INSOMNIA TREATMENTS TRIAL
INSOMNIA TREATMENTS PLUS

The most common non-benzodiazepine sedatives are Eszopiclone (Lunesta), Zolpidem (Ambien, Intermezzo), and Zaleplon (Sonata). The spray can be used especially for short-term insomnia. There is also a prescription oral spray which contains Lorazepam’s most active ingredient and is known as Zolpimist. Some of the most common benzodiazepine sedatives medications today are Lorazepam (Ativan), Flurazepam, Temazepam (Restoril), Triazolam (Halicon), and Quazepam (Doral). Anti-insomnia medications can be incredibly dangerous when taken with drugs and alcohol because they can depress the nervous system as well as cause morning drowsiness.īenzodiazepine sedatives and non-benzodiazepine sedatives are used as medications to treat insomnia. Furthermore, they can become addictive with long-term use. What are insomnia treatments? Medical Insomnia TreatmentsĬurrently, the most common insomnia treatment is sleeping pills which can help at the moment but carry high risks and don’t treat the problem directly.

INSOMNIA TREATMENTS PLUS

Inso mnia is defined as “ complaints of difficulty initiating sleep, maintaining sleep, waking too early, and nonrestorative sleep despite adequate opportunity plus a complaint of impaired daytime functioning (eg, fatigue, depressed mood, poor concentration)” by the National Institutes of Health. It’s a phenomenon that happens in roughly 30% of the population. It can also be caused by stress, travel, or other situations in daily life. Insomnia can happen as a side effect of medication for another condition such as diabetes or menopause. Over half of the world population goes through spouts of insomnia during their life. Those who are most prone to being affected by insomnia are women, the elderly, and people who suffer from psychological conditions such as anxiety, depression, and chronic stress. People who are insomniacs often don’t feel happy with their sleep and tend to feel symptoms such as low energy, mood changes, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, and an overall decreased performance at school or work. Insomnia is the condition of having difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep.

Chronic insomnia treatments vs short-term insomnia treatments.

Natural, Non-Medical Insomnia Treatments.

The long-term goal is more sleep, but the near-term path to getting there is often less – but better and uninterrupted – sleep. So, what exactly is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia? The intervention can include several components, including breathing and visualization techniques, mindfulness, and biofeedback, but “the biggest hammer of CBT-I,” says UCSF sleep psychologist Aric Prather, PhD, “is time-in-bed restriction.” That means you don’t lie in bed waiting to fall asleep, but instead stay up until sleepiness finally has its way with you. The fact that these digital interventions work so well is important, Felder says, “because frankly there aren’t enough trained clinicians to get this effective intervention into the hands of people who need it.” This was a sleep intervention, but it suggested benefits for psychological functioning and well-being.”Īnother promising aspect of Felder’s study was its validation of using digital CBT-I apps such as Sleepio and SHUTi in place of one-on-one sessions with a therapist. This was a sleep intervention, but it suggested broader benefits for these women’s psychological functioning and well-being.” This is important because we were not targeting those symptoms. “But what was also super exciting,” she says, “is that they also had improvements in their depression and anxiety symptoms.

INSOMNIA TREATMENTS TRIAL

Nevertheless, in a randomized clinical trial of more than 200 pregnant women, Felder found that those who received CBT-I experienced significantly greater improvements in their insomnia symptoms than the other study subjects. Although CBT-I has been shown to help three-quarters of people with insomnia, there was reason to be skeptical: There are many practical reasons beyond true insomnia why pregnant women often have trouble sleeping, from physical discomfort to the frequent need to pee. She decided to evaluate whether cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) could improve her patients’ sleep. “In my work with patients and in my research, a lot of pregnant and postpartum women have told me their depression was triggered by sleep deprivation,” Felder says. That’s worrisome because insomnia goes hand in hand with anxiety and is often associated with depression.Ĭlinical psychologist Jennifer Felder, PhD, whose research has focused on new and expectant mothers, has shown promising results in addressing depression by helping patients improve their sleep. The fear, loss, isolation, and exhaustion of living through a pandemic – alongside a fire hose of economic, political, and racial traumas – have upended the peaceful slumber of millions of Americans. If you’re having trouble sleeping, you’re not alone.

Insomnia treatments