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Sleep Disorders Center at Trinitas Hospital 908-994-8694 |
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Insomnia
The perception or complaint of patients who don't get enough sleep for the
following reasons:
They have difficulty falling asleep
They wake up frequently during the night and may have trouble falling
asleep again
They wake up too early in the morning
They believe their sleep to be unrefreshing or unsatisfying
Like many things in life, it's not the just the quantity, but the
quality of sleep that defines a person's perception of a good night's sleep.
Insomnia may cause daytime problems like tiredness, lack of energy,
concentration difficulties and, at times, irritability. Patients have
described their insomnia in varying stages, with words and phrases like
transient, intermittent and chronic.
What Causes Insomnia?
Advanced, or advancing, age
Female gender
History of depression
Combine any of the above-mentioned factors with stress, and you have a
recipe for insomnia.
If you experience transient insomnia or intermittent insomnia, these are
factors that may affect you:
Stress
Environmental noises
Extreme temperatures
Change in the surrounding environment
Problems in sleep/wake schedule
Side effects from medications
If you experience chronic insomnia, there may be underlying physical or
mental disorders associated with your condition. These can include
arthritis, heart failure, asthma, sleep apnea, kidney disease, narcolepsy,
Parkinson's Disease and hyperthyroidism, among others. Misuse of caffeine,
alcohol or other substances may also be a factor. Shift work, or changing
shifts periodically, may be an underlying cause.
If you experience chronic insomnia, these are factors that may affect you:
Expecting to have difficulty falling asleep and worrying
Drinking alcohol before bedtime
Smoking cigarettes before bedtime
Overingestion of caffeine
Irregular sleep/wake schedules
Stopping some of these behaviors may eliminate the insomnia.
Who Gets Insomnia?
Men get insomnia, but post-menopausal females tend to be the largest segment
of the patient population to experience insomnia. While you need a great
night's sleep, for many women, the ability to get that solid night's sleep
becomes more and more difficult due, in some cases, to insomnia.
How Is Insomnia Diagnosed?
We review your entire medical history, including your present regimen of
medications. We also ask you questions that become part of your Sleep
History. You will be asked to fill out a Sleep Diary that details when you
were able to sleep, and when you weren't able to sleep, over a
pre-determined period. Once we review all this information, you may need to
participate in an overnight sleep study to rule out sleep apnea, narcolepsy
or some other sleep disorder.
How Is Insomnia Treated?
Transient and intermittent insomnia may not require treatment at all, since
they are not long-lasting. But, if you experience daytime sleepiness and
your performance is impaired in work, sporting activities or other
activities of daily living, short-acting sleeping pills may be prescribed.
Over-the-counter sleep medicines are not recommended for the treatment of
insomnia.
Behavioral techniques, such as relaxation therapy (to stop your mind from
racing), sleep restriction therapy (you sleep a few hours a night and then
increase it slightly over time) and/or reconditioning (using your bed for
sleeping and sexual activity and nothing else, like reading, eating, etc.)
may be employed to change your sleep habit(s).
The Sleep Disorders Center at Trinitas Hospital stands ready to help you
determine if you have Insomnia and, if you do, to provide you with whatever
solutions work best in your particular case. We're experienced in Sleep
Medicine and we look forward to helping each and every patient achieve the
best possible result. Call us at 908-994-8694 or email us at
Sleep@trinitas.org for more information or
to arrange an appointment.
210 Williamson St., Elizabeth, NJ 07202908-994-8694 |
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