Insomnia

Insomnia is a symptom of either difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep (or both). Many causes exist and can include physical intrusions, psychological issues, chemical changes and side effects from medication, hormonal changes, or just poor habits. Frequently patients will say that they haven't slept well in years. Our job with the patient is to investigate why!

The investigation must be thorough and include 24 hour histories of habits and activities. Treatments can include sedating drugs in appropriate cases. Most non-pharmacological treatments are described as behavioral. These range from biofeedback to aid relaxation to sleep restriction to condense sleep into sequential night time hours. Additionally sleep hygiene measures are always helful in reducing bad habits which may impact on sleep (or the lack of it).

The prevalence of insomnia ranges between 20-30% of adults who at one point in their lives will experience this symptom.

Do you have insomnia?

Symptoms of insomnia include:

• Difficulty falling asleep
• Difficulty staying asleep
• Early morning awakening
• Waking up feeling unrefreshed