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Some sleep problems require professional help, but trying the Tips for Good Sleep could help.
Insomnia symptoms, where people have difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep or where sleep is non-restorative or poor quality, occur in around 30% of adults.
Around 10% of the population have insomnia symptoms and experience various forms of daytime distress or impairment, such as:
See Mai E, Buysse DJ. Insomnia: Prevalence, Impact, Pathogenesis, Differential Diagnosis, and Evaluation. Sleep medicine clinics. 2008;3(2):167-174. doi:10.1016/j.jsmc.2008.02.001.
Clinical definitions of insomnia also involve daytime distress or impairment related to the nighttime sleep difficulty, including:
See International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-2) (American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2005.
Insomnia can be associated with a number of medical and mental health conditions. Risk factors for insomnia include:
Insomnia can be precipitated by life events, work or school stresses and job dissatisfaction. Hyperarousal is thought to be the underlying physiological impairment in insomnia.
Assessment of the individual should include discussion of the sleep-wake routine, daytime routine, including work eating and exercise times.
Sleep habits, including sleep conditions and environment, sleep times and pre-sleep routine, as well as overnight behaviour, especially clock-watching and anxiety levels, should be discussed.
Daytime functioning and symptoms (see above), including safety issues need to be considered. Other conditions, including other sleep disorders such as restless legs and sleep apnoea, other medical or psychiatric conditions should be assessed.
Use of substances, such as nicotine, alcohol and caffeine as well as previous treatments for insomnia tried, also need to be reviewed.
Sleep diaries over 1-2 weeks can be a useful way to track sleep-wake patterns.
Management of insomnia can include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
This can involve the following:
CBT can be delivered in person individually, in groups or online and on devices.
Some people may benefit from sedatives as an adjunct to CBT.
This information has been developed by SA Health and The University of Adelaide