(Part 3) Best sleep disorder books according to redditors

Ha, me too! I was like a 2/10 and they still had me buy the machine. I ended up using it once, and then selling it for like $400 profit. It seemed like an awfully big production for them to basically tell me I don’t sleep very well. FWIW this book helped me far more than any study. I’m still trying to get off the pills, but it’s a process.

I consider myself relatively cured of sleep issues. Not perfect but livable.

1: How long did you have Insomnia and how bad was it?
I had it for a year

2. How much hours sleep did you get a night when you had Insomnia? 0-5

3. What's the longest time you haven't been without any sleep?
1 week

4. How long is your Insomnia cured right now? Since June this year. I considered myself cured because I have never had a single sleepless night since. However, my sleep is not perfect still. I would get a good run of 7-8 hours/night of sleep for two weeks, then a bad patch of 3-5 hours/night of sleep for a few days.

5. Do you sleep like a normal person now? I do when I'm in a good run. In bad patches, I up my game and bring out all the props, lol.

6. Are you still worried you'll get Insomnia again? Yes. Still trying to wean off the horrors that I experienced from catastrophizing for a year, but the worry is getting less and less each day.

7. How did you cure your Insomnia? I tried a lot of things, but the following worked the best:

1. Self-administered treatments of CBTI with some SRT and ACT thrown in.
   
2. light therapy (30 min of lightbox in the morning + avoid bright blue lights in the evening)
   
3. walks early in the evening to suppress anxiety
   
4. eating graham crackers and some water before going to bed has reduced nighttime awakenings
   
5. listening to Sleep With Me (podcast) allows me to distract myself from worrisome thoughts when I'm in bed
   
   8. What were your worst experiences with Insomnia? After a week without sleep everything hurts and it's hard to perform at work. Before I discovered CBTI I was catastrophizing eveyday and I would have suicidal thoughts.
   
   9. Any extra tips you want to give to everybody with Insomnia?
   
   

• Sleep issues are different for everyone, if something that somebody else is raving about does not work for you, it doesn't mean your issues are worse or that the other guy is lying, you just have to keep trying other things until you find something that works for you.
  
  
• It seems CBTI and light therapy will help the vast majority of people regardless of their unique condition. Note, I said help, not directly address the root cause. At some point in my search for a cure, I realized that it was futile to look for a root cause (unless you do have a medical condition that could be diagnosed, but my doctor could not find any with me), and realized that whatever triggered my initial sleeplessness was irrelevant and I was just making it worse by worrying too much about it. With CBTI, I have learned to realize that I cannot force myself to sleep. The best I can do is to be ready for sleep when it comes. When sleep comes and I am not relaxed or am anxious, then I will not be able to go to sleep. So I must do everything I can to be ready to catch sleep when it comes.
  
  
• I realized that my sleep issues started happening when I lost the ability to sleep out of my ideal sleep window. Everybody has a Circadian Rhythm, where the sleep pressure is strongest in the late afternoon and in the evening (the "ideal sleep window"). After I figured this out I stopped trying to sleep outside of this window. Doing so for me would induce insomnia. There is a good article that explains this: https://www.supermemo.com/en/articles/sleep#Curing_DSPS_and_insomnia
  
  
  
• As much as possible, avoid labeling yourself as an insomniac, you have to believe that you are normal (and you most likely are) and you're only suffering sleep issues. Do not underestimate the power of the human mind - if you believe in something it will eventually come true, so be careful what you believe in. Being through so many forums, I met one guy who successfully cured his 20 yr insomnia and the advice he gave was probably the one that inspired me the most: after a bad night or even a row of bad nights, do everything in your power to feel good all the time, and good sleep will eventually follow, even if you have to fake it until you make it. There are only a handful of people in the world who truly cannot sleep, and those are the ones who suffer from Fatal Familial Insomnia. So unless you have that, you will eventually conk out at some point, so just try to be positive until that happens. Put sleep in the right perspective - pay no attention to it and just trust that it will take care of itself - and put your waking life on center stage.
  
  
• I think one of the reasons why people who got cured never get back here is that completely blocking out the thought of insomnia also helps in keeping it from happening again. Forums such as this can act as "triggers" for relapse. I know I'm guilty of coming back here, but only because I'm in a bad patch right now :-). So try to avoid articles about sleep when you can, especially if your sleep is getting better already. Also, avoid blog posts about "the dangers of sleep deprivation" etc. Those are the worst triggers. And the literature is probably nonsense anyway, the writers just try to make the stories as dramatic as possible to attract people.
  
  
• Here are the books that helped me:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_24?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=desperately+seeking+snoozing&sprefix=desperately+seeking+snoo%2Cmobile%2C180&crid=37RG1MR1JC6XM
  A book written by a fellow sufferer and how he used Sleep Restriction Therapy to improve his condition.
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Say-Good-Night-Insomnia-Drug-Free-ebook/dp/B005CW6T8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511820975&sr=8-1&keywords=say+goodnight+to+insomnia
  The official book on CBTI.
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Book-Well-Every-Night/dp/1499250533/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1511821229&sr=8-2&keywords=the+sleep+book
  A book that helped me address the sleep anxiety that was confounding my sleep issues.
  

