Insomnia
What is Insomnia?
Insomnia is defined as a difficulty going to sleep and/or staying asleep or have non-refreshing sleep with daytime sleepiness. There are two major types of insomnia, primary and secondary. Most people have experienced insomnia sometime in their lifetime even if it was only brief time.
The majority of people who have insomnia have secondary insomnia. This type of insomnia can be caused by several different factors some of which are: medications, depression, hormone shifts, stress, mental disorders, sleep apnea, and shift work. Treating this type of insomnia includes finding the underline cause of your sleeping problem.
Primary insomnia sometimes referred to as “pure insomnia”, can be caused by neurological or genetic conditions and is much harder to treat. A Sleep Medicine Physician will work through the process with you trying to find a solution that best fits your circumstances.
What Information Should I Have Available Before Seeing the Doctor?
Keeping a journal of your stresses, medications you have taken, and sleeping patterns will be extremely useful for the doctor to determine the proper treatment of your insomnia. Most cases of insomnia can be treated without having a sleep study preformed; however, the doctor may feel that some other disorder may be causing your difficulties with sleep and prescribe a sleep study for you.
