Insomnia Specialist

What is insomnia?

Insomnia takes many forms. You may struggle to fall asleep. You may wake several times throughout the night. You might wake up well before your alarm and not be able to fall back to sleep without getting enough rest. Insomnia can impact your energy, your mood, and your brain’s ability to function at its best.  

Insomnia may also be acute — causing a lone night of poor sleep — or it can chronically disrupt your sleep several times a week for months on end. When your insomnia is persistent, it can detrimentally affect your health, job performance, and overall quality of life.

What are the symptoms of insomnia?

In addition to suffering the frustration of being awake when you want to be asleep, insomnia causes a variety of other disruptive symptoms, including:

• Not feeling rested when you wake up
• Daytime sleepiness
• Irritability
• Poor concentration
• Memory problems
• Indecisiveness
• Increased errors or accidents

You may also develop anxiety about your quantity and quality of sleep, which can counterproductively disrupt your sleep even more.

What causes insomnia?

Many factors contribute to insomnia. It’s a common side effect of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and bipolar disorder. Increased stress levels can also prevent you from getting enough quality sleep. 

Lifestyle factors such as working irregular shifts, traveling between time zones, and your diet can also cause insomnia. For example, eating rich or spicy foods can trigger acid reflux, which can keep you up at night. Alternatively, if you work swing shifts and need to shift between being awake during the day and at night, you may struggle to regulate your sleep patterns and suffer from insomnia. 

How is insomnia treated?

Insomnia can be tricky to treat, especially if you’re not sure what’s causing it. Usually, Dr. Cogswell recommends trying out a few lifestyle adjustments before considering more intensive treatments. For example, making sure you go to bed at the same time every evening, avoiding daytime naps, and reducing stimuli around bedtime can all be conducive to falling asleep.

If your insomnia persists, there are many sleep medications on the market that can help you fall asleep. Dr. Cogswell can help you consider various medications or explore the root of your insomnia. 

You might be surprised to learn that insomnia is often a consequence of sleep apnea. If this is the case for you, Dr. Cogswell might recommend trying a mandibular advancement device. This custom oral appliance pushes your lower jaw forward to make it easier for you to breathe at night. By using it consistently, you might find that you fall asleep more easily on a nightly basis.

If you’re troubled by insomnia, call Hibernation Sleep MN, or request a consultation online today.