Insomnia

Insomnia, or sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which there is an inability to fall asleep or stay asleep despite allowing sufficient time for sleep. Insomnia typically results in functional impairments while awake and can occur at any age, but it is particularly common in the elderly.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insomnia - cite_note-4 Insomnia can be short term (up to three weeks) or long term (above 3–4 weeks), which can lead to memory problems, depression, irritability and an increased risk of heart disease and automobile-related accidents.

Most people require 7 to 8 hours of sleep to function normally during the day. With insomnia, people are not benefiting from sufficient sleep. They spend longer times in bed without sleep.

Two major categories of insomnia have been identified: sleep onset and sleep maintenance insomnia. Each has different causes and treatments available. At the Geauga Sleep Center, we employ several methods for management of insomnia inculuding cognitive behavioral therapy, sleep restriction therapy and as a last resort, medications.

The good news is insomnia can be evaluated and diagnosed through obtaining a patient's medical history and recording of sleep logs. Actigraphy, which measures activity and rest during sleep, can also be used. Actigraphy monitors sleep for 14 days, identifying patterns that can provide valuable information to the sleep physician for prescribing treatments.