Insomnia

D R . R A YA A L H A R T H I
F M R 4
INSOMNIA

• Outline :
• Definition
• Type
• Assessment
• Nonpaharmacological Rx
• Pharmacological Rx

insomnia :
difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or early awakening despite
the opportunity for sleep that is associated with impaired daytime
functioning and occurs at least 3/wk for at least one month.

• Insomnia can be:
 acute (lasting up to 3 month )
 chronic (lasting >3 month )
Insomnia (without comorbidity)
 Insomnia with comorbidity:
• o Medical disorders
• o Psychiatric disorders
Insomnia with another primary sleep disorder

• Chronic insomnia consequences :
 cognitive difficulties (e.g., problems with memory, attention, and
concentration; confusion),
 anxiety and depression,
 poor quality of life,
 risk of suicide,
 substance use relapse,
 possible immune dysfunction,
 increased risk of CVD (e.g., HTN, MI, or DM ) and all-cause
mortality.

• Excessive daytime sleepiness caused by insomnia can
lead:
 to diminished work performance,
 increased absenteeism,
 MVC , accidents at work, fewer promotions,
 increased accidents and falls in older persons,

ASSESSMENT
• clinical diagnosis;
• medical and
psychological Hx.

ASSESSMENT
• Detailed sleep Hx
• screen for sleep apnea.
• screen for depression/anxiety disorder (GAD-7/PHQ-9)
• CONSIDER screening for other mental health conditions
if relevant (Bipolar/ADHD).
• CONSIDER screening for other medical issues such as
pain syndromes, and disease states in all other systems
that can disrupt sleep.
• Ask the patient to keep a sleep diary

MANAGEMENT
• The ultimate treatment goals:
• qualitatively and quantitatively improve sleep
• decrease related distress.
• improve daytime functioning

NON- PHARMACOLOGICAL RX
• Behavioral interventions are effective and recommended
as an initial approach to the treatment of chronic
insomnia based on RCT .
• Sleep hygiene
• Stimulus control therapy
• Sleep restriction therapy
• CBT

SLEEP HYGIENE
• exercise regularly (not within 4hrs of bedtime);
• avoid large meals and limit fluid intake in the evenings;
• limit caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol intake 4-6 hrs before
before bedtime.
• use the bedroom for sleep .
• maintain a regular sleep-wake cycle without daytime
napping.
• avoid negative stimuli at bedtime:
• loud noises,
• bright lights.
• extreme temperature variations.

STIMULUS CONTROL THERAPY
• Lie down to sleep only when feeling sleepy
• Avoid wakeful activities at bedtime (e.g., watching
television, talking on the phone, eating)
• Leave the bed if unable to fall asleep within 20 minutes
and return when sleepy
• Maintain a consistent sleep-wake cycle(temporal control
therapy ) :
set the alarm for the same time each morning regardless of how
much sleep occurs during the night.

SLEEP RESTRICTION THERAPY
• Limit time in bed to the number of hours actually spent
sleeping (not less than five hours); sleep time gradually
increases as sleep efficiency improves.
• There is a risk of excessive daytime sleepiness with this
approach.

CBT
• CBT-I significantly improves chronic insomnia
and daytime functioning for 2 years.
• is a combination of cognitive therapy,stimulus control
therapy, and sleep restriction therapy with or without the
incorporation of relaxation therapy.

HYPNOTICS
• There is good evidence for the efficacy of hypnotic drugs
in short-term insomnia but they do not treat any
underlying cause.
• adverse effects, :
• daytime sedation
• poor motor concentration
• cognitive impairment.
• In older people, in particular, the magnitude of the
beneficial effect of hypnotics may not justify the
increased risk of adverse effects (ie, falls and cognitive
impairment).

• Hypnotics should be prescribed at the lowest effective
dose for as short a period as possible.
• In transient insomnia:1-2doses of a short-
acting hypnotic
• Short term insomnia :intermittent dosing of a
short acting hypnotic given for no more than 3 weeks.
• Chronic insomnia :
• rarely benefits from the routine use of hypnotics
• should where possible be avoided.

• licensed hypnotic drugs :
• benzodiazepines (temazepam) .
• Z-drugs (zopiclone, zolpidem and zaleplon).
• NICE recommends that switching hypnotics should only
occur if there are documented adverse effects from a
particular agent.

BENZODIAZEPINES
• Effective
• many people develop tolerance ,
• Less therapeutic benefit from chronic use,
• dependence after 2-4 weeks of regular use.
• A withdrawal symptoms
• Rebound insomnia which is worse than the
original symptoms.
• Risk of misuse,
• only for severe, disabling insomnia
• The lowest dose for <4wks

THE ‘Z DRUGS’
• Zaleplon, zolpidem and zopiclone (the Z-drugs) are
nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics.
• Although the Z-drugs differ structurally from the
benzodiazepines, they are also agonists of the GABA
receptor complex and therefore enhanceGABA-mediated
neuronal inhibition.
• developed with the aim of overcoming some of the
disadvantages of benzodiazepines

• Promethazine25-50 mg : is an alternative for
patients in whom other hypnotics are not recommended.
• It has a long half-life and there is the potential for hang
over effect.

TAKE HOME
• CBT-I is the cornerstone of treatment for insomnia.
When CBT-I is combined with medication it may produce
faster improvements in sleep than CBT-I alone. If
combining CBT-I and medication, after the initial phase,
it is best to continue CBT-I while tapering/discontinuing
medication.

ACUTE INSOMNIA
• Treat acute insomnia only if there is a substantial
negative impact on daytime performance.
• Intervene early and suggest behavioral therapy .
• Consider using short term (e.g., two weeks)
pharmacotherapy with close follow-up based on the
severity and urgency of the presentation.
• Start medication at same time as CBT-I.
• Follow-up to monitor progress in two to four weeks.

• Refferances :
• Aafp
• NICE guideline 2015/2016.

Insomnia

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