Insomnia Treatment in NYC, NJ, FL

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that causes a lack of sleep, disrupting your life. If it continues untreated, it affects your physical and mental health. It leads to dangerous health conditions and an increased risk of an accident. But treatment is available from Online Psychiatrists, serving patients in New York, Florida and New Jersey. Find out why you can’t sleep. Call for an appointment today.

What Is Insomnia?

Insomnia is a medical condition that causes you to have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. It’s either a short-term, acute situation or a long-term, chronic condition. About 25 percent of Americans experience acute insomnia each year, but even this short-term ailment disrupts your life. Some of the causes of insomnia are:

• Stress
• Poor sleep habits
• Sleep apnea
• Poor eating habits, such as overeating before sleep or drinking alcohol or caffeinated beverages before bed
• Restless leg syndrome
• A heavy travel or work schedule
• Medical conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, arthritis, back pain, hyperthyroidism or sinus allergies
• Psychiatric conditions, such as depression and anxiety disorders

Good sleep supports good health and well-being throughout your life. Being well-rested fosters alertness throughout the day. Doctors recommend seven to eight hours of sleep per night for adults and even more hours for children. But getting enough sleep is a problem for a large number of people. One of the most common sleep disorders today is insomnia.

What Are the Risks Associated with Insomnia?

Sleep is a basic human need, just like eating and breathing. You need a proper amount of sleep for your body and mind to perform optimally. Not getting enough sleep can, over time, lead to deadly consequences. Medical research links sleep deprivation to an increased risk of:

• Kidney disease
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Even obesity

Lack of enough sleep affects your mental well-being, while also impacting your daytime performance and safety. Insomnia also has a negative economic impact. A recent study shows this sleeping disorder causes $63 billion in lost work performance each year.

Who Is at Risk for Developing Insomnia?

Most people recover from this sleeping disorder before it develops into a chronic problem. And not everyone is affected in the same ways, whether for acute or chronic insomnia. But some people are more susceptible to suffering from insomnia. The risk factors for the condition include:

• Age, as the older you get, the more likely you’ll have insomnia
• Gender, as women are at more risk due to hormonal shifts during menstrual cycles and menopause 
• Chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, kidney disease, lung disease, arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease
• Medications such as steroids, diet pills, decongestants and asthma treatment
• Lifestyle behaviors, such as a lack of exercise, poor nutrition and a lot of screen time

Still, there are steps you can take to avoid insomnia or, if you already have it, to get it treated. If you have problems falling asleep or staying asleep at night, contact a trained psychiatrist at Online Psychiatrists for diagnosis and treatment.

How Is Insomnia Diagnosed?

When you seek a diagnosis, your doctor takes a medical history first. If you’ve kept a journal of your sleep patterns, that helps your mental health doctor learn how long your lack of sleep has been a problem. To reach an accurate diagnosis, you may need to undergo a series of comprehensive diagnostic tests, including:

• A physical exam
• Your sleep history, even if it’s not in a journal
• A sleep test, performed overnight at a sleep center or lab, where you’re connected to electrodes that measure your heart rate, movement, brain waves and eye patterns

Your doctor carries out these tests to find if you have an underlying physical cause. If you do, it can be treated. An accurate diagnosis points your doctor to the best treatment for insomnia in your case.

How Does a Psychiatrist Treat Insomnia?

Sleep deficiency debilitates your life and inhibits your capacity to perform at your highest level. Psychiatrists use modern methods for more effective insomnia treatment. Dr. Zletin Ivanov recommends different treatment options depending on your individual diagnosis. Treatment options available include:

• Changing your sleeping habits, such as stopping your napping and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule
• Sleeping medication, which provides a short-term solution, but it doesn’t address the reasons for your insomnia
• Adderall insomnia treatment, available for people with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for severe insomnia treatment, which includes relaxation strategies, light therapy and stimulus control
• Addressing your underlying condition, especially effective for chronic insomnia treatment
• Combining multiple treatment techniques with talk therapy

If you’ve noticed a problem with your sleep patterns, do not self-medicate. Instead, contact Online Psychiatrists for a holistic approach to anxiety and insomnia treatment. This helps Dr. Ivanov achieve higher success rates. Get in touch today for an appointment.