Insomnia Treatment

The first step in treating insomnia is to look for and overcome the root cause. If the patient continues to suffer from insomnia when the cause has been defeated, the doctor will advise him to take cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). Patients can also be treated with drugs or a combination of drugs and CBT-I.

CBT-I aims to help patients with insomnia change negative thoughts and behaviors that make their sleep difficult. This therapy is the first choice for treating patients with insomnia because it is more effective than medication. A number of methods in CBT-I include:

• Sleep restriction. Patients will be asked to avoid napping, so that sleep time at night can gradually increase.
• Relaxation technique. Patients will learn to control their breathing to reduce their anxiety because they cannot sleep.
• Stimulation control therapy. Patients will be trained to use the bedroom only for sleep or sex. Patients are also advised to leave the room if they cannot sleep within 20 minutes and only return when they are sleepy.
• Paradoxical intention. The goal of this therapy is to reduce anxiety and worries about not being able to sleep, but rather to stay awake in bed and hope not to fall asleep.
• Phototherapy Phototherapy aims to normalize sleep time in patients who sleep too fast at night and wake up too early. In phototherapy, the patient will be exposed to UV light for 30 to 40 minutes after waking up.

Another method to overcome insomnia is to use sleeping pills. In general, doctors do not recommend using sleeping pills for more than a few weeks. Zolpidem is a type of medication that is usually prescribed by doctors to treat insomnia.

Remember that sleeping pills can have side effects such as dizziness and increase the risk of fainting. Therefore, it is important to consult with your doctor before using sleeping pills for insomnia.

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