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Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the signs and symptoms, causes, and treatments of insomnia.

Introduction

Attention Getter: Picture this: It's late at night. You have just spent the last few hours cramming for a midterm exam you have early the next morning. You have decided that you can't study anymore, so you decide to get some sleep. You lay down in your bedexhausted. But for some reason, you can not fall asleep. You just lie there, tossing and turning, desperately trying to make yourself go to sleep. You may continue to do this for hours or even the whole night!! In the morning you feel like you have 100 pound weights behind your eye lids and you drag through your whole day. And the worst part--you can not stay focused when you are taking that midterm. This dilemma is actually a reality for many people who experience a condition called--insomnia. According to the 2014 publication of Sleep Disorders Sourcebook,insomnia is a condition that is characterized by inadequate sleep or poor quality sleep that plagues millions of Americans every night.

Significance: In fact, according to a study reported in the 2016 Los Angeles Times, conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, almost 50% of Americans report occasional insomnia while nearly 20% experience it every night. That means out of a room like this one, of about 25 students, 12 of you will suffer from occasional insomnia and 6 of you suffer from insomnia every night!

Credibility: I have spent the last few weeks researching magazines, websites, and books about insomnia. I also know many people that suffer from this sleep disorder, which has helped me, have a good understanding of it. Tonight, I come to you prepared to inform you about this frustrating, inconvenient and uncomfortable disorder, Insomnia.

Preview: First, I will inform you about the signs and symptoms of insomnia. Second, I will inform you about the causes of insomnia.Finally, I will inform you about the treatments for insomnia.

Transition: Let's begin by talking about the signs and symptoms of insomnia so that you can determine if you are someone who is actually suffering from this sleep disorder.

Body

1. In his book, called No More Sleepless Nights, Dr. Hauri, who is the director of the Mayo Clinic Insomnia Program points out five signs that may indicate that a person is suffering from insomnia.
   1. The first and most obvious sign is that you have difficulty falling asleep on a regular basis.
   2. A second sign is that is that you have a hard time getting up in the morning.
      1. So, you may need an alarm clock to wake up.
         1. A third sign is that you feel tired in the morning.
            1. This is because you never achieved deep sleep throughout the night.
            2. A fourth sign is that you fall asleep when you are not supposed to.
               1. Likeduring speech class!
            3. A fifth sign is that you feel tired during the day
               1. For example, my boss suffers form Insomnia. I had an interview with him on October 1, 2015.
               2. He told me that he never goes to bed before 4:00 am and then he cannot get up in the morning.
               3. He feels tired and lethargic the whole day.
            4. If you experience two or more of the symptoms that I just discussed, you may be experiencing insomnia.
2. But, just because you have two of these symptoms does not mean that you have insomnia.
3. Some people just require less sleep, some as little as five hours.
4. The determining factor for figuring out whether you actually have insomnia is to analyze how your sleeping patterns are affecting your normal daily functions.
5. So, you might be like my Dad.
6. He usually goes to bed around 1:00 am, wakes up at 5:00 am without an alarm clock, and then has energy all day.
7. If this sounds like you, then you are just one of the lucky people who require less sleep and are probably NOT experiencing insomnia.

Transition: Now that we have learned the ways to detect insomnia by looking at its symptoms, we will examine what factors cause this sleep disorder.

1. It is not clear what actually causes insomnia but experts have identified some factors that can contribute to or increase a person's chances of experiencing this sleep disorder.
   1. According to Sleep Disorders Sourcebook: there are four contributing factors to insomnia, which for the most part are OUTSIDE a person's control.
      1. The first contributing factor to insomnia is age.
2. People over 6o are nearly 50% more likely to experience insomnia.
3. The second contributing factor to insomnia is gender.
4. So, women are actually more likely to suffer from insomnia.