OK, so I'm not qualified to give advice, but I can tell you what everyone I know has been using to solve the "kid doesn't want to go to sleep" issue.

It's a book. Yeah, I know, there are many. But this one works. I've seen the change in people's faces. It's like this big protip people share when they see someone struggling, because they've been there.

Spanish version: Duérmete, niño

What I take is the English version for the same (same-ish?) book: 5 Days to a Perfect Night's Sleep for Your Child: The Secrets to Making Bedtime a Dream

I obviously do not make any money out of those links or books, and I don't know the author. But that guy has helped many people in my immediate family.

According to the Amazon page, the author "Eduard Estivill, M.D., is director of the Sleep Disturbances Clinic at the Institut Dexeus in Barcelona, Spain, where he is also head of the Neurophysiology Unit. Trained in both America and Spain, he is a specialist in pediatrics, neurophysiology, and sleep medicine."

If you don't want to buy it, maybe you can download it somehow and give it a try, and then, if you think you might want to actually read it, you can buy it. Or not. Sorry, I feel really awkward telling someone to buy a book, but it does work.

Please forgive yourself for your outburst. Sleep deprivation is considered a method of torture, it's that effective at breaking someone's will and self-restraint. You're full of crazy hormones, overworked and under-rested. Give yourself a break. You realized what you were doing, you said you were sorry, you cuddled. Now learn from the experience and forgive yourself.

I wish you all the best!

I found The Baby Sleep Guide (https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Sleep-Guide-Practical-Establish/dp/1849536856) helpful. It's more to do with establishing good sleep habits rather than sleep training.

For us, stopping feeding at night made a big difference. But also bear in mind that what babies "should' do or what the "average" baby does... Doesn't necessarily apply to your baby. For the longest time my 8 month old only took really short naps in the day - 30 minutes or so. He never seemed tired after these catnaps and I could never get him to nap any longer. He's just starting to change his napping habits, but up to now I just accepted he was a short napper as he seemed perfectly happy.

First off, take absolutely everything you read on the subject (including this post) as a set of guidelines, and ONLY that. There is no gospel truth on how to get your kid to sleep by herself. Every kid is different, every parent is different, every household is different. There's way too many variables for there to be one answer. If anybody says that they have THE ANSWER...immediately mistrust that person and advice, because more often than not they're trying to sell you something.

So, that being said, there's a few things I learned when my wife and I went through this process with my little girl:

1. We picked up this book for some advice (again, JUST advice) on the recommendation of some friends and family. The approach is not straight-up cry-it-out, which made us more comfortable. We took some of her advice and modified it.
   
2. It's easier to start if your baby can't roll over or stand up on her own yet. If she can...well, them's the breaks.
   
3. We decided I would take care of bedtime, because if she was with my wife she just expected to be fed. Plus I get some one-on-one time with her that I've come to treasure.
   
   If you want me to go more into detail about exactly what we did with my daughter, I can. The best piece of advice I can give you, though, is to trust your gut. If you don't want her to cry, don't let her. If you're ok with her crying until she falls asleep, that's ok too, you won't hurt her. If you choose to follow one of the many sleep-training methods out there, it's ok to modify it so that it works for you.

Our pediatrician recommended this one https://www.amazon.com/Sleep-What-Every-Parent-Needs/dp/1581107811

I suffer from SP and this is one of the best books on the subject.

The Author is a lifelong sufferer of SP and you will recognize many things in there I promise you.

While it does not have any complete answers or solutions, it does bring up many intriguing possibilities and a long history of related phenomena I had never connected myself, and I have been interested in the subject of the paranormal all my life.

If anyone is interested in getting help for insomnia, this book really helped me. It guides you through all the steps of cognitive behaviour therapy to improve your sleep quality:
https://www.amazon.ca/Sink-into-Sleep-Step-Step/dp/1936303388

You should check out Paul McKenna's "I Can Make You Sleep". I used to listen to the CD and would fall asleep in minutes. It was great.

Here are two recommendations:

The Insomnia Answer: A Personalized Program for Identifying and Overcoming the Three Types ofInsomnia by Paul Glovinsky, Ph.D. and Art Spielman, Ph.D.

Sound Sleep, Sound Mind: 7 Keys to Sleeping through the Night by Barry Krakow, M.D.

Amazon (via 3rd party sellers) has used copies of both available for extremely low prices, if cost is a concern. Sleepio is, as far as I know, quite good though. I'd recommend giving it a try, or connecting with a sleep professional if you find it difficult to make progress with just the book. Here's a list of providers certified in behavioral sleep medicine - CBTI is pretty much their bread and butter.

Self published this ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/0989991911 ) a few years ago, 1/3rd of it regards what I did; Lifestyle adjustments can bring huge benefits, some of can be simple while some of it can be not so simple.

