Insomnia

definition

Insomnia includes difficulty falling asleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to fall back asleep, waking up early and being unable to fall back asleep, etc. If the above problems occur three or more times within a week and last for three months or more, and the patient suffers physical and mental distress due to these problems, he or she will suffer from insomnia.

Cause

The causes of insomnia are multifaceted and influence each other. The process of insomnia can be roughly divided into three factors:

• Personal factors: genetics, overly worried personality, perfectionist.
• Contributing factors: Stress, mental health problems, physical illness such as chronic pain, shift work, alcohol and drug abuse.
• Perpetuating factors: Poor sleeping habits, irrational beliefs about insomnia, ongoing stress, and the triggering factors mentioned above.

Approach

• Assess physical, emotional and lifestyle habits
• Proper sleep hygiene
• Psychological and behavioral treatment
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy - such as sleep restriction therapy, stimulus control therapy, relaxation exercises, etc.
  • Emotional management: Explore the psychological factors that induce insomnia, and appropriately handle stress and emotional issues.
• drug treatment
  • Medication treatments such as sleeping pills, antidepressants, and tranquilizers can help improve sleep quality, but they must be prescribed by a specialist to avoid possible drug dependence or drug resistance.