Winter 2010 - St. Joseph's Health Care London

32
Vim & Vigour • WINTER 2010
When I was a kid, I couldn’t go to sleep
at night without a nightlight. Somehow, that tiny bulb
kept away the monsters in my closet and other scary
things lurking in the dark.
These days, I’m still afraid of the dark—but for a very
different reason: not being able to sleep. And this fear
seems perfectly rational considering how many mornings
I pry my tired self out of bed and how many afternoons
I spend yawning and rubbing my bleary eyes. And
judging from my friends’ Facebook status updates at all
hours of the night (or is it morning?), I’m not alone.
In fact, one in seven Canadians age 15 and older has
insomnia, the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep, according
to Statistics Canada. “But it’s probably more than
that, because many don’t report it,” says Eric Plasker,
a wellness expert and author of The 100 Year Lifestyle.
“Everyone has one sleepless night here and there. But if
you are wondering if you have a problem sleeping, then
you probably do.”
The good news is that many causes behind sleepless
nights are as easily eradicated as those fears of monsters
in the closet. You just need to shine a little light on them.
By Jill SchildhouSe
photography by photolibrary