3. The third contributing factor to insomnia is depression.

1. Those people with a history of depression are more likely to experience insomnia.
2. The fourth contributing factor is people who have to endure irregular sleep patterns,
3. For example, some people have jobs where they have to work the night shift.
4. So, people like nurses, pilots, and flight attendants have a higher chance of suffering from insomnia.
5. In addition to factors that are outside a person's control, there are several factors that are WITHIN a person's control that can also contribute to insomnia. These factors are related to a person's lifestyle decisions.
6. According Dr. Hauri, there are three lifestyle decisions that can contribute to insomnia.
7. One, is the use of Nicotine.
8. Nicotine is a stimulant and can keep people awake.
9. Another is the use Caffeine.
10. Caffeine is also a stimulant and can interfere with sleep.
11. Finally, is the use of Alcohol.
12. Alcohol can also inhibit your sleep.
13. For example, take a strong alcoholic beverage, such as vodka. Vodka takes about six hours to completely leave your body.
14. So, if you have a few drinks with dinner or if you are partying after dinner, you will probably have trouble sleeping that night.

Transition: Now that we know some of the factors that can increase a person's likelihood of experiencing insomnia, we will discuss what to do about it if you are one of those suffering from this disorder.

III. Unfortunately insomnia cannot be "cured," but there ARE several ways to treat and manage this condition.

A. According to the book, Inside Insomnia,there are two common drugs prescribed to treat insomnia.

1. One of these drugs is called valium.

1. It is intended for the relief of mild anxiety, stress, alcohol withdrawal symptoms or factors that would inhibit sleep.

2. Another drug given to people with insomnia is called a barbiturate.

1. It is prescribed as a sleep medication to sedate patients so that they can fall asleep.
2. The bad thing is that both of these drugs have side affects such as daytime drowsiness and slowing of the central nervous system.

B. The book, Creative Insomnia, explains many alternative ways to treat insomnia without having to deal with the side effects of drugs. I will explain to you five of these methods.

1. One way to treat insomnia is to limit your caffeine.

1. Caffeine begins to stimulate your body thirty minutes after you drink it and the peak of stimulation comes 2 to four hours later.
2. So, you should have your last caffeinated beverage at least two hours before you go to bed.

2. A second way to treat insomnia is to reduce your daily stress.

1. You can reduce stress by doing some form of physical exercise everyday.
2. You can also reduce stress by giving yourself an hour before you go to bed to relax and not think about work.

3. A third way to treat insomnia is not to eat too much or too little before bedtime.

1. It is hard to fall asleep on an empty stomach, but if you fall asleep on a full stomach your body will have trouble digesting.

4. A fourth way to treat insomnia is to have a regular sleep pattern.

1. Try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every night, then your body will begin to get tired before bed and wake up in the morning.

5. A final way to treat insomnia is to make your sleeping environment accommodate you.

1. So, make sure your bedroom is at the right temperature. Dr. Hauri, suggests that your room be between 68 and 72 degrees.
2. Make sure that your room is dark enough.
3. Finally, make sure your mattress and pillow are comfortable.

Conclusion

Recap: In summary, tonight I have taught you a little bit about insomnia. First I explained what the causes of insomnia are, second I explained what the signs and symptoms of insomnia are, and last I explained what the treatments for insomnia are.

Significance:Remember, insomnia will affect about 12 of you in this room. For those of you who are not affected by insomnia, you will probably have a bedmate such as a spouse or child who will suffer from it and then you too will be affected. This information should help you understand what it is that you or your loved one is suffering from and how to deal with it.

Memorable Close: Hopefully, you were not sleeping through this speech! Final exams are right around the corner, and a good night's rest always helps. So the next time you are tossing and turning desperate to fall asleep, I trust that you will remember what I have told you. Sweet dreams!

Bibliography

Colligan, Douglas. Creative Insomnia. New York: Franklin Watts, 1978.

Dryer, Bernard, and Ellen S. Kaplan. Inside Insomnia: How to Sleep Better Tonight. New York: Villard Books, 1986.

Hauri, Peter, and Shirley Linde. No More Sleepless Nights. New York: John Wiley& Sons, Inc., 1990.

Herman, Everett, "Statistics." Insomnia Information. 2002. University of Pensylvania. 21 November 2002

Swanson, Jenifer. Sleep Disorders Sourcebook. Detroit: Omnigraphics, Inc., 2014.

Sydow, R. G., Personal Interview. 1 October 2015.

Wade, N. (2016, February 20). Insomnia hits hard.. Los Angeles Times, section 2, p. 3.