I'd say one of the biggest things relating for me, was allergies and eliminating my exposure to them, we're talking about wheat, dairy and sugars, so by basically entirely remapping what I eat I was able to make enormous strides to the point that I collapse so so much less from Cataplexy (once or twice a year rather than way more than that sometimes each week, years ago), also headaches, skin, moods, energy and weight all improved.

the family that couldn't sleep. great book on prions, their discovery and how the different prion diseases affect the body.

I got fed up at 6 months too and I bought this book http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Baby-Sleep-Solution-Internal/dp/0761187472/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457676964&sr=8-1&keywords=baby+sleep+cycle

The woman who wrote it has a PhD and studies sleep so she had some great insights. I can't remember everything in it, but she talked about how we all have natural cycles of sleep and wakefulness that we can use to help babies sleep better. I didn't use everything she suggested, but it helped me get a handle on things.

Sleep: A Very Short Introduction is a fun little book that covers a lot of ground.

Dreaming: A Very Short Introduction is a fascinating perspective on dreaming from Hobson, one of the pioneers of that field. It's a little dated now (you should read some newer perspectives, like this article), but still super interesting.

The Sleepwatchers is unique in that it's a combination of facts and autobiographical anecdotes written by one of the early pioneers of sleep research.

If you want to get into the academic side of sleep, then Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine is the book. It's pretty much a comprehensive guide to the history and subfields of sleep medicine and research, from the disorders to the physiology to the psychology. Note that you'll save a bundle of cash and not lose too much by going for an edition that's a few years old, such as this one.

I've heard that vitamin D suppresses the secretion of melatonin for a few hours and therefore should be consumed during the day, preferably when the sun is out. So don't take it at night, or past daylight tbh. And also make sure you are taking co-factors along with it, like K2, B vitamins, etc. Read up on it. And vitamin D is absolutely linked to sleep from what I've read (see here). And it should be D3 not D2.

I've also read that sleep aids usually sedate you but don't actually help you sleep sleep.

Have you tried cutting out caffeine completely?

Anyway, I recommend you read, if you haven't already, the following:

• Sleep Smarter
  
• Sleep: A Very Short Introduction
  
• Why We Sleep
  
  Also, idk how much sleep is affecting your lifestyle, but I've heard of programs where you work for the national park service for several months, like 5-6 months. You sleep and work in the wilderness with no electronics etc. I've always been tempted by the adjustment that might make in my life.

Your original post said “My doctor said I should be concerned that my daughter is breathing through her mouth when she sleeps.” This is not supported by that study.

Also,
“
He says mouth breathing is endemic in Western populations and that up to 90% of children and adults partially mouth breathe. Starting at a young age, this can cause a child's face to grow long and skinny with crowded teeth, a bad bite, a deviated septum, and a narrow smile. These features, reflective of small jaws, cause us to essentially suffocate, rev up the sympathetic nervous system, disrupt our sleep with lifelong health consequences. He said my daughter is basically breathing through a straw and suffocating. He said I need to focus on strengthening the muscles of her airway. He referred to me to a book called "SHUT UP and sleep" written by a Stanford doctor for more information and I was astonished. I had never heard this before. Has anyone else heard this?”

Here is a link to the book if anyone is interested:

https://www.amazon.com/SHUT-UP-sleep-anil-rama/dp/1732279209”


No..Ventilation and oxygenation are different. More air doesn’t mean better oxygenation. It’s usually not apnea unless it’s an issue with central sleep apnea. hypopnea is likely the source in children from an increase in resistance from anatomical development. Hypopneas do not always result in desaturation.


I think there needs to be more research. Not every kid needs a retainer and to be on a CPAP.


It’s just overkill. Children naturally have crowded airways but the majority have compensatory mechanisms that kick in to avoid desaturation.

You’re going to have to sleep train her. She’s sleeping at 11-12 because she’s exhausted, but she’s probably tired way before then. I used this book exclusively and it worked for my 9mth old, but it would have worked even better if we had started sooner! Good luck!

https://www.amazon.com/Stop-Snoring-Easy-Way-Reasons/dp/1542991803

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Smarter-Essential-Strategies-Success/dp/1536618314&ved=2ahUKEwjhvMWa2-3eAhUCwVkKHdVyCSsQFjACegQIBxAB&usg=AOvVaw2ehxwBwsqVVSvUixTRTj_u

This book about sleep was very educational.

https://mybiohack.com/blog/my-sleep-experiments-science-hacks

This webpage was also pretty interesting.

I'd have no idea how to write a 10 paper paper on sleep paralysis with what I just know. I haven't read them, but I'd look into these two books since I think they're written with a more scientific/anthropological background as apposed to some of the other super natural explanations. You'd probably get some good ideas from the way the books themselves are formatted.

Sleep Paralysis: Night-mares, Nocebos, and the Mind-Body Connection (Studies in Medical Anthropology


The Terror That Comes in the Night: An Experience-Centered Study of Supernatural Assault Traditions (Publications of the American Folklore Society)