THE INSOMNIA KIT

THE INSOMNIA KIT
Dr. Chris Idzikowski
New York: Penguin Putman, 1999
160 pages, paperback book and audiotape, $19.95
ISBN 0 670-88255-0

Reviewed by Lynne Lamberg

You say you suffer from insomnia. Do you mean trouble falling asleep or trouble staying asleep? Do you often get butterflies in your stomach? Have friends ever told you that you drink too much alcohol? If you awaken in the night, do you worry about getting back to sleep? Does your back hurt? Do you look awful if you haven't slept properly? Do you tire quickly in the evening?

As such queries suggest, physical and psychological problems, lifestyle, and use of alcohol or other drugs are among the many factors may trigger poor sleep. Chris Idzikowski, a former chair of the British Sleep Society, makes it easy to zero in on probable reasons for your restless nights.

He provides a sleep log, which he calls a "sleep-awake ruler," to aid self-analysis. The ruler encompasses the 24-hour day. You record when you got in bed, how long it took to fall asleep, whether you slept well or restlessly, when you awakened, what awakened you, what you did while awake, and so on. Idzikowski suggests shortcuts to ease record-keeping, such as a zigzag line for troubled sleep, and codes such as "N" for nightmare, or "P" for pain. Questions to be completed on awakening each day help you assess sleep quality. Daily diary forms fill 28 pages of the book.

Idzikowski advises readers to complete the diaries for two weeks, and then examine the patterns that emerge, using a series of detailed questions. Once you have a better handle on your own situation, you're ready for techniques to improve sleep: thought stopping if you are beset by worries, for example, or ways to cut down on overuse of caffeine.

Warnings on an accompanying tape practically guarantee its success: "Please do not play this tape if you are driving or operating heavy machinery, or doing anything that requires your attention." The tape includes a brief introduction by Idzikowski, followed by relaxation and meditation exercises in the soothing Irish lilt of Cherith Powell.

The tape also is an escapist travelogue: "The scene is set in old Ireland, a country that is quiet, sleepy, relaxed. You can still look for leprechauns in this land. Everyone here believes in leprechauns. ....You've left your cares behind. It's springtime...."

Self-help books typically exhort readers to take an active role in their own treatment. The Insomnia Kit, with its diaries and tape, helps you do everything but fluff the pillow.