Treatment: Insomnia

Consult a healthcare professional prior to seeking any treatment for insomnia.

There are a number of treatments available for patients suffering from insomnia. Depending on each individual's case, one particular treatment, or a combination of treatments, will prove to be more effective or appropriate than others. The types of treatments can typically be divided into two primary categories, behavioral and medical.

Behavioral Treatments
Treatment	Details
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)	A relaxation technique which works by tensing certain muscle groups and then totally relaxing them.
Autogenic Training	A relaxation technique that requires the individual to repeat a set of visualizations to induce a state of calm.
Meditation	A relaxation technique that requires the individual to concentrate on an object of thought or awareness that can calm and relax the body and mind.
Stress Management	By improving the way you manage stress you can more easily relax at night when it's time to go to sleep.
Stimulus Control	Stimulus Control therapy reassociates the bed and bedroom with sleeping by limiting the amount of time spent in the bedroom for non-sleep activities.
Diet Management	Reducing the use of stimulants and depressants, as well as avoiding big meals just before bed, can help reduce the risk of insomnia episodes.
Acupuncture, Acupressure, & Massage	These types of treatments can help induce a deep state of calm on the body and nervous system.

Medicinal Treatments
Treatment	Details
Benzodiazepines	The most commonly used class of drugs prescribed for insomnia. This includes drugs such as temazepam, diazepam, lorazepam, and midazolam. However, the drawback to using these medications is the risk of becoming addicted.
Non-benzodiazepine prescription drugs	This includes drugs such as Ambien and Lunesta.
Melatonin	A hormone that can help in regulating the sleep/waking cycle of insomniacs.
Over-the-counter sleep drugs	A majority of these drugs appear to use the antihistamine diphenhydramine. However, the effectiveness of such drugs can often decreases over time and commonly causes next day sedation.

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