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Insomnia no more
Sleep deprivation led Glenda Sparling to write a book that would guide others to a more restful sleep.
Glenda Sparling invites sleep-deprived individuals to access her website, and read her book, The Spirit of Sleep, for more hints on how to get a restful night's sleep.
By JANICE DRESSER
Reprinted with permission from: NW Senior (& Boomer) News
EUGENE - All of us have had nights when sleep would not come no matter how many sheep we counted. What if those occasional sleepless nights stretched into 25 years of insomnia?
This was Glenda Sparling’s nightly experience until she decided to do something about it.
Twenty-five years ago she and her husband owned a pattern-fitting business whose product was demonstrated and sold through seminars they conducted.
“It was a life of hotel rooms, airports and jet lag,” Sparling said. “I know that’s when my insomnia started.”
She had tried the usual bedtime remedies - reading, wearing a sleep mask, even earplugs. Nothing helped. The pressure of public speaking plus the hectic lifestyle prompted her to ask her doctor for sleeping pills. Even though the dosage was mild Sparling occasionally felt sluggish and fuzzy headed the next day.
Last March she made a decision that changed her life.
“I woke up one morning,” she recalled, “and said, ‘I’m not going to take any more sleeping pills.’”
Instead of drifting off in pill-aided slumber, she dug into sleep research to help others avoid repeating her 25 year pill dependence.
She discovered that there are two forms of sleep distinguished by specific brain-wave activity and the presence or absence of rapid eye movement (REM). We fall into non-REM sleep in four stages that comprise a continuum of shallow to deep sleep.
Stage 1 sleep is characterized by relatively fast waves where we are on the brink of sleep and easily awakened.
In Stage 2 we are sleeping lightly, which becomes increasingly deeper through Stage 3.
Stage 4 or slow-wave sleep is the deepest, during which hormones are released that stimulate tissue growth and repair.
During REM sleep we dream and physiological changes occur. Our eyes scan back and forth but our muscles are paralyzed, perhaps to prevent us from acting on our dreams.
“Many sleeping pills only induce up to Stage 2 sleep,” Sparling explained.
She said older people seldom get to Stage 4, which is the deep sleep everyone needs to feel rested.
Last fall she taught a four-week class at Campbell Senior Center. She asked the group what fears were keeping them from sleeping. Some said they feared what might come in the mail such as bills or they feared family problems. She advised them of the psychological benefits of letting go of fears and worrisome thoughts and recommended they keep paper and pencil beside their bed and write down their fears when they are awakened by them or when worries prevent them from falling asleep.
She also suggested her audience use imagery to help rid their minds of sleep-blocking thoughts. She told them to imagine their minds as beautiful golden bowls with sieve holes that allowed their fears to flow through.
If writing and imagery don’t do the trick, perhaps the old standby will. “Drink hot milk or chamomile tea,” she said, “and eat something low in sugar - like crackers - avoid sweets.”
Sparling wanted to expand her audience beyond the classroom to assist more people in overcoming insomnia and decided the best way to do that would be to write a book. “The Spirit of Sleep” was recently published and is available for sale at her Web site http://www.thespiritofsleep.com.
The title reflects her belief that in order to overcome insomnia an individual must be strongly committed to some broad changes. Sparling’s book promises to guide the reader through these changes by focusing on personal experiences, providing the tools necessary to implement changes and encouraging the reader to participate in the process. Sparling’s Web site also offers a Sleep Coaching program to help individuals overcome their insomnia and sleep challenges.
“Your spirit must get involved,” she said. - “You have to want to change.”
That change might include eliminating some long-established habits such as reading, watching television or using the computer while in bed.
“Your bed should be used for only two things, intimacy and sleep,” Sparling emphasized.
She said a good night’s sleep begins before getting into bed. Avoid nicotine and alcohol right before bed, since they alter mood and interfere with rest.
“Sleep is a very challenging thing. Fifty to seventy percent of Americans have sleep problems and don’t admit to them,” she advised.
Sparling rose to the challenge of curing her own insomnia and is confident that her book will help others do the same.
