Seeking Treatment For Insomnia

Treatment for disturbed sleep or insomnia should be sought when it has lasted more than a few days, and is associated with daytime problems such as mood changes, or difficulty focusing or staying alert. For a physician to diagnose primary insomnia, all other possible causes of disturbed sleep have to be eliminated first. To do this, physician will ask detailed questions, including a sleep history (when and how long you sleep, how you feel before you fall asleep and when you wake up, specific sleep behaviours such as snoring and limb-twitching), as well as a medical and a psychiatric history. A physical examination and certain lab tests may be required.

However if the sleep problem is chronic, the doctor may ask the patient to keep a sleep diary. This provides the best information about the actual sleep performance, its night-to-night variability, and its effects on daytime functioning.