Insomnia is one of my areas of expertise within sleep medicine. It is challenging to post a short blurb or have a quick chat with someone about insomnia that is going to make a big difference because insomnia is a complex and multi-faceted problem that can’t be addressed in a five minute exchange.
In every case there are some common threads and themes. I’ve chosen to talk about some of those topics in more detail in this video.
The discussion here does not apply to insomnia caused by sleep-disordered breathing, circadian rhythm disorders (hello night shift workers), or other causes of insomnia. It’s very important to have an evaluation to determine the cause before pursuing a treatment.
Every case of insomnia is unique and it takes an average of 4 to 6 visits with me until most of my patients see a clear improvement in objective measures of sleep.
It would be nice if there was a magic pill or a magic trick to curing insomnia. I think that myth is part of the problem in that it distracts people from focusing on some simpler and safer ways to get help. Treating insomnia is a lot like losing weight, getting fit, or quitting smoking in that permanent behavioral changes are needed. That requires discipline, motivation, and tenacity. Also finding the right physician, someone you trust and have faith in can make all the difference.
Please tell me if this is helpful and chime in with questions or comments below.