Battling cancer is a tough job. Not only does the disease take its toll on an ailingbody, but modern treatments often include side-effects that can make healingall the more challenging. And insomnia is among those side effects.
I see many patients who'vegone through cancer treatment only to be left with chronic insomnia. In fact, as many as one-third of all cancer patients developsleep problems during treatment that then can persist for years afterward--evenafter the cancer has gone into remission. Sadly, the insomnia doesn't go intoremission too. Insomnia takes over these patients' lives for many reasons,including stresscaused by their illness and changes to regular sleep patterns caused by theirtreatments.
But there's hope. A new study is underway in a research programbased in Alberta, Canada to help such patients gain the control they so desireof their sleep life. It's called I-CANSleep (short for Individuals with Insomnia and CANcer), and it's the firstCanadian study to assess sleep-improving techniques specifically intended forcancer patients and survivors.
Why is this necessary? Well,consider the following:
- Insomnia veryrarely goes away on its own once it becomes chronic. Some sort of intervention is typically required.
- Sedatives aren't a viable long-term solution because sleep becomes dependent on the medication.Besides, who wants to rely on sedatives for the rest of their lives?
- Insufficientsleep can negatively impact a person's mood and pain threshold, compoundingthe difficulty of cancer treatment--and setting up an individual for living witha high risk for other health challenges,such as heartdisease, obesity and diabetes.
The crux of this studyexamines two areas related to sleep:
- how the body canrelax the mind; and
- how the mind canrelax the body.
My guess is the study willshow that the techniques I've been endorsing for years are helpful. They are,after all, the essence of mind-bodysleep medicine. Examples include:
- Establishing an ideal setting for sleep thatentails a calm, clutter-free and cool bedroom.
- Taking the time to r-e-l-a-x before bedtime and "power down" so the mind and bodyprepare for sleep and actually expectsleep to be imminent. This can encompass any number of mind-body practices suchas visualization, light yoga, meditation and deep breathing.
- Avoiding stimulants, from electronics and caffeineto page-turning thrillers and work at night.
- Learning how to engage the mind when your head hits the pillow to sedate the body to sleep naturally. Again, this can involve certain bedtime practices that teach the body to enter a deeply calming andsleep-enhancing state.
Note that all of thesestrategies are non-invasive, drug-free and cost free. Something that typicallycannot be said for all those exhausting weeks and months of addressing anillness as scary and severe as cancer with traditional medicine.
I would also venture toguess that those patients who can successfully get back a restful night willgain back more than sound sleep. They'll capture more health. More vitality andenergy. And definitely more life.
To learn more about the I-CAN Sleep program, call 1-877-SLEEP40.
Sweet Dreams,
Michael J. Breus, PhD
www.thesleepdoctor.com
This article on insomnia in cancer patients is also available at Dr. Breus's official blog, The Insomnia Blog: by Sleep Doctor Michael Breus, PhD.