Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is efficacious for short-term treatment of insomnia, as are hypnotic medications, but few patients achieve complete remission with any single treatment. No special diet is needed to treat insomnia, but large meals and spicy foods should be avoided in the 3 hours before bedtime. Barbiturates and chloral hydrate are seldom used now because of safety concerns related to their undesirably low therapeutic indexes.
Educating patients in good sleep hygiene is the keystone of treatment. The following advice should be given to patients:
Use the bed for sleep and sex only (no television watching or reading in bed)
Avoid caffeine, especially late in the day; avoid activities that will get you stimulated and upset late in the day; practice relaxation techniques before bedtime
Exercise each day
Maintain a regular schedule for bedtime and wakening; avoid naps
Do not watch the clock while in bed; avoid struggling to fall asleep in bed—instead, get up and spend quiet time out of bed until sleep comes
For more on the treatment of sleep disorders, read here.
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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Stephen Soreff. Fast Five Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sleep Disorders? - Medscape - Oct 20, 2016.
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