Insomnia Flashcards
most people how much sleep per night?
8 hours
how much population does insomnia affect?
at least 30%
insomnia is classified as a
dyssomnia
what is dyssomnia?
sleep disorder characterized by problems in timing, quality, or amount of sleep
what is parasomnia?
sleep disorder characterized by abnormalities in physiology or behavior associated with sleep
based on DSM5, insomnia is associated with at least one of the following symptoms:
- difficulty initiating sleep
- difficulty maintaining sleep
- early-morning awakening with inability to return to sleep
sleep disturbance causes distress or impairment in
social, occupational, educational, academic, behavioral, or other important areas of functioning
disturbance occurs at least
3 nights per week and is present for at least 3 months
disturbance is NOT attributable to the
- physiologic effects of a substance or
2. a coexisting medical or mental disorder
women report insomnia
50% more often than men
what are the 2 major endogenous etiology for insomnia?
- excitatory neurotransmitters in excess at night
2. inhibitory neurotransmitter deficiency at night
what are the 4 causes of excitatory neurotransmitters in excess at night?
- norepinephrine from the locus ceruleus
- serotonin from the raphe nucleus
- dopamine from the ventral tegmental area
- histamine from the tuberomammillary nucleus
what are the 3 causes of inhibitory neurotransmitter deficiency at night
- loss of GABA tone
- loss of melatonergic tone
- loss of adenosinergic tone
what are the psychiatric causes for insomnia?
- major depressive disorder
- bipolar disorder
- generalized anxiety disorder/PTSD
Insomnia is classified as a
dyssomnia
Dyssomnia =
sleep disorder characterized by problems in
- timing,
- quality, or
- amount of sleep
Parasomnia =
sleep disorder characterized by abnormalities in physiology or behavior associated with sleep
what is insomnia?
Complaint of dissatisfaction with sleep quantity or quality, associated with at least one of the following symptoms:
- Difficulty initiating sleep
- Difficulty maintaining sleep
- Early-morning awakening with inability to return to sleep
to be considered as insomnia
- Disturbance occurs at least 3 nights per week and is present for at least 3 months
- Disturbance is not attributable to the physiologic effects of a substance or a coexisting medical or mental disorder
summary of the insomnia?
- Diagnosis of insomnia requires that sleep disturbance causes distress or impairment in functioning
- Always address underlying medical, psychiatric or environmental causes of insomnia and treat those 1st
- Always address substance use or withdrawal that may be causing insomnia –> avoid caffeine and alcohol
- Begin with patient education, behavioral hygiene or counseling focusing or document why you skipped this step
- Consider OTC and Rx agents when needed
Antagonizing 5HT2a creates
deeper sleep patterns
Antagonizing 5HT1d and 7 promotes a more accurate
circadian clock
When patients are depressed or even anxious, one can often choose
an antidepressant or antipsychotic with these properties (instead of the more standard SSRI, SNRI, NDRI antidepressants that often have insomnia as a key side effect)
A bonus would be if the antidepressant also antagonizes
the histamine-1 (H1) receptor which decreases arousal and produces sedation for sleep initiation…