Outskirts Press, INC.

For all the sleepless ones worldwide

I Want to Sleep is an invitation to make peace with sleep rather than war on insomnia.

When an estimated 76 percent of American adults use medications for troubled sleeping, and over 20 percent (the majority women) suffer from chronic insomnia, this book offers a fresh and promising perspective.

Studies show that sleeplessness rarely is pathological in itself. It is a symptom caused by stress. Dr. Haug, a veteran psychotherapist, takes us one step deeper: Insomnia is not necessarily caused by stressful circumstances, but by how we handle them. During the day we may forge ahead using pressure. For sleeping at night, however, this proves to be the most counterproductive approach of all. If you habitually force performance by scaring yourself, insomnia might well be a needed wake-up call.

Using real case studies and step-by-step guidance, Dr. Haug illustrates how to embrace sleep, rather than fight sleeplessness. Unlearning insomnia means changing your allegiance from being wired to being tired. I Want to Sleep is a practical, necessary, and engaging book. It is a hopeful and readable gift for all the sleepless people we love.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New book brings understanding and solutions for the sleep-deprived

May 2008 – Denver, CO and Williamsburg, MA – For insomniacs everywhere, Dr. Siegfried Haug’s book, I Want to Sleep goes straight to the heart of the problems that keep so many of us from getting the sleep we need and deserve. I Want to Sleep gently but honestly shows what is happening to those who engage in nightly mental and emotional battles, while it provides real solutions and detailed exercises that work.

“Up to seventy percent of Americans,” Dr. Haug explains, “can be classified as insomniacs. Sixty five percent are women. Most take drugs regularly to get some sleep. Pharmaceutical industries have a vested interest in pathologizing insomnia. This book suggests that sleep-problems are not necessarily a disease. Many times they are a symptom of a mind at odds with itself.”

“Bad days seem to make for bad nights. That is an unwelcome message for most insomniacs, who would like it to be the other way around. ‘Bad days’ do not necessarily mean rough days, or difficult days, but destabilizing, emotionally upsetting, agitated, over stimulated days—days that seem to ensnare our minds in their clutches and follow us home. While we are awake we have learned to deal with obsessing by moving on and changing the subject; at night this option peters out and we are alone with our rattled, unprotected selves.”

“This book,” he continues, “is about befriending sleep. Part of you wants to sleep. Part of you won’t let you. This internal relationship problem requires counseling, not medication. You want to learn how to make peace with yourself, not do battle or resort to big guns to knock yourself out.”

The people we encounter in Dr. Haug’s book provide us with an intimate look at ourselves and our society today. Who are those who can’t sleep or stay asleep? In I Want to Sleep we meet the adrenalin junkie, the woman who is hooked on sleep medications, the computer game geek, the girl who is plagued by her past, the spouse who snores, the old man who lies awake all night. It also takes a sobering look at a disturbing trend of thought that says, “Sleep is for losers.”

I Want to Sleep provides a first-aid section for those middle-of-the night traumas, life-style coaching to address what Dr. Haug calls Stimulus Overload Disorder (SOLD), and easy steps to teach the sleep-deprived how to let go of resistances. “Conquering insomnia,” Dr. Haug says, “is just another obsession, a nightly fight. Embracing sleep is a peacemaking mission.”

Praise for I Want to Sleep –

“We have obscured our path to sleep and need help and encouragement to find our way back to this basic and critical human need. Dr. Haug shows us instead that we must ‘go to sleep,’ embrace sleep and allow it to replenish and heal us daily. In education we emphasize stories as effective instruction. Here Dr. Haug uses stories to teach us, to provide examples where readers may find some aspects of themselves or their experience, and to supply information about sleep behavior and its antithesis. These stories … give clarity and hope to allow us to literally ‘go to sleep.’”

– Sue J. M. Freeman, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist; Professor, Smith College

ISBN(s): 1432720728 Format(s): 5.5 x 8.5 Paperback SRP: US $15.95/CAN $15.95

Genre: Self-Help

Dr. Siegfried Haug has been a relationship therapist, teacher, and workshop leader for more than thirty years. He is a Clinical Member and Approved Supervisor in the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and a Diplomate in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. Dr. Haug practices in Connecticut and in Massachusetts, and lives in the hills of Western Massachusetts.

For more information or to contact the author, visit www.outskirtspress.com/iwanttosleep

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