Occasional difficulty getting to sleep, staying asleep, or feeling sleepier than usual is a common occurrence of daily life. But when difficulty with sleep is persistent and fails to improve with lifestyle adjustments, professional evaluation, and treatment may be indicated. Interventional Psychiatry Group in Memphis, Tennessee, is well-versed in treating sleep-wake disorders, including insomnia, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, and sleep apnea.
Sleep-wake disorders include many different diagnoses, with complaints involving quality of sleep, timing of sleep, and quantity of sleep the individual is getting, with a common consequential issue of daytime suffering.
Insomnia disorder is associated with difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep at least three nights per week for at least three months.
Narcolepsy is associated with an uncontrollable need to sleep. To be diagnosed with narcolepsy, you must have had three occurrences per week for three months in which you’ve felt an uncontrollable need to sleep, fell asleep, or napped within the same day. Other elements of a narcolepsy diagnosis can include cataplexy (loss of muscle tone while conscious), hypocretin deficiency, and nocturnal sleep polysomnography demonstrating that you fall into the rapid eye movement (REM) cycle in less than or equal to 15 minutes.
Restless legs syndrome is associated with uncomfortable feelings in the legs that cause an individual to have the urge to move their legs. These feelings usually begin when the individual is inactive or at rest.
Sleep apnea is diagnosed via polysomnography in which you have five or more apnea an hour while asleep. Apnea refers to a period of time when an individual stops breathing while sleeping. Apneas may be accompanied by snoring, gasping, or pauses in breathing. Due to the poor quality of sleep achieved the night before, individuals with sleep apnea may suffer from daytime sleepiness.
Lifestyle modifications (decreasing caffeine intake, exercising, removing blue light exposure one hour before bed, and maintaining a bedtime routine), pharmacotherapy (medications), and psychotherapy (specifically, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) can be used to treat sleep-wake disorders. If our team of providers believes you would be best served by psychotherapy, a referral can be made.
Unfortunately, difficulty with sleep is common when dealing with other psychiatric conditions. Interventional Psychiatry Group offers medication therapy for all psychiatric conditions that may be impacting your sleep. Visit our Spravato® (esketamine) and BrainsWay Deep TMS™ tabs to learn more about your treatment options.
The right amount of sleep is vital to achieving a high quality of life. Call Interventional Psychiatry Group to schedule an initial psychiatric evaluation or request to schedule by completing our online booking form today.
The information provided above is for educational purposes only. Professional evaluation is required to make a formal diagnosis.