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Many things can be done to help you get the right quality and amount of sleep that you need.

 

Likely to Be Helpful

Cognitive behavioral therapy is an action-oriented form of psychosocial therapy that seeks to correct wrong or negative thinking or behaviors that involve sleep. You should go to bed only when sleepy, leave the bedroom when you are not sleepy and return only when you are, and avoid daytime napping.

May or May Not Be Helpful

A variety of prescription sleep-inducing drugs may be given, depending on the type of sleep disturbance you have. For example, if you have trouble falling asleep, a short-acting drug will be more beneficial than a long-acting drug. Benzodiazepines, antihistamines, and antidepressants, in low doses, also can help you sleep.

Herbal supplements such as chamomile are touted for their ability to relax people and gently lull them in to sleep. However, no scientific studies have been done on herbal supplements and sleep disturbances in patients with cancer. Healthcare providers do not condone taking herbal supplements during chemotherapy because some herbs may change the effectiveness of the cancer treatment.

Not Enough Evidence

Education that teaches patients about cancer, its therapy and management, how to deal with disease-related crises, and how to manage symptoms throughout the course of the disease may help improve the quality of your sleep.

Complementary medicine includes a number of therapies that may help provide more restful sleep. Treatments include

Autogenic training
Using your mind to influence your body to balance the self-regulative systems that control circulation, breathing, and heart rate. Biofeedback is a form of autogenic training.

Expressive therapy
Therapy in a group or individual setting that focuses on patients discussing issues that are on their minds, with emphasis on meaning, freedom, and isolation as a result of illness.

Healing touch
A technique that involves lightly touching the person. It is said to restore energy fields around the body.

Massage
A general term for manipulating all the body's soft tissues. The objective is to restore function and release tension.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction
Mindfulness is aimed at deep self-reflection, self-knowledge, and liberation from confining views of self, others, and the world. It includes simple yoga postures and mindful meditation.

Relaxation therapy
Any number of techniques that induce progressive muscle relaxation. Often, guided imagery is used in combination with other techniques.

Yoga
Yoga involves poses (postures) along with specific breathing patterns, visual imagery, and meditation, which can help people relax into the stretches.

Moderate exercise, such as a brisk 20- to 30-minute walk four to five times per week, may help you sleep better.

 

Benzodiazepines

drugs that bind to certain receptors in the brain, inducing sleep

 
 

Antidepressants

drugs that increase the amount of one or more chemical messengers involved in nerve transmissions

 
 

Chamomile

an herb that has been used for more than 2,000 years to calm stomach problems and soothe nerves in general