THE SLEEP SOLUTION

THE SLEEP SOLUTION:
A 21-NIGHT PROGRAM FOR RESTFUL SLEEP
Dr. Nigel Ball and Nick Hough
Berkeley, Calif.: Ulysses Press, 1998
236 pages, paperback, $14.95
ISBN 1-56975-154-4

Reviewed by Lynne Lamberg

"Only about one in five of us sleeps well with little effort. The rest of us need to work at it," authors Ball and Hough say.

Their goal is sleep fitness, a state they say involves both restful nights and alert, productive days. Their solution is a 21-day program involving what is commonly called "sleep hygiene," strengthening habits that promote good sleep and breaking habits that undercut it. Many of the strategies Ball and Hough advise are the same ones Jacobs teaches in Say Good Night to Insomnia. These authors target general readers, however, not only those with insomnia.

Ball is clinical director of the sleep disorders center at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, and Hough, managing director of an ad agency and partner with Ball in a firm that conducts sleep health seminars for large corporations.

The authors first ask readers, "What bothers you most about your sleep? What is bothering you in your life that you think is a result of poor sleep?" Some people, they note, mention pain, stiffness, or headaches--an indication that they need to address these health problems as well as their sleep. Some cite a medication, or a snoring or restless spouse. Readers hear patients speaking in their own words: "I'm tired of being tired." "I can't get to sleep because of my legs." The authors discuss various symptoms and tell why some merit a visit to the doctor.

Their 21-day program aims at both heightening self-awareness of one's sleep and starting to change counter-productive behavior. Each day's readings include information, questionnaires, diaries, and advice on making a personal plan. The tasks outlined, they say, take about 20 minutes a day to complete. This is a real workbook, with space to make notes, and weekly assessments of progress.

Ball and Hough address concerns such as finding an adequate opportunity for sleep; determining if you are too sleepy to function safely; achieving a sensible bedtime; making the best use of caffeine-containing substances; understanding the benefits of naps; reorganizing your bedroom; developing a better bedtime routine; getting to sleep; using bright light, exercise, and diet; and exploring problems caused by a sleeping partner, pets, children, the telephone, alcohol, sleeping pills, worry, stress, and depression.

Following this well-organized plan, the authors include a lengthy chapter on specific problems such as improving your sleep environment or dealing with unwelcome sleepiness. It's solid advice, but some is repetitious, and this reader found it discomforting to have to flip back to earlier sections of the book to put this information in context. Material in this chapter would have had more impact if integrated into the appropriate day of the 21-day program.

The program itself is an enlightening, practical, and helpful guide. Readers who stick with it will learn a lot about their sleep and themselves in three weeks, and should see meaningful progress on a variety of fronts.