Actor
Heath Ledger portrays Robbie in the film I'm Not There in this promo
photograph. He was found dead in his New York City apartment according
to police on January 22, 2008.
Hollywood
is mourning the tragic loss of rising star Heath Ledger – who was found
dead last week of a suspected overdose. The 28-year-old Australian
actor’s New York apartment was said to be littered with bottles of
prescription drugs, including sleeping pills and anti-depressants.
The lack of a suicide note suggests that the Brokeback Mountain star may have
died accidentally.
Heath
revealed he was suffering from insomnia after breaking up with actress
Michelle Williams – the mother of his two-year-old daughter, Matilda.
His role as The Joker in the forthcoming Batman film, The Dark Knight
too, had left him 'stressed'.
'Stress' and 'insomnia' being
fairly commonly used terms in megacities like ours, it is imperative to
know how to live and deal with them, especially the latter one. Or
else, like no one predicted Heath Ledger's fate, your destiny too could
be similar.
CAN YOU BE A VICTIM?
Days
before his death, the actor had explained that taking one sleeping pill
had had no effect and while a second would send him to sleep, he'd wake
up an hour later with his mind still racing. Sleep experts are of the
opinion that insomnia can strike at any time, but often follows great
stress and upheaval, such as a break-up or bereavement.
• It's
difficult to define insomnia, because everybody needs different amounts
of sleep. Anything between three and 11 hours is normal and most of us
need something 'in between'. If you need seven hours of sleep and you
are regularly unable to drift off, then that's insomnia.
•
Regularly failing to get enough sleep can make you depressed and may
increase your risk of obesity and diabetes too.. What's worse, It's a
vicious circle - the more you worry about being unable to sleep, the
less likely you are to drop off!
THE BITTER PILL
Your
GP will prescribe pills only if your inability to sleep is causing you
distress or ill health. While some people only need them a short time,
a small number stay on them indefinitely.
Sleeping pills have
come a long way since 'barbiturates' in the 70s – which were addictive
and left patients dazed and slurring. But they still carry problems,
the most common being addiction.
• Addiction experts believe
that a large proportion of recovering alcoholics and drug addicts are
re-admitted to therapy with sleeping pill addictions.
• Unlike
illegal drugs, sleeping pills can seem safe - after all, they're
prescribed by a medical professional. But they can be addictive. Just
as a glass of wine to unwind can turn into alcoholism during stressful
times, a sleeping pill to combat tiredness can turn into an addiction.
•
There's also a danger of mixing your medication. Certain pills react
badly with each other, so it's vital to only get prescriptions from
your doctor. Also, before resorting to pills, one should always opt for
natural ways to cure insomnia.
ALTERNATIVES
• CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy): CBT
helps patients with anything from insomnia to depression. You see a
therapist, who helps you work out why you behave a certain way.
• Hypnotherapy
Your therapist gets you to relax and then helps you uncover the reasons behind
your inability to sleep.
• Acupuncture
A French study suggests this can also aid sleep.
• Supplements
Studies show that low iron levels can disrupt sleep and cause restless leg
syndrome.
STARS WHO CAN’T SLEEP
SANJAY DUTT
Though
industry insiders knew him as an insomniac during his troubled ‘TADA’
days, his sleeping habits took a poor turn when he was moved into the
Yerwada Jail in Pune recently. Dutt had then requested the jail
superintendent to permit him to take ‘mild sleeping pills’.
However,
jail officials had turned down his request and instead asked him to
exercise to get a good night’s sleep. The actor apparently spent many
sleepless nights behind bars.
JACK NICHOLSON
The Chinatown star had warned Heath about getting addicted to pills before the
latter died.
BRITNEY SPEARS
When
she was recently hospitalised and strapped to a stretcher, it was
revealed that singer had taken a mixture of diet pills and sleeping
tablets.
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