Insomnia
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that varies in form and severity from person to person. This condition can make it difficult to fall asleep, cause you to wake up frequently, or cause early waking without the ability to get back to sleep.
It’s essential to seek treatment for insomnia as, like many sleep disorders, it triggers tiredness during the day, decreases concentration, focus and impairs memory. It can impact your mental health (causing depression), physical health, and can be associated with more serious medical conditions. Our accredited sleep physician, Dr Coker, has been helping patients get to the root of their sleep problems for more than 16 years.
Insomnia symptoms
The main symptom of insomnia is trouble sleeping. However, other symptoms may be caused by the resulting lack of sleep. These include:
- Daytime tiredness
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Loss of appetite
- Inability to concentrate
- Waking up frequently
- Shallow sleep that is not refreshing and/or short sleep
Insomnia may be caused by stress; other mental health issues such as PTSD; pre-existing irregular sleeping habits; drinking caffeinated drinks or alcohol; smoking; unsuitable sleeping environment, underlying medical conditions, and taking certain medications. It also becomes more common as we age.
Insomnia tests & investigations
Insomnia is best diagnosed with a sleep study, also known as a Polysomnography (PSG) test and actigraphy.
At The Coker Chest Clinic, we offer two-night home-based testing to acquire true-to-life data, and for the convenience and comfort of the patient. During these tests, the patient would wear special equipment to record breathing, brain activity, eye movements, blood oxygen levels and more in order to help form an accurate diagnosis. The data that we collect from this test will be cross-examined with the patient’s medical history, along with data from other investigations (if necessary).
Treatment for insomnia
For more severe cases, or cases that do not respond to other treatments, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an option that has shown much success in the treatment of insomnia.
Dr Coker says, “Insomnia can be caused by a number of factors, including an underlying illness, but we are able to conduct the gold standard in-depth testing, combined with our extensive knowledge and high-grade equipment in order to get you the treatment you need.”
Conditions related to insomnia
- Sleep apnoea
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Asthma
- Thyroid diseases
- Parkinson’s disease
- Alzheimer’s disease
Book your consultation
To arrange a telephone, video or face-to-face consultation with our accredited sleep physician, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.