What Is the Treatment for Insomnia?

Treatment for insomnia usually involves nonmedical therapy, such as developing better sleep habits or psychotherapy, and medications. If a medical condition like diabetes or menopause is causing your insomnia, treating those conditions may help. If your insomnia is a side effect of a medication, changing the medication or reducing the dose may help. Always talk to your health care provider before making changes to any medications you are taking.

Short-term VS Long-term Insomnia

Short-term insomnia, often caused by travel or stress, usually improves once the stress is removed or after your body has adjusted to the new schedule. Short-term use of over-the-counter sleep remedies may help. Chronic insomnia, which disrupts sleep for extended periods of time, may call for a thorough physical exam, alteration of some lifestyle habits, medical treatment, and, perhaps, psychotherapy to identify a hidden cause. It is most important to treat any problem that is producing insomnia symptoms. Just treating insomnia symptoms without dealing with the main cause will not be helpful.