Insomnia can be dangerous to health if it becomes chronic. Patients should see a doctor if they experience repeated episodes of insomnia, daytime sleepiness, decline in cognitive function, or other symptoms. Insomnia can be caused by stress, medical conditions, or other factors. Patients should document their sleep episodes and any recent life changes before seeing a doctor. The doctor may order tests to identify potential causes and develop a treatment plan.
Patients should see a physician for insomnia evaluation and treatment when insomnia and difficulty sleeping become disruptive. An occasional lost night of sleep is not a cause for concern, but repeated episodes of insomnia or prolonged periods without sleep can become dangerous to the patient’s health. Similarly, people experiencing daytime sleepiness, decline in cognitive function, and other symptoms of insomnia should see a doctor. A sleep specialist can examine the patient and develop a treatment plan.
Insomnia can occur at any age and is associated with stress, certain medical conditions, and a variety of other potential causes. People can experience varying degrees of insomnia, from occasional difficulty falling asleep to complete lack of sleep, sleep disrupted by severe nightmares, or periodic episodes where sleep is disrupted for at least three days in a week.
If a patient feels that insomnia is disrupting daily life and general well-being, it is advisable to see a doctor, even if the suspected insomnia doesn’t seem that serious. Everyone has different needs when it comes to sleep, and some people can experience significant disruptions in their lives even if they don’t lack sleep that much. Seeing a doctor for insomnia can help the patient identify contributing factors and treat them.
While not personally destructive, insomnia can become a problem when it is chronic in nature. People who do not sleep or do not sleep well several nights a week for several weeks in a row should see a doctor for insomnia. If patients are experiencing nightmares, intrusive thoughts, depression and other mental health symptoms, medical treatment is strongly recommended. Insomnia can also be a sign of an underlying physical health problem and can in turn contribute to poor immune health and other health problems, making it important to get treatment.
As you prepare to see a doctor about insomnia, it can be helpful to generate as much information about your disrupted sleep episodes as possible and document any life changes or events that have occurred recently. This information can be invaluable in the physician’s evaluation. The doctor may order blood tests, sleep studies, and other medical tests while working on a patient with insomnia to learn more about potential causes and to see if the insomnia is causing any medical problems for the patient. Once the assessment is complete, treatment options can be made available to the patient.
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