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- What is insomnia?
- Symptoms of insomnia
- Causes of insomnia
- Prevention of insomnia
- Risk factors for insomnia
- Complications of insomnia
- When to see a doctor about insomnia
- Diagnosis of insomnia
- Conventional treatment of insomnia
- Alternative/complementary treatment of insomnia
- Living with insomnia
- Caring for someone with insomnia
Initial diagnosis of insomnia includes:
- Medical history of symptoms - the doctor will ask a series of questions about your symptoms (especially the duration and severity), whether there have been any impacts on your daily activities and if you fall asleep during the day. The doctor may ask you if you drink a lot of coffee, smoke cigarette, drink alcohol or engage in other activities which may predispose you to insomnia. You will also be asked if you are particularly worried about anything, if you feel stressed and under pressure at home or work, to try to get to the root of the insomnia
- Physical examination - the doctor will examine your heart, lungs (breathing) and may do a general physical examination to check out your general lung and heart health to determine if there are any obvious signs of ill health
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If it is warranted, further tests can be requested:
- Blood test - if it suspected that you may have a thyroid disorder (overactive thyroid) or vitamin B deficiency, this can be confirmed through a blood test
- Monitoring device - such as an actigraph, which is a device that is worn on the wrist and measures activities of daily life (including daytime napping) and it also helps to detect any unusual circadian rhythms
- Overnight sleep study - if it is suspected that you have sleep apnoea or are snoring at night and this could be the cause of the sleep apnoea, you will be requested to undergo a sleep study, which involves sleeping overnight in a special sleep laboratory, where you will be hooked up to a monitor with electrodes to your head and other parts of your body, in order to monitor your breathing, heart rate and oxygen levels while you sleep. If you snore or have sleep apnoea this test should reveal it (but only if you snore or have the sleep apnoea during the overnight test)
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< 7: when to see a doctor 9: conventional treatment > Last reviewed: 19 January 2010 || Last updated: 19 January 2010
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NOTE: Mega doses of any type of vitamin, mineral, amino acid or herbal supplement cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of complementary supplements.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.
