The Singapore Family Physician
Back to issue
Vol 36 No. 1 - Psychiatry Updates
An approach to insomnia
The Singapore Family Physician
Vol 36
No 1
- Psychiatry Updates
8
- 11
1 March 2010
0377-5305
Insomnia, the most prevalent sleep complaint in the general population, is defined as the inability to obtain sleep that is sufficiently long or ‘good enough’ to result in feeling rested or restored the following day. Patients with insomnia often report difficulty in falling sleep, difficulty in maintaining sleep, such as having intermittent awakening during the night, or early morning awakening with inability to fall asleep again. common perpetuating factors for insomnia are: poor sleep hygiene was established and continues; excessive worrying
about sleep; much time and effort spent on ‘trying’ to sleep. Behavioural treatment of psychophysiological insomnia consists of education, cognitive restructuring, stimulus
control procedures, sleep restriction and implementation of healthy sleep habits.