How does insomnia affect your mental health?
Insomnia can have profound consequences for psychological well-being. For example, lack of sleep can cause depression, anxiety and negative mood. Similarly, insomnia is more common among people seeking treatment for psychiatric disorders, such as depression, ADHD and bipolar disorder, than among the general population. Lack of sleep can impair cognitive performance in general and can causes subtle changes in the amygdala that contribute to irritability and reduced emotional control.
How can you improve your sleeping patterns?
Go to bed at the same time regularly. Avoid blue light exposure within an hour or so before bed. Using blue-light-filtering glasses can help with this. Make sure your room is cool. Limit alcohol consumption. While alcohol may seemingly make it easier to fall asleep, it’s known to impair sleep quality and is associated with sleep problems with chronic use. Don’t eat too much too close to bedtime. Make sure your room is dark. Consistently get up at the same time every day. If you or your partner notices you are a heavy snorer, undergo a sleep study to see if you have sleep apnea.
What are the top therapies for sleep disorders?
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective for chronic insomnia in several settings. Unfortunately, access to CBT may be a limiting factor due to access to qualified therapists or inadequate insurance coverage. Check with your insurance company to see if they can help you seek CBT for insomnia. If short-term, transient insomnia is creating problems, short- or intermediate-acting benzodiazepine receptor agonists may be prescribed by a doctor for two to four weeks. If pharmacologic therapy with benzodiazepine receptor agonists is working well, long-term therapy may be acceptable under a physician’s guidance and with frequent monitoring. Long-term use of non-benzodiazepine hypnotics is generally not recommended, as these medications may be associated with increased risk of adverse sleep-related behavior.
