Mental health articles

how to deal with sleep insomnia. Questions to ask the person with sleep problems

• What is your sleep pattern? Ask about the amount of sleep, daytime sleep and type of insomnia

(for example, difficulty falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night).

• Do you take any medicines or alcohol to help you sleep? This will give you a clue to the possibility of a sleeping pill or drink problem.

• Do you suffer from any pain or other medical problem?

• Have you been feeling like you have lost interest in things recently? Have you been feeling tense,

worried or scared recently? These questions relate to depression and anxiety.

how to deal with sleep insomnia. What to do immediately

• Explain that insomnia is a common complaint, and that everyone with insomnia will sleep normally once the cause is resolved.

• Educate the person about how to sleep better.

• If you identify an underlying illness that may be causing sleep problems, treat the person as indicated in other sections of this manual (the likeliest underlying mental illnesses are alcohol misuse and depression or anxiety).

Tags: insomnia, sleep, sleep insomnia