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Portend
Auguat 18,1962 Section II Page 3
Sleeping pills are the worst remedy for insomnia
so before you retire.
•T h e re ’» good reason to count
sheep— repetitive visualization acti­
vities distract the brain from more
sleep-disruptive thoughts. Other ri­
tuals that might help include taking
a warm bath or shower, listening to
music or watching T V .
• I f you are a w o rrie r, take a
“ w orry w a lk " in the evening, or
make a list o f what you need to do
the next day before you go to bed.
Relaxation techniques such as deep
breathing, m editation or bio feed ­
back can also help.
•W hen a big meal before bedtime
keeps you aw ake, a small glass o f
wine or brandy may help you get to
sleep. (Larger amounts o f alcohol,
how ever, d isrupt sleep and cause
m orning hangovers.) W a rm m ilk
and cham om ile tea are e ffec tive
non-alcoholic nightcaps.
Strenuous exercise during the day
helps many people fall asleep more
easily and deeply. But don’t exercise
vigorously right before bed; a hard
physical workout tends to heighten
alertness.
•C a ffe in e , the p o w erfu l, physi­
cally addictive drug found in coffee,
many soft drinks and teas, choco-
late and some o ver-th e-co u n ter
drugs, contributes to a substantial
number o f sleep problems. The ni­
cotine in tobacco products has also
been shown to be associated with in­
somnia, as are many other drugs.
I f you do take sleeping pills and
would like to stop using them, don’t
do it without medical supervision.
Certain kinds o f sleep medication,
for example bartituates, may cause
serious withdrawal reactions. C o n ­
tact local drug help or mental health
authorities for an appropriate refer­
ral.
©PACIFIC NEWSSERVICE, 1982
by Michael ( 'astlemun.
Pacific News Service
A lte r aspirin, sleeping pills are
(he most widely used drugs in the
United States. A, a cost o f more
than $175 m illio n , over I b illio n
sleeping pills are swallowed every
year, enough theoretically to put
every man, woman and child in the
nation to sleep for 2(M) hours.
Although Americans o f all ages
take sleeping p ills , tw o -third s o f
sleeping pill prescriptions are w rit­
ten for people over 45. Surprisingly,
less than 20 per cent o f these pre­
scriptions arc w ritte n fo r people
with specifically sleep-related prob­
lems. According to one U.S.
government study, doctors give
about 30 per cent o f sleeping p ill
prescriptions to patients w ith psy­
chological problems, 25 per cent to
those with identifiable medical a il­
ments and about 18 per cent to
others with vague, poorly defined
symptoms.
Indeed, Medical Self-Care maga­
zine reports that an estimated 50 per
cent o f all hospital patients receive
sleeping pills routinely every night,
whether or not they have trouble
sleeping; more than o n e -fifth o f
those who become addicted to sleep­
ing pills acquire their drug habit in
hospitals.
l or those who suffer insomnia,
sleeping pills do work—but only for
a short time. The effective use o f
most such m edications lasts less
than a week. The longest-working
sleeping p ill, Dalmane (fluraze-
pam), appears to be effective for no
more than one month.
Sleeping pills distort sleep more
than they induce it. Researchers
have found that about half o f (hose
who take sleeping pills for insomnia
wind up with even worse sleeping
problems as a result. More striking
yet, withdrawal from sleeping pills
has been proven to cure about 20
per cent o f insomniacs.
Sleeping pills are also the third
most common means of committing
suicide; moreover, they are im p li­
cated in about 30 per cent o f all
drug-related deaths. Although the
newer pills appear to be less danger­
ous than barbituates, they are po­
te n tia lly hazardous when mixed
with alcohol, or accessible to c h il­
dren.
Thus, almost everyone would
probably be better o ff not using
sleeping p ills, but certain people
should never use them:
•Those w ith lung diseases or
chronic breathing problems, includ­
ing snoring. Sleeping pills can inter­
fere w ith the b o d y’ s a b ility to
breathe normally.
•Those with impaired liver or kid-
nay functions. A sleeping medica­
tion must pass through these o r­
gans, and tends to remain in the
body longer if they are impaired.
•Those taking other medications.
Sleeping pills can interact harmfully
—even fatally—with other drugs.
•Pregnant women. Sleeping pills
can affect unborn children. T h a li­
domide, which caused severe limb
deform ities in many children o f
women who took it while pregnant,
was an over-the-counter sedative.
• Anyone who has been drinking.
A lco ho l and sleeping pills add to
each other's respiratory depression
effects, and may cause death.
“ Insomnia” in itself is not a dis­
ease. It is a symptom, like a runny
nose. The term is also quite vague,
used to describe any or all of the fo l­
lowing complaints: inability to fall
asleep or to stay alsccp without d if­
ficulty, excessive daytime sleepiness;
and general dissatisfaction with the
quality of sleep. Many people who
have problems sleeping are actually
in good physical and mentul shape.
Here are some ways that may alle­
viate insomnia without medication:
• I f you take unnecessary naps
during the day, work to elim inate
them, because they tend to disrupt
sleep later at night. I f you must go
to bed and get up at irregular hours,
try to arrange your day so there is
some quiet time during the hour or
Boneless
Turkey
Beef
Bib Steak
Armour Golden Star 5 to 6 Pounds
Great On The Barbeque
Safeway Quality Beef
Small End Cuts
Fish
Fillets
Bar “ S”
Biggies
1 Pound
Package
Mrs. Paul's
French Fried Fillets
SAFEW AY
Where you get a little bit more.
Pink
Salmon
Bumble Bee
15 5 oz Can
tOr$1
Steinfeld’s Lucerne Yogurt
Pickles
Bandon Cheese
$3 "
Joyette M e llo r in e ^ x ’^ S O *
Green Beans w a * 3 ^ 1
Dalewood Margarine
3fOr$1
Tomato
Juice
Fresh Pak Sweet Cucumber Chips
or nome oiyie uw
® s149 •
7-Pound
Krusteaz
Buttermilk
Pancake Mix
>
S2 M
79c
Town House
46 oz. Can
S 79c
Cantaloupe
or Casaba
Anacin Tablets
$1 78
Stayfree Maxi Pads - w - $3 38
Charcoal
Briquets
SCOTCH BUY
10 Pound Bag
F\
■ h i
San Joaquin Valley
Jumbo Westside Melons . . .
Sweet Ripe Thick-Meated
Valvoline
Motor Oi’
Minimum
Purchase 12 Ot
Attei Manulactuiei
Rebate On Case 01 12
Ripe Tomatoes
Red Grapes
Prices Effective 8/18/82 Thru 8/24/82 At Safeway In The Portland Area.
Larqe Red Vine
Ripe Sheers
%
Seedless Sweet
Flame Variety
Lb