Insomnia Specialist

What is insomnia?

Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep throughout the night. Beyond these general criteria, insomnia can have many different characteristics and has countless possible causes. Some insomnia is temporary and circumstantial, while other cases are ongoing and difficult to manage without professional help. 

If you have insomnia, it doesn’t always just affect you at night. Having trouble falling or staying asleep can lead to daytime fatigue, headaches, mood problems, and trouble with memory and concentration. 

Dr. Hendel believes you cannot resolve insomnia by simply taking a nightly sleeping pill. At his private practice, he provides insomnia assessments to explore the underlying causes and individualized management to improve your sleep duration and quality. 

What does insomnia assessment involve?

Your insomnia assessment with Dr. Hendel is a comprehensive evaluation of your behaviors, lifestyle, and health to gain insight into your recurrent sleep difficulties. The assessment involves questions about:

• Your current sleep patterns
• Behaviors that affect your sleep
• Environmental factors affecting your sleep
• Medical problems contributing to insomnia
• Hormone changes contributing to insomnia
• Mental health conditions affecting your sleep
• Underlying sleep disorders, like sleep apnea

Some cases of insomnia have a distinct underlying cause that you can address with treatment, which improves insomnia and other complications. Other causes of insomnia have no underlying condition and require a lengthier treatment process centered around your thought patterns and behaviors. 

What are my insomnia treatment options?

If you have insomnia with a precipitating cause like sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, or bladder problems, treatment for the underlying condition may be the only treatment you need to manage your insomnia and get better, more regular sleep. 

For cases of primary idiopathic insomnia, or insomnia without a condition directly causing it, Dr. Hendel offers cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT for sleep apnea involves:

• Sleep scheduling with sleep logs
• Cognitive restructuring by replacing negative sleep thoughts with positive sleep thoughts
• Reducing or eliminating the use of sleep medications
• Controlling your sleep environment by eliminating stimuli that influence your sleep
• Learning and using relaxation techniques
• Sleep hygiene training

CBT is personalized, and Dr. Hendel sees you regularly as you take part in your treatment program. A few specific changes you might need to make to your routine include avoiding caffeine late in the day and minimizing the time you spend in bed that doesn’t involve sleep. 

Don’t let your insomnia drain your energy and influence your mood. To schedule an appointment for an insomnia assessment, call Eli E. Hendel, MD, or book your visit online today.