insomnia

The persistent loss of sleep may result in:

 

Insomnia is not contagious. A sleep-deprived person might cause injury to someone else in a motor vehicle crash.

 

The best way to prevent insomnia is to develop good sleep habits. This includes maintaining a regular and predictable sleep schedule. Substances known to cause insomnia, such as nicotine, caffeine and alcohol, should be avoided. Creation of a quiet, comfortable sleep environment is also useful.

 

Regular exercise is important, but should not be done within 2 hours of going to bed. Quiet, relaxing activities before bedtime, such as reading, listening to music, or watching TV, can help.

 

Non-prescription medications, such as diphenhydramine (i.e., Benadryl), may be helpful for short-term situations. There is data that controlled-release Melatonin may be helpful for some people—especially the elderly. The Natural Database rates valerian (with or without lemon balm) as possibly effective for insomnia; however, they have found insufficient evidence to recommend Indian snakeroot.

 

Using prescription medications such as chloral hydrate (i.e., Noctec), fluraxepam (i.e., Dalmane), triazolam (i.e., Halcion), zolpidem (i.e., Ambien), zaleplon (i.e., Sonata), or temazepam (i.e., Restoril) to induce sleep should be considered a last resort in any setting except short-term hospitalization, when a normal night's sleep is virtually impossible. Long-term use of these medications can actually cause more sleep problems.

 

Some physicians will use tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline (i.e., Elavil), for insomnia due to their sedating side effects.

 

A newer prescription medication, eszopiclone (i.e., Lunesta) has been approved by the FDA for long-term use.

 

Side effects of the many medications used to induce sleep include: day time sleepiness physical tolerance to and dependence on some of the medications memory impairment rebound insomnia when medication is stopped psychological dependence on the medication poor quality sleep produced by some medications

Good sleep habits should be followed for life. Early identification and resolution of contributing factors may help reduce the number of sleepless nights.

Insomnia may be self-monitored. Healthcare professionals can be notified of persistent sleeping problems.