MONTHLY MUSINGS

Can’t sleep this holiday season?  It’s not just you.  Did you know that…

• More than 23,000 of you – nearly a fifth of all PatientsLikeMe members – report insomnia?
• People with insomnia may also experience impaired function, mood issues (e.g. irritability, anxiety) and daytime drowsiness as a result? 
• There are two forms of insomnia:  secondary (where it’s the symptom or side effect of something else) and primary (where it is its own disorder)?
• Members with insomnia have shared their experiences via hundreds of treatment evaluations for prescription drugs such as Ambien, Trazodone, Seroquel and Lunesta?
• Members have also evaluated over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aids like diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and Melatonin as well as herbal supplements such as Valerian and Passionflower?
• There are numerous forum discussions about insomnia, including the six featured below in “Join the Conversation”?

Finally, here’s something else to know.  Logging onto to the PatientsLikeMe forum in the dead of the night can be a great help.  It may not cure your insomnia, but chances are, you’ll find several others who are awake and going through the same thing. 

Here’s hoping your holidays are as restful and joyful as possible. 

- Kate, Emma, Liz, Jeanette & Sharry

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

What’s happening in the forum in the midnight hour?  Check out some of these insightful threads about insomnia below.  Then jump in with your own questions and answers. 

• Anyone else here afraid to go to sleep? (Mental Health Room)
• Tart cherries for aches, pains and insomnia (FM/CFS/ME Room)
• Link between hypothyroidism and sleeplessness? (Endocrine Room)
• Dealing with insomnia and discomfort at night (ALS Room)
• Insomnia may raise your risk of heart attack (FM/CFS/ME Room)
• Why does MS cause insomnia?  (Multiple Sclerosis Room)

Need help with something on the site?  Visit the PatientsLikeMe Site Help Room for answers from veteran members.

THIS MONTH’S SITE IMPROVEMENTS

Thanks for your continued feedback about improving the site.  Here are our top functionality enhancements for December.

UPGRADED LABS AND TESTS
There are new labs and tests you can monitor at PatientsLikeMe. Use the search tool or browse the list to see what’s now available, including Blood Glucose, Ejection Fraction, PSA, Creatinine, AST and more.  Don’t see the lab or test that you’d like to monitor?  Email us at dataintegrity@patientslikeme.com with your request.

CLICKABLE CONDITION NAMES ON PROFILES
You can now click on the condition name in the header of any profile, including your own, to view the new-and-improved condition page.  Checking out someone’s profile and see a disease you don’t recognize?  Simply click through to learn more.  Or from your own profile, click through on any of your conditions to see who else has it, the most commonly reported treatments and much more.