Abstract
Primary insomnia is characterized with difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or non-restorative sleep, lasting at least a month in duration. The treatment for short term insomnia with hypnotics is recommended.
The use of hypnotics in treating chronic insomnia remains controversial. The non-benzodiazepine hypnotics zolpiden, zopiclone, and zaleplon are replacing benzