So I like to say one person's potion may be another person's poison.

So you need to spend more time getting wound down, whether it be a hot bath, reading a book, just trying to enjoy yourself and relax prior to bedtime. But if it takes you longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep regularly, then that's considered an insomnia problem. And I like the advice that was give know a moment ago, get out of bed and do something sort of relaxing, and distract yourself, and then come back to it.

Never spend too much time in bed trying to think about things, worrying about things or planning your next day. That will only help to reinforce your being awake at night.

COHEN: Thank you, Dr. Rosenberg. And many people wonder how much sleep do you need at what age. So we have a beginning to end of life list for you.

Newborns need up to 18 hours a days, infants need 13 to 15 hours. Toddlers, 12 to 14 hours, preschoolers 11 to 13 hours. Five to 12- year-olds, school-age kids, 9 to 11 hours. Teens, eight and a half to nine and a half hours. And adults, seven to nine hours.

So it gets to be less as you get older. And I think that's always important to remember. I know with my kids they just need a whole lot more sleep, of course, than adults do. We have a phone call next.

COLLINS: We do. But, you know, I have to disagree just for a second, because I still feel like I need 18 hours like a newborn. Why do I feel that way?

COHEN: Because you don't get enough to begin with, probably.

COLLINS: Right, that's probably it. I'm starting from behind. All right. We do have a phone call. We have Carlene (ph) in Florida on the line -- hi, Carlene (ph).

CARLENE: Hi. Good morning. How are you?

COLLINS: Great, thanks. How about you? Did you sleep last night?

CARLENE: No.

COLLINS: OK. What's your question? Are you there, Carlene (ph)?

CARLENE: Yes, I'm here. My question is that, I've had a sleeping disorder for many, many years. I've done two sleep studies at Baptist Hospital in Florida and I'm still not able to fall asleep. And the most they were able to tell me is that, once I do get a little bit of sleep, my snoring keeps me awake. But I have a problem falling asleep. This is my question to the doctor.

ROSENBERG: Well, snoring in itself may not be all that dangerous. But it could be that snoring and the breathing problem you're having during sleep makes it difficult to fall into a more deeper sleep. And so snoring in itself may not be all that dangerous, although there's still some scientific debate about that, because snoring, in association with pauses and breathing and daytime sleepiness, could be the sign of a pretty serious medical disorder called sleep apnea, which has serious consequences, cardiovascular consequences.

You could have a combination of both reasons for having insomnia and snoring. There are many different reasons for not being able to fall asleep. Anything from psychological to medical reasons. Medical reasons like what's known as reflux or difficulty with heartburn at night to restless leg syndrome, where your legs feel creepy crawly and can't get still. So there are a whole host of things.

If you really have tried the best you can to get to sleep, then really ask your sleep doctor for some other alternatives.

COLLINS: All right, doctor. We do have another caller on the line. John from Maryland, what's your question?

JOHN: Yes, following up on what the doctor just mentioned about restless leg syndrome, I think I'm experiencing it. I'm in my early 40s and only occasionally, but you get to that point where you're just about ready to fall asleep and all of a sudden, you feel like you need to get up and run 15 miles. You're tired, you know. It's not that you have energy, your legs are just restless.

And I was wonder if there might be a connection with that and when I was a small child I used to have to rock myself to sleep. I was -- I'd go to bed and be ready to fall asleep, but I would be awake. And the only way I could really fall asleep was to rock myself.

COLLINS: What do you think, doctor?

ROSENBERG: Well, you know it's hard to know whether his rocking to sleep has anything to do with restless legs. Probably not, but restless legs affects about five percent of the population, and it can be a terrible problem to have, because you get creepy crawly sensations in your legs, an irresistible urge to move them. And a lot of doctors sort of will blow you off and say, hey, that's no big deal, or it's not really a problem they're well aware of.

But the good news is that there are a number of medications. And really there are no behavioral treatments for this that work consistently well. A number of medications typically used for Parkinson's Disease, although the two disorders have nothing in common. Medicines like nirapex (ph) and so forth can really help to calm down the feeling in legs and you can take it in the evening time and really get very good relief.

COHEN: We have an e-mail now from Michael in Maryland. Michael wants to know, "Do people tend to eat more food than they need to while sleep deprived?" Dr. Rosenberg?

ROSENBERG: Well, there are a lot of people who try countermeasures to stay awake, and especially in the car. You know the National Sleep Foundation has found that many, many people have trouble staying awake during the daytime or fall asleep behind the wheel of their car. So eating is one of those things that people think will help keep them awake.

I had a truck driver patient once that liked to eat nothing, but M&Ms all day long so he could try to stay awake, but he gained weight and had sleep apnea. There are really no ways to fight sleepiness other than to regularly get a good night's sleep. Yes, you can try caffeine for a little bit, and you can try rolling down the window and turning up the radio as loud as you can.

But you never know where sleep is going to overcome you to the point where you lose awareness of your surroundings. And it's particularly dangerous when you're driving. So the point is, get enough sleep, and if that doesn't do it, look into the quality of your sleep and see if it's good quality. COLLINS: All right. Very good. And we are going to take a quick break right now. When we come back, help for those of us who work the graveyard shift. Tips from Dr. Rosenberg when "Weekend House Call" continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: If you feel like a nap might do you some good, here are some tips. You should nap just 20 to 30 minutes. Don't nap as a substitute for a good sleep. And, if you're a regular napper, but you're having trouble sleeping at night, you may want to try giving up that nap to see if you might sleep better.

And I don't know about you two, but I'm a huge napper. I mean I really I don't think I could get through the day if I didn't lay down. And I take a big, long nap, like two hours.

As we were talking about, the challenges then of what happens at night, when you actually try to sleep. Because you only take like 10 or 15 minutes.

COHEN: And I'm ready to go.

COLLINS: That's crazy.

COHEN: Which is better, a little short nap or a big long nap?

ROSENBERG: For most people, a shorter nap is better. It's what they've been calling power naps. Because if you begin to sleep too long, you might actually start the whole sleep cycle. And when you wake up, you get sleep inertia. You feel groggy, you're not so sharp, you feel maybe a little irritable.

So you have to figure out what's best for yourself. In fact, there's just really no exact hard and fast rules for napping. But I agree that if you nap too much, and then in the nighttime you have insomnia or difficulty with sleep, it's a good idea to cut it out and see what happens.

COLLINS: Sure. And we actually have a phone caller who wants to know a little bit more about. Tom (ph) from New York, do you have a question about napping?

TOM: Actually, I work to the beat of a different drummer. I'm on the midnight shift. And when I come home in the morning, I'm not ready to fall asleep, can't fall asleep. And by the time I do, it's light outside, the kids are coming home from school. The rest of the world is awake, and it's almost impossible for me to get any uninterrupted sleep for any duration whatsoever.

COLLINS: Wow. What should he do?

ROSENBERG: Well, shift work sleep disorder is what you're describing. And those are the people who work at night and maybe get a little sleepy or have trouble making it through the night and then can't sleep well during the daytime. And, unfortunately, we don't have a really flexible clock in our brain.

You know it's no accident that we're supposed to sleep at night and be awake during the daytime. And it's sort of, in some ways, swimming upstream. So the best thing you can do behaviorally is try to get home as quickly as you can from your shift, avoid a lot of bright light. Don't drink a lot of caffeine beverages throughout the night.

Protect your sleep room. Make sure people aren't calling you. Turn down the temperature a little bit. And beyond that, if you're still having trouble with your sleep, talk to your doctor about either a medication to help you sleep, just a light sedative, or even some people are using a medication in the middle of the night now called provigil (ph), which helps them stay more alert during the night and feel better and doesn't have really the effect of keeping them up during the daytime.

COLLINS: Or get a hotel room. Right? When the kids come home just go to another place, maybe. I don't know.

It's hard when the kid comes home. Because they want to play, and they're louder. And, you know, it's really difficult.

ROSENBERG: There is a big psychological pull to be what they call a normal person. And so you want to be with the rest of the family and do all the things that everybody else seems to be doing.

COLLINS: Right.

COHEN: Well, sometimes people have such problems sleeping that they end up taking, as Dr. Rosenberg just said, some kind of a sleep aid, some kind of a drug. And that can lead sometimes to other problems.

Nancy from New Jersey says, "How can a person cure an addiction to sleep aids" -- Dr. Rosenberg.

ROSENBERG: Well, some people need regular sleep aids, just like some people need a regular medicine for high blood pressure. And there are myths about sleep aids that we can spend an entire program on. Most people are over-concerned about taking them. If you need more and more to achieve the same effect, yes, I'd start to be concerned.

Trying to use them more on an intermittent, occasional basis is a good idea. Talking to your doctor about that. And then trying some behavioral changes, the getting out of bed when you can't sleep; not looking at the clock.

And for some people, it's really a total different problem altogether. The insomnia is a result of something else like depression or anxiety problems or even a medical problem. So it's really important to try to find out what's causing the insomnia and then get at whether you can reduce or eliminate the use of a sleeping pill. COHEN: Great. Well, thank you, Dr. Rosenberg. And when we come back, we'll have some final thoughts on getting some good sleep. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COHEN: We've been talking this morning about sleep problems. Thanks for joining us with all of your questions. Let's summarize now some sleep tips.

Avoid caffeine, avoid alcohol and avoid heavy meals. That will help you sleep better. Exercise, go to bed at around the same time every night, and develop a relaxing routine before you go to bed. Dr. Russell Rosenberg, what would you like to conclude with?

ROSENBERG: I think it's just important to know that sleep problems are not just a part of normal life. Take them seriously and don't let them go on for long periods of time. Because, the good news is, a lot can be done for sleep problems, and you can to go to the Sleep Foundation's Web site and learn about all of the things we've been talking about today.

COHEN: Great. Well, thank you, Dr. Rosenberg. That's all we have time for today.

Make sure to join us next time for "Weekend House Call." That's Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM Eastern Time. This is the place for answers to your medical questions. I'm Elizabeth Cohen. Thanks for watching.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired March 2, 2003 - 08:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Today on "Weekend House Call," do you have trouble sleeping? Well, if you do, you are certainly not alone. In fact, it's a problem for 60 million Americans. Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is joining us this morning to give us a wakeup call on this national epidemic. Good morning to you, Elizabeth. An epidemic, huh?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes. I mean I think everybody I know has some sleep issue or another. Maybe it isn't actually sleep deprived, but it's some sleep question. And so what we're going to talk about this morning is we're going to talk about why do people have so many problems, what can they do about it, and how much sleep do you need in the first place?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (voice-over): Scientists don't understand all of the reasons why we sleep, but one theory is it gives our bodies and brains a restful period of recuperation. The body uses that time to rebuild damaged tissue, and the brain uses that time to replenish neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, which affects alertness.

There can be severe consequences when we don't sleep or when we sleep poorly. A recent study in the archives of internal medicine links sleep deprivation to cardiovascular disease. In addition to heart disease, poor sleep causes fatigue, depression, poor concentration, and an increase in the number of accidents.

This is especially true for car accidents. Every year, sleep deprivation contributes to approximately 100,000 crashes, with 1,500 deaths. According to a poll by the National Sleep Foundation, 74 percent of Americans say they have regular sleep problems. That say the most common cause is stress, followed by sleep apnea, which is also linked to obesity. One thing experts agree on, a problem sleeping is not a problem to ignore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: We have a quiz for you now to see if you truly have a sleep debt. The first question is, are you awake for 30 minutes before you're able to fall asleep? Do you wake up often during the night? Do you feel groggy in the morning? Do you feel tired during the day?

Now if you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then you may indeed have a sleep debt. And to answer questions about sleep debt and sleep disorders, or to ask you questions, give us a call. Our phone number is 1-800-807-2620. You can also e-mail your questions to housecall@cnn.com. And to help answer our questions, we have with us Dr. Russell Rosenberg, who is head of the Sleep Disorders Clinic at Northside hospital. Welcome.

DR. RUSSELL ROSENBERG, NORTHSIDE HOSPITAL SLEEP INSTITUTE: Good morning.

COHEN: And let's start in right with our first question. "How important is it to get a regular sleep schedule? Are there significant benefits to getting eight hours of sleep every night, as opposed to six one night and 10 the next, or less during the week, with catch-ups on the weekends?" That's a question from Frank in Connecticut.

Dr. Rosenberg, what do you think? Can you do less one night and more the next?

ROSENBERG: Well, most people sleep deprive themselves for a long periods of time. And getting a regular sleep-wake schedule is particularly important so that you can fall asleep when you want to and wake up when you want to and feel refreshed the next day. So a lot of variability isn't really a good idea. It's particularly troublesome, especially if you're a shift worker or have different things you have to do at nighttime. But yes, getting a regular sleep- wake schedule is particularly important and probably best for your help.

COLLINS: All right. Elizabeth, we want to start answering some of our viewers phone calls. See, everybody can relate to this. There's no question about it.

COHEN: Oh, yes.

COLLINS: And we have Gideon (ph) on the line in Texas. Gideon (ph), what's your question?

GIDEON: Well, I'm a frequent flyer and I do have difference in hours, sometimes eight hours. I cannot get more than four and a half or five hours of sleep. What should I do? I need help.

COLLINS: He needs help, Russell.

ROSENBERG: Well, most people who end up with chronic sleep debt have to suffer the daytime consequences, some of the things you saw on the piece prior to our talking. And, essentially, when you don't get enough sleep your mood can be poor, your concentration is difficult.

So I understand why you're wanting more sleep. And there are a wide range of things that can help you can sleep, both behavioral interventions, or behavioral treatments, as well as taking an occasional sleeping medication. So I think a good thing to do is, if you can't get regular sleep, pay attention to it, see your family doctor or go to a sleep specialist.

COLLINS: All right. Very good. Some good advice there, and we do have a lot more of it.

We are going to take a quick break for now, though. When we come back, we'll ask Dr. Rosenberg why some people fall asleep quickly, like my husband, who can sleep standing up, and others toss and turn for hours, like me. Please call us with your questions.

Our toll free phone number is 1-800-807-2620, or you can also e- mail us at housecall@cnn.com. Rest for the weary on "Weekend House Call" after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Do you just seem to get more and more frustrated if you can't fall asleep? Well, some sleep specialists advise don't watch the clock and don't focus on how much time you have left to sleep. This can absolutely cause insomnia. And some helpful advice, though. Try setting your alarm then hiding your clock and your watch before you go to bed. I kind of like that idea.

I want to remind you this is "Weekend House Call" and we are talking about sleeping problems. Elizabeth, you have an e-mail with a question or two, right?

COHEN: Yes. We have one that you were talking about before, your problem comparing you to your husband. Well here is a man who is comparing himself to his wife.

John from California says, "I was wondering why it takes my wife like less than a minute to be asleep, whereas it takes me a half an hour to fall asleep. We eat the same, we do or more or less the same exercise." That's from John in California.

Dr. Rosenberg, can you explain to John what's going on?

ROSENBERG: Well, some people are just very good at falling asleep and others have more difficulty. And what works for one person to wind down may not work for another. So I like to say one person's potion may be another person's poison.

So you need to spend more time getting wound down, whether it be a hot bath, reading a book, just trying to enjoy yourself and relax prior to bedtime. But if it takes you longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep regularly, then that's considered an insomnia problem. And I like the advice that was give know a moment ago, get out of bed and do something sort of relaxing, and distract yourself, and then come back to it.

Never spend too much time in bed trying to think about things, worrying about things or planning your next day. That will only help to reinforce your being awake at night.

COHEN: Thank you, Dr. Rosenberg. And many people wonder how much sleep do you need at what age. So we have a beginning to end of life list for you.

Newborns need up to 18 hours a days, infants need 13 to 15 hours. Toddlers, 12 to 14 hours, preschoolers 11 to 13 hours. Five to 12- year-olds, school-age kids, 9 to 11 hours. Teens, eight and a half to nine and a half hours. And adults, seven to nine hours.

So it gets to be less as you get older. And I think that's always important to remember. I know with my kids they just need a whole lot more sleep, of course, than adults do. We have a phone call next.

COLLINS: We do. But, you know, I have to disagree just for a second, because I still feel like I need 18 hours like a newborn. Why do I feel that way?

COHEN: Because you don't get enough to begin with, probably.

COLLINS: Right, that's probably it. I'm starting from behind. All right. We do have a phone call. We have Carlene (ph) in Florida on the line -- hi, Carlene (ph).

CARLENE: Hi. Good morning. How are you?

COLLINS: Great, thanks. How about you? Did you sleep last night?

CARLENE: No.

COLLINS: OK. What's your question? Are you there, Carlene (ph)?

CARLENE: Yes, I'm here. My question is that, I've had a sleeping disorder for many, many years. I've done two sleep studies at Baptist Hospital in Florida and I'm still not able to fall asleep. And the most they were able to tell me is that, once I do get a little bit of sleep, my snoring keeps me awake. But I have a problem falling asleep. This is my question to the doctor.

ROSENBERG: Well, snoring in itself may not be all that dangerous. But it could be that snoring and the breathing problem you're having during sleep makes it difficult to fall into a more deeper sleep. And so snoring in itself may not be all that dangerous, although there's still some scientific debate about that, because snoring, in association with pauses and breathing and daytime sleepiness, could be the sign of a pretty serious medical disorder called sleep apnea, which has serious consequences, cardiovascular consequences.

You could have a combination of both reasons for having insomnia and snoring. There are many different reasons for not being able to fall asleep. Anything from psychological to medical reasons. Medical reasons like what's known as reflux or difficulty with heartburn at night to restless leg syndrome, where your legs feel creepy crawly and can't get still. So there are a whole host of things.

If you really have tried the best you can to get to sleep, then really ask your sleep doctor for some other alternatives.

COLLINS: All right, doctor. We do have another caller on the line. John from Maryland, what's your question?

JOHN: Yes, following up on what the doctor just mentioned about restless leg syndrome, I think I'm experiencing it. I'm in my early 40s and only occasionally, but you get to that point where you're just about ready to fall asleep and all of a sudden, you feel like you need to get up and run 15 miles. You're tired, you know. It's not that you have energy, your legs are just restless.

And I was wonder if there might be a connection with that and when I was a small child I used to have to rock myself to sleep. I was -- I'd go to bed and be ready to fall asleep, but I would be awake. And the only way I could really fall asleep was to rock myself.

COLLINS: What do you think, doctor?

ROSENBERG: Well, you know it's hard to know whether his rocking to sleep has anything to do with restless legs. Probably not, but restless legs affects about five percent of the population, and it can be a terrible problem to have, because you get creepy crawly sensations in your legs, an irresistible urge to move them. And a lot of doctors sort of will blow you off and say, hey, that's no big deal, or it's not really a problem they're well aware of.

But the good news is that there are a number of medications. And really there are no behavioral treatments for this that work consistently well. A number of medications typically used for Parkinson's Disease, although the two disorders have nothing in common. Medicines like nirapex (ph) and so forth can really help to calm down the feeling in legs and you can take it in the evening time and really get very good relief.

COHEN: We have an e-mail now from Michael in Maryland. Michael wants to know, "Do people tend to eat more food than they need to while sleep deprived?" Dr. Rosenberg?

ROSENBERG: Well, there are a lot of people who try countermeasures to stay awake, and especially in the car. You know the National Sleep Foundation has found that many, many people have trouble staying awake during the daytime or fall asleep behind the wheel of their car. So eating is one of those things that people think will help keep them awake.

I had a truck driver patient once that liked to eat nothing, but M&Ms all day long so he could try to stay awake, but he gained weight and had sleep apnea. There are really no ways to fight sleepiness other than to regularly get a good night's sleep. Yes, you can try caffeine for a little bit, and you can try rolling down the window and turning up the radio as loud as you can.

But you never know where sleep is going to overcome you to the point where you lose awareness of your surroundings. And it's particularly dangerous when you're driving. So the point is, get enough sleep, and if that doesn't do it, look into the quality of your sleep and see if it's good quality. COLLINS: All right. Very good. And we are going to take a quick break right now. When we come back, help for those of us who work the graveyard shift. Tips from Dr. Rosenberg when "Weekend House Call" continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: If you feel like a nap might do you some good, here are some tips. You should nap just 20 to 30 minutes. Don't nap as a substitute for a good sleep. And, if you're a regular napper, but you're having trouble sleeping at night, you may want to try giving up that nap to see if you might sleep better.

And I don't know about you two, but I'm a huge napper. I mean I really I don't think I could get through the day if I didn't lay down. And I take a big, long nap, like two hours.

As we were talking about, the challenges then of what happens at night, when you actually try to sleep. Because you only take like 10 or 15 minutes.

COHEN: And I'm ready to go.

COLLINS: That's crazy.

COHEN: Which is better, a little short nap or a big long nap?

ROSENBERG: For most people, a shorter nap is better. It's what they've been calling power naps. Because if you begin to sleep too long, you might actually start the whole sleep cycle. And when you wake up, you get sleep inertia. You feel groggy, you're not so sharp, you feel maybe a little irritable.

So you have to figure out what's best for yourself. In fact, there's just really no exact hard and fast rules for napping. But I agree that if you nap too much, and then in the nighttime you have insomnia or difficulty with sleep, it's a good idea to cut it out and see what happens.

COLLINS: Sure. And we actually have a phone caller who wants to know a little bit more about. Tom (ph) from New York, do you have a question about napping?

TOM: Actually, I work to the beat of a different drummer. I'm on the midnight shift. And when I come home in the morning, I'm not ready to fall asleep, can't fall asleep. And by the time I do, it's light outside, the kids are coming home from school. The rest of the world is awake, and it's almost impossible for me to get any uninterrupted sleep for any duration whatsoever.

COLLINS: Wow. What should he do?

ROSENBERG: Well, shift work sleep disorder is what you're describing. And those are the people who work at night and maybe get a little sleepy or have trouble making it through the night and then can't sleep well during the daytime. And, unfortunately, we don't have a really flexible clock in our brain.

You know it's no accident that we're supposed to sleep at night and be awake during the daytime. And it's sort of, in some ways, swimming upstream. So the best thing you can do behaviorally is try to get home as quickly as you can from your shift, avoid a lot of bright light. Don't drink a lot of caffeine beverages throughout the night.

Protect your sleep room. Make sure people aren't calling you. Turn down the temperature a little bit. And beyond that, if you're still having trouble with your sleep, talk to your doctor about either a medication to help you sleep, just a light sedative, or even some people are using a medication in the middle of the night now called provigil (ph), which helps them stay more alert during the night and feel better and doesn't have really the effect of keeping them up during the daytime.

COLLINS: Or get a hotel room. Right? When the kids come home just go to another place, maybe. I don't know.

It's hard when the kid comes home. Because they want to play, and they're louder. And, you know, it's really difficult.

ROSENBERG: There is a big psychological pull to be what they call a normal person. And so you want to be with the rest of the family and do all the things that everybody else seems to be doing.

COLLINS: Right.

COHEN: Well, sometimes people have such problems sleeping that they end up taking, as Dr. Rosenberg just said, some kind of a sleep aid, some kind of a drug. And that can lead sometimes to other problems.

Nancy from New Jersey says, "How can a person cure an addiction to sleep aids" -- Dr. Rosenberg.

ROSENBERG: Well, some people need regular sleep aids, just like some people need a regular medicine for high blood pressure. And there are myths about sleep aids that we can spend an entire program on. Most people are over-concerned about taking them. If you need more and more to achieve the same effect, yes, I'd start to be concerned.

Trying to use them more on an intermittent, occasional basis is a good idea. Talking to your doctor about that. And then trying some behavioral changes, the getting out of bed when you can't sleep; not looking at the clock.

And for some people, it's really a total different problem altogether. The insomnia is a result of something else like depression or anxiety problems or even a medical problem. So it's really important to try to find out what's causing the insomnia and then get at whether you can reduce or eliminate the use of a sleeping pill. COHEN: Great. Well, thank you, Dr. Rosenberg. And when we come back, we'll have some final thoughts on getting some good sleep. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COHEN: We've been talking this morning about sleep problems. Thanks for joining us with all of your questions. Let's summarize now some sleep tips.

Avoid caffeine, avoid alcohol and avoid heavy meals. That will help you sleep better. Exercise, go to bed at around the same time every night, and develop a relaxing routine before you go to bed. Dr. Russell Rosenberg, what would you like to conclude with?

ROSENBERG: I think it's just important to know that sleep problems are not just a part of normal life. Take them seriously and don't let them go on for long periods of time. Because, the good news is, a lot can be done for sleep problems, and you can to go to the Sleep Foundation's Web site and learn about all of the things we've been talking about today.

COHEN: Great. Well, thank you, Dr. Rosenberg. That's all we have time for today.

Make sure to join us next time for "Weekend House Call." That's Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM Eastern Time. This is the place for answers to your medical questions. I'm Elizabeth Cohen. Thanks for watching.

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