Your health care provider may suggest that you sleep overnight in a sleep center. At the sleep center you may have a
continuous, all-night recording of your breathing, eye movements, muscle tone, blood oxygen levels, heart rate and
rhythm, and brain waves.
How is it treated?
When appropriate, your health care provider will prescribe treatment for underlying problems that are causing the
insomnia. For example, if you have depression, medicine used to treat depression should help the insomnia. If drug or
alcohol abuse is the cause of your insomnia, the treatment is to help you to stop using these substances. If you have
chronic insomnia, it must be treated with management of the underlying problem.
In some cases of temporary insomnia, your health care provider may prescribe medicine to help you sleep until the
stressful event is over or resolved. Counseling may also help you deal with psychological problems or reduce stress
that may cause or contribute to your insomnia.
Some sleeping medicine can be addictive. Your health care provider will work with you to chose the right medicine for
short-term or long-term use. Your health care provider may recommend relaxation techniques, changes in diet, and a
healthy lifestyle that includes exercise. Your provider also will probably discuss good sleep habits and a regular sleep
routine.