Sleep Soundly Every Night, Feel Fantastic Every Day (4 page)

Part Four
presents two chapters in two areas where sleep disorders and psychiatric diagnoses overlap. Research has shown that it is essential to treat both. These include:

  
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder that results from an experience or exposure to an extreme emotional trauma. Sleep disorders and PTSD have overlapping symptoms that affect each other.

  
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The symptoms of ADHD and related sleep disorders present in similar ways, sometimes leading to a misdiagnosis of ADHD or a missed opportunity to alleviate the symptoms of ADHD by resolving sleep issues.

Each chapter on a specific sleep disorder includes a symptoms checklist, the latest treatment options, and answers to the most commonly asked questions about the disorder that I have received through my columns in
The Prescott Daily Courier
and the
Arizona Daily Sun,
and on my website,
AnswersforSleep.com
.

In the appendices, you will find additional resources to help you improve your sleep habits and sleep quality.

I have practiced medicine and provided treatment for thousands of patients for over 30 years. You are not the only one too tired to count sheep or move your body to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Far from it. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 50 to 70 million Americans have sleep disorders. If you are one of those with
a sleep problem, this book will show you how to improve the quality of your sleep. The quality of your sleep, in addition to how long you sleep, affects your health, and you
can
change it.

Let's get started.

  
Step One:
Answer the questions on the Sleep Disorder Checklist in the next chapter to identify your symptoms and areas of the book that will be of most help to you.

  
Step Two:
Read
Part One
. These two chapters provide an overview of the purpose, functions, and marvelous benefits of sleep and the basics of good sleep hygiene everyone should implement immediately.

  
Step Three:
Go directly to the appropriate chapters indicated by your answers to the Sleep Disorder Checklist. In these chapters, you'll find the most up-to-date information about your sleep issue, including likely causes, treatment options, and changes you can apply right away to resolve it.

  
Step Four:
Read the entire book and determine if your sleep issue overlaps with other symptoms, sleep disorders, or emotional patterns.