The Five: Sleep and Insomnia —Alan Franciscus, Editor-in-Chief

A good night’s sleep is a critical component of living healthy especially with hepatitis C.  As any insomiac will tell you, getting a restful night’s sleep may be one of the most difficult goals to achieve, but man when you get one it’s like achieving nirvana! 

Recently, the National Sleep Foundation released new recommendations for Americans of every age.  While these are recommendations, there are always reasons why people may require more sleep than recommended.  For instance, if you have an illness or are being treated for hepatitis C your body needs more sleep than recommended to heal and recover. 

1. The National Sleep Foundation recommends the following hours of sleep every day
2. Causes of insomnia: There are many causes of insomnia or sleeplessness including:  
3. Complications of Insomnia:
4. Self-Help Tips:
5. Medical care:  There are many over-the-counter and prescription medications that can treat chronic insomnia.  People who suffer from chronic insomnia can benefit from a sleep study to determine if they have sleep apnea or another sleep disorder.  A symptom of sleep apnea is being tired during the day—the same symptom that is the most common symptom of hepatitis C.  Treating sleep apnea can improve everyone’s quality of life especially those with hepatitis C.
Don’t live your life full of sleepless nights—practice self-help strategies and get medical help as needed to live life to the fullest.  No one should live a life full of sleepless nights and days full of being tired.  Get tested. Get treated. Get Cured. 


Check Out These Sleep and Insomnia
Fact Sheets

http://hcvadvocate.org/news/newsLetter/2015/advocate0215_mid.html#3

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