Tips for Talking with Your Doctor About Insomnia and Why It Matters
Chronic insomnia can affect daily life. To prepare for a doctor's visit to discuss treatment for your insomnia, track your sleep habits and write down any questions you may have.
There's a long list of health complications linked to long-term lack of sleep. Chronic insomnia can also seriously affect your quality of life, from constantly feeling tired to an increased risk of depression.
The occasional bout of sleeplessness is no cause for alarm. But if you go night after night without getting a full night's sleep, that's a wake-up call to reach out to a doctor for help.
When to talk with your doctor about chronic insomnia
Most doctors understand that sleep disorders are a major health concern.
Try to raise the subject of sleep if you're having issues with your doctor if they don't bring it up. If you have chronic insomnia, you shouldn't sweep it under the rug.
You can try a few things at home first to improve your sleep before reaching out to your doctor. This includes, but isn't limited to:
keeping regular sleep-wake and meal schedules, even on weekends
limiting screen time before bed and reducing light in your sleep space
exercising regularly, at least 5 to 6 hours before bedtime.
cutting down on caffeine, alcohol, and other drug use, especially before bed
avoiding smoking, if you smoke, or trying a smoking cessation program
avoiding daytime napping
practicing relaxation techniques before bed, such as meditation, gentle yoga, or light stretching
leaving bed if you can't sleep, then return to bed when you feel tired again.
If these steps don't resolve your insomnia, you should discuss your sleep concerns with your doctor.
You should talk with your doctor if you consistently:
have trouble falling asleep
can't stay asleep
wake up earlier than you want to
don't feel refreshed after sleep
have excessive sleepiness during the day
Tips to prepare for your doctor's visit
To make your doctor's visit as productive as possible:
Write down your sleep-related questions.
Record your sleep and sleep-related activities by hand or app and share it with your doctor.
Detail any self-help techniques you've tried and what the results were.
Make sure you know the name and dosage of any medications you're taking.
Some questions you may want to ask are:
How can I fall asleep again after waking up at night?
Can exercise help with my insomnia?
Can I take any supplements to help me fall asleep? What are the side effects?
What over-the-counter medications can help me? What are the side effects?
What prescription medications can treat my insomnia? What are the side effects?
Is insomnia genetic?
What can my doctor do for my chronic insomnia?
Your doctor may be able to recommend behavioral therapy to help you overcome your chronic insomnia, such as cognitive b e havioral therapy.
Medications can help restore typical sleep patterns.
'I recommend using cognitive behavioral therapy as the first-line treatment for insomnia since it is safer, more lasting, and at least as effective as any sleep medication,' says Pietro L. Ratti, MD, a neurologist and sleep specialist.
Takeaway
Chronic insomnia is a serious health condition. It can lead to or worsen other physical and mental health disorders.
Talk with your doctor about any chronic sleep problems. You can prepare questions ahead of time and use an app or paper to track your sleep habits to discuss with your doctor.
Self-help techniques may be effective in resolving chronic insomnia, but your doctor also can recommend treatments for chronic insomnia, including behavioral therapy and medication.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
10 minutes ago
- CBS News
What happens when we sneeze, and why does it feel good?
Here's what happens in your body when you sneeze Here's what happens in your body when you sneeze Here's what happens in your body when you sneeze The sights of summer, like flowers and grass, can lead to the sound of sneezing. For some, it's constant, for others, it's sporadic, but we all know how it feels. "When we get exposed to dust, strong smells, perfume, cigarette smoke, you are going to sneeze," said Dr. Pramod Kelkar, an allergist with Allina Health. Sometimes even the sun can make some people sneeze. "The brightness, the light can also trigger this lining of the nose," Kelkar said. Kelkar says sneezing is a neurological reflex. "The nerve impulses, they send a signal to the brain stem, where the sneezing center is located. Once the brain stem receives that signal, it sends a signal back to the motor neurons, that means muscles of the chest, the abdomen and throat area. They constrict, they increase the pressure, they constrict. Mouth opens, the nose opens and the air is pushed out at about 100 mph to get rid of that dust, to get rid of whatever foreign body is going into the respiratory track." That's why it's key to muffle and cover a sneeze. The National Institute of Health reports, "A sneeze can create 40,000 virus-containing droplets that reach a radius of 7-8 meters and suspend in the air for up to 10 minutes." So why does our body have such a dramatic response to simply protect? "Because if the air is not coming out at high speed, you will not be able to get rid of that dust particle. So it is a protective mechanism," Kelkar said. It's a process that sounds painful, but, oddly, it's the opposite. Some people say it feels "good" after you sneeze. "So the pressure is building in your chest, in the abdomen, in the throat area, that pressure is relieved. So you feel like that," Kelkar said. Research also shows some endorphins are released, creating a natural runner's high. Even though they are tough to suppress, sneezes are quick to endure. Kelkar says some people are triggered to sneeze when they walk in and out of warm and cold environments. He says the best way to get ahead of sneezes is to do a daily saline nose spray or rinse.
New York Times
38 minutes ago
- New York Times
Party Politics Is Said to Have Played a Role in Kennedy's Firing of Vaccine Advisers
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has promised to make decisions rooted in 'gold-standard science,' fired an entire committee of vaccine advisers in part because all were appointed by a Democratic president and some had made donations to Democrats, according to a White House official and another person familiar with Mr. Kennedy's thinking. When he announced the firings on Monday, Mr. Kennedy cited the members' financial ties to industry and their 'immersion in a system of industry-aligned incentives.' But according to the White House official and the other person, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an internal matter, Mr. Kennedy was also concerned with 'political conflicts.' The mass firing was another example of the unusually muscular — and sometimes chaotic — way that Mr. Kennedy has exercised his authority, often while setting vaccine policy. Like President Trump, Mr. Kennedy inserts himself in policy matters ordinarily left to underlings, and sometimes announces new policies on social media, with scant or no evidence to support them. Delegates to the American Medical Association, the nation's largest doctors group, which is holding its annual meeting in Chicago this week, adopted a resolution on Tuesday calling for Mr. Kennedy to immediately reverse his decision, and directed its leadership to ask the Senate Health Committee to investigate it. Two public health law experts said on Tuesday that Mr. Kennedy had the authority to fire all 17 members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, or A.C.I.P., which gives guidance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But both said that federal law required him not to act in an arbitrary manner. 'The secretary has ultimate authority, but he can't exercise that authority arbitrarily, casually, haphazardly — he actually needs to use a deliberative process,' said one of those experts, Lawrence O. Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University. 'I think he's very vulnerable to a judicial challenge.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
NIH Revolts: Scientists Decry Budget Cuts, RFK Jr. Political Interference, Warn Of Long-Term Public Health Damage
Over 340 current and recently terminated U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) employees have publicly protested the Trump administration's deep cuts to the agency's research budget. What Happened: Reuters noted that more than 60 NIH employees signed a letter, accusing NIH leadership — including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy — of allowing political interference to override scientific priorities. The stakes are high, they noted, citing how patient safety is at risk and public resources are wasted. Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Signatories claim in the letter that the agency has eliminated 2,100 research grants worth $9.5 billion and cut another $2.6 billion in research contracts since Trump took office in January. The letter, also addressed to NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and members of Congress, comes ahead of Bhattacharya's scheduled testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. The letter states that the cuts have halted clinical trials and left patients without oversight for experimental treatments or implanted devices. The employees told Reuters the terminated programs represented years of work and financial investment. They warned that the cuts were made without proper review, sometimes bypassing peer evaluations in favor of political It Matters: Bhattacharya said the letter mischaracterized NIH's recent policy directions. Citing internal staff reports, Reuters highlighted that the Trump administration has proposed slashing NIH's budget by $18 billion next year. This would reduce it by 40% to $27 billion. Nearly 5,000 NIH employees and contractors have already been laid off under Kennedy's restructuring of U.S. health agencies. In February, a complaint was filed arguing that 'Without relief from NIH's action, these institutions' cutting-edge work to cure and treat human disease will grind to a halt.' The lawsuit also mentioned, 'In issuing the Rate Change Notice, the NIH has also acted beyond its statutory authority and has failed to promulgate the change using notice and comment rulemaking.' In March, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled a sweeping restructuring plan to cut costs, streamline operations and refocus priorities. The restructuring will reduce the HHS workforce by 10,000 full-time employees, leading to annual savings of $1.8 billion. Through early retirements and other initiatives, the total number of employees will shrink from 82,000 to 62,000. Read Next: The average American couple has saved this much money for retirement — How do you compare? If there was a new fund backed by Jeff Bezos offering a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends would you invest in it? Image: Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article NIH Revolts: Scientists Decry Budget Cuts, RFK Jr. Political Interference, Warn Of Long-Term Public Health Damage originally appeared on
