Management of Sleep Disorders
Sleep Disorders
There are a number of sleep disorders, of which by far the commonest relate in some way to the complaint of insomnia, which will be the principal focus of this and the following blogs. Regarding insomnia, strange though it may sound, strictly speaking this is a complaint rather than a condition. The management of insomnia is not the management of people who have sleeplessness. Rather it is the management of people who complain about insomnia differs little from that of those who do not complain. In both groups, there are individuals who appear, on objective tests such as sleep EEGs, to have excellent sleep. Surveys suggest that about 1 in 5 individuals in the general population feel their sleep is not as satisfying as it should be.
The management of this state of affairs, therefore, will be complex. There is a fault line down this section between the management of sleeplessness and the management of insomnia. In some instances, a simple pharmacological management of sleeplessness will be appropriate. In others, an entirely psychological management of a complaint may be called for. In many others, a judicious use of both pharmacological and psychological approaches will be required.
