Treatments for Insomnia

Treatment list for Insomnia:

The list of treatments mentioned in various sources for Insomnia includes the following list. Always seek professional medical advice about any treatment or change in treatment plans.

• No treatment - mild cases may require no treatment.
• Sleeping pills - only for transient cases (e.g. jet lag); longer-term use requires strict medical supervision and is controversial.
• Treating the underlying cause of insomnia
• Sleep therapies
  • Relaxation therapy
  • Sleep restriction therapy
  • Sleep reconditioning
  • Consistent sleep schedule - if possible avoid jet lap, shift work, or other problems.
  • Avoid daytime naps
• Changes to behavior
  • Avoid stress
  • Avoid worrying about not sleeping
  • Avoid caffeine
  • Avoid nicotine - especially not smoking near bedtime.
  • Avoid alcohol - especially near bedtime.
  • Avoid using bed for non-sleep activity - except perhaps sex.
• Changes to sleep environment
  • Avoid nosing environment
  • Avoid cold environment
• Magnesium - possibly used for related magnesium deficiency

Treatments of Insomnia: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the treatments of Insomnia.

Insomnia: Treatment
(In a Page: Signs and Symptoms)

• Acute transient insomnia: Reassurance, address stressors, treat identifiable underlying causes (e.g., pain), hypnotic agents for up to 7–10 days

• Chronic insomnia
  –Improve sleep hygiene (e.g., consistent bed/wake time, sleep environment, medications/drugs, daytime exercise, avoid naps, hot bath near bedtime)
  –Treat pain and underlying medical/psychiatric issues
  –Behavioral treatments: Relaxation therapy, sleep restriction therapy (curtail time in bed to improve sleep efficiency), stimulus control therapy (bed only for sleep), cognitive therapy (restructure negative thoughts about sleep/daytime functioning)
  –Medications are often used but none has demonstrated long-term efficacy nor safety

• Obstructive sleep apnea: Weight loss, CPAP, surgery
• RLS: Dopaminergic agents (e.g., carbidopa/levodopa, pergolide), benzodiazepines, opiates
• Narcolepsy: Modafinil, amphetamines

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Insomnia: Patient counseling
(Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition))

Teach the patient comfort and relaxation techniques to promote natural sleep. (See Tips for relieving insomnia.) Advise him to awaken and retire at the same time each day and to exercise regularly. When he can’t sleep, advise him to get up but remain inactive. Urge him to use his bed only for sleeping, not for relaxation or watching television.

Advise the patient to use tranquilizers or sedatives for acute insomnia only when relaxation techniques fail. If appropriate, refer him for counseling or to a sleep disorder clinic for biofeedback training or other interventions.

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Insomnia: Patient counseling
(Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses)

Teach the patient comfort and relaxation techniques to promote natural sleep. (See Tips for relieving insomnia.) Advise him to awaken and retire at the same time each day and to exercise regularly. When he can’t sleep, advise him to get up but remain inactive. Urge him to use his bed only for sleeping, not for relaxation or watching TV.

Advise the patient to use tranquilizers or sedatives for acute insomnia only when relaxation techniques fail. If appropriate, refer him for counseling or to a sleep disorder clinic for biofeedback training or other interventions.

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Insomnia: Nursing considerations
(Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms)

▪ Prepare the patient for tests to evaluate his insomnia, such as blood and urine studies for 17-hydroxycorticosteroids and catecholamines, polysomnography (including an EEG, electro-oculography, and electrocardiography), and sleep studies.

▪ Institute measures to help relieve insomnia. (See Tips for relieving insomnia, page 341.)

Patient teaching

▪ Teach the patient comfort and relaxation techniques to promote natural sleep.

▪ Advise him to awaken and retire at the same time each day and to exercise regularly, but not close to bedtime.

▪ Encourage the patient to avoid caffeinated beverages at least 3 hours before bedtime.

▪ Refer the patient to counseling or a sleep disorder clinic as needed.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Medications used to treat Insomnia:

Note:You must always seek professional medical advice about any treatment or change in treatment plans.

Some of the different medications used in the treatment of Insomnia include:

• Diazepam
• Apo-Diazepam
• Diastat
• Diazemuls
• Diazepam Intensol Oral Solution
• Dizac
• E-Pam
• Meval
• Novo-Dipam
• Q-Pam
• Rival
• Valcaps
• Valium
• Valrelease
• Vazepam
• Vivol
• Zetran
• Flurazepam
• Apo-Flurazepam
• Dalmane
• Durapam
• Novo-Flupam
• Somnol
• Zaleplon
• Sonata
• Starnoc
• Zolpidem
• Ambien
• Acetaminophen and Diphenhydramine - mainly used to treat insomnia associated with pain
• Excedrin P.M - mainly used to treat insomnia associated with pain
• Goody's PM Powder - mainly used to treat insomnia associated with pain
• Legatrin PM - mainly used to treat insomnia associated with pain
• Percogesic Extra Strength - mainly used to treat insomnia associated with pain
• Tylenol PM Extra Strength - mainly used to treat insomnia associated with pain
• Tylenol Severe Allergy - mainly used to treat insomnia associated with pain
• Amobarbital
• Amytal
• Estazolam
• ProSom
• Tasedan
• Eszopiclone
• Lunesta
• Quazepam
• Doral
• Secobarbital
• Seconal
• Zopiclone
• Imovane
• Flunitrazepam
• Rohypnol
• Hypnoderm
• Nitrazepam
• Alodorm
• Mogadon

Unlabelled alternative drug treatments include:

• Lorazepam
• Alzapam
• Apo-Lorazepam
• Ativan
• Loraz
• Intensol
• Novo-Lorazepam
• Nu-Loraz
• Mirtazapine - mainly used to treat presurgical insomnia
• Remeron - mainly used to treat presurgical insomnia
• Remeron Sol Tab - mainly used to treat presurgical insomnia

Medical news summaries about treatments for Insomnia:

The following medical news items are relevant to treatment of Insomnia:

• Alternative depression treatment can limit the need for therapy or medication
• Children being prescribed sleeping pills
• Different types of sleep disorders plague many millions of Americans
• Drug aimed to improve sleep disorder also helps with depression
• FDA approval of weight loss pill is not necessarily good news
• HRT not for prevention of menopause
• Less sleep with age not normal
• Medication error involving malaria medication results in over $202,000 being awarded
• Melatonin not helpful in most sleep disorders
• More women using natural hormones for menopause therapy
• New drug approved for treatment of pain associated with diabetic neuropathy

Discussion of treatments for Insomnia:

Insomnia: NWHIC (Excerpt)

Transient and intermittent insomnia may not require treatment since episodes last only a few days at a time. For example, if insomnia is due to a temporary change in the sleep/wake schedule, as with jet lag, the person's biological clock will often get back to normal on its own. However, for some people who experience daytime sleepiness and impaired performance as a result of transient insomnia, the use of short-acting sleeping pills may improve sleep and next-day alertness. As with all drugs, there are potential side effects. The use of over-the-counter sleep medicines is not usually recommended for the treatment of insomnia.

Treatment for diagnosed chronic insomnia include identifying behaviors that may worsen insomnia and stopping (or reducing) them, possibly using sleeping pills (although the long-term use of sleeping pills for chronic insomnia is controversial), trying behavioral techniques to improve sleep, such as relaxation therapy, sleep restriction therapy, and reconditioning. (Source: excerpt from Insomnia: NWHIC)

A Good Night's Sleep - Age Page - Health Information: NIA (Excerpt)

A good night's sleep can make a big difference in how you feel. Here are some suggestions to help you: