Written by:
Hala M. Aboulkhair, MD
Associate Consultant, Sleep Medicine/ Internal Medicine
International Medical Center, Jeddah
Millions of people in the world today suffer from insomnia. When sleeplessness progresses beyond a few days and turns to weeks and months, you should seek professional help. However, first you must have a basic understanding of insomnia and its different aspects.
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that occurs when you have one or more of the following symptoms: You have a hard time initiating sleep, struggle to maintain sleep, waking up frequently during the night, tend to wake up too early and are unable to go back to sleep Common symptom is also non restorative sleep. These symptoms of insomnia can be caused by a variety of biological, psychological, medical and social factors. They most often result in an inadequate amount of sleep, even though the opportunity of a good night sleep is present.
Insomnia is different from sleep deprivation, which occurs when an individual does not have the opportunity to get a full night of sleep. A small percentage of people who have trouble sleeping are actually short sleepers who can function normally on only five hours of sleep or less.
Anyone can get Insomnia. Most of people experience insomnia at least once in their lives. It is estimated that approximately 33% to 50% of the adult population have insomnia symptoms. 10% to 15% of the adult population experiences daytime distress or impairment
Insomnia is usually diagnosed by examining the patients sleep, medical, substance intake and psychiatric history. Some patients need to have polysomnography (sleep Test) and investigations. These examinations are usually preformed by the sleep specialist. Most of the time treating the cause of insomnia will treat the insomnia. However, this is not the usual scenario. Patients with chronic insomnia have multiple factors causing this disorder.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is the most effective treatment for insomnia and has no side effect yet can last for a long while. A Board-Certified sleep specialist or a psychologist specialized in cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia usually performs the test. The patient needs from 4 to 6 sessions to increase sleeping hours. Another treatment modality is sleeping pills which are usually prescribed by a physician for a short period of time but unfortunately, the risk of dependency along with other side effects is high.
Most patients diagnosed with insomnia tend to go to the pharmacy and take over the counter sleep aids which contain antihistamine. The pill can help them sleep better, but it may cause severe daytime sleepiness and liver damage especially if they are taken in high quantities. Other products, including herbal supplements, have little evidence to support their effectiveness.
