Understanding Insomnia -- Treatment

What Is the Treatment for Insomnia?

Treatment for insomnia may involve nonmedical therapy, such as developing better sleep habits or psychotherapy, and sometimes medications. If a medical condition like diabetes or menopause is causing your insomnia, treating those conditions may help. If insomnia is a side effect of a medication, changing the medication or its timing or reducing the dose may help. Always talk to your health care provider before making changes to any medications you are taking.

Short-term insomnia, often caused by travel or stress, usually improves once the stress is removed or after your body has adjusted to the new schedule. Short-term use of over-the-counter sleep remedies may help. Chronic insomnia, which disrupts sleep for extended periods of time, may call for a thorough physical exam, alteration of some lifestyle habits, medical treatment, and, perhaps, psychotherapy to identify a hidden cause. It is most important to treat any problem that is producing insomnia symptoms. Just treating insomnia symptoms without dealing with the main cause will not be helpful.

Sleep Medications