Q and A with Nathan Payne, PA-C on symptoms and treatment of Insomnia

How does a patient know if he/she has insomnia?

Insomnia is defined as a condition that must have the following 3 problems:

    - Difficulty initiation or maintaining sleep.

    - Poor sleep occurs despite appropriate circumstances for sleep.

    - Poor sleep results in daytime deficits (i.e. fatigue, irritability, poor concentration).

If one thinks you have insomnia, what should they do about it?

Before seeking help from your primary care provider, first consider the concept of sleep hygiene, which is the idea that lifestyle and logistical changes can fix sleeping problems. Here are some examples of some basic sleep hygiene principles –

1. Be as consistent as possible with the time of day you go to sleep and wake up. This helps tune up your biological clock or circadian rhythm.
2. Do not eat anything or consume stimulants like coffee or caffeinated beverages after 6pm
3. Exercise daily, often times exercising 1.5-2 hours prior to sleep will improve ability to fall asleep. 

If you have symptoms of insomnia, when should you talk to your physician about it?

Patients should contact their healthcare provider when they meet the criteria listed above and have employed sleep hygiene tactics and failed.

What are the generally recommended methods of treatment at Phoenix Family Medical Clinic for Insomnia?

Most commonly, the treatment of insomnia providers use at Phoenix Family Medical Clinic is use of medicines in a step-wise fashion. Most people find relief with the addition of simple over the counter available medications like Benadryl and melatonin. For patients that do not respond to those types of medications, there are prescription medications specifically designed to help people fall asleep.

In addition, we make use of natural supplements and stress relieving techniques to improve sleeping patterns. The integrative approach to lack of sleep is the most effective treatment with a combination of medicines, stress relivers and natural supplements work effectively.

When medicine therapies fail, your healthcare provider may typically send you to a sleep specialist who may order additional testing, like an overnight sleep study to determine other issues like sleep apnea, etc.. 

• Prev
• Next