Overview
Insomnia is a sleep disorder where a person has trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or wakes up too early and can't go back to sleep. It can be short-term, lasting a few days or weeks, often due to stress or a life change. Long-term insomnia can last for months and may be related to other health conditions or lifestyle factors like caffeine use.
Our approach
Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early and not being able to get back to sleep. It leads to poor-quality or insufficient sleep, affecting daytime functioning and overall quality of life. Insomnia can be acute (lasting a few days or weeks) or chronic (lasting a month or longer) and may result from stress, lifestyle factors, medical conditions, or other sleep disorders.
Symptoms
Symptoms of insomnia can vary but commonly include:
- Difficulty Falling Asleep: Taking 30 minutes or more to fall asleep.
- Waking Up Frequently During the Night: Interrupted sleep, often waking up without being able to fall back asleep quickly.
- Waking Up Too Early: Inability to get back to sleep after waking up early in the morning.
- Daytime Fatigue or Sleepiness: Feeling tired despite spending adequate time in bed.
- Difficulty Concentrating: Problems with focus, memory, or completing tasks.
- Irritability or Mood Changes: Increased anxiety, depression, or irritability due to poor sleep.
- Reduced Performance: Decreased ability to perform daily activities, work, or school tasks effectively.
Diagnosis
Healthcare professionals diagnose insomnia through various evaluations:
- Medical and Sleep History: Discussing sleep patterns, sleep environment, and lifestyle habits, as well as any medical or psychological conditions.
- Sleep Diary: Keeping a daily record of sleep times, duration, quality, and daytime symptoms to identify patterns and potential causes.
- Physical Examination: Assessing for underlying conditions that may contribute to sleep disturbances, such as pain or breathing issues.
- Polysomnography (Sleep Study): Conducted in a sleep lab to monitor brain activity, breathing, heart rate, and body movements during sleep, usually for suspected sleep disorders like sleep apnea.
- Actigraphy: A wrist-worn device that tracks movement and sleep-wake patterns over several days or weeks.
- Screening for Mental Health Conditions: Evaluating for depression, anxiety, or other disorders that can be associated with insomnia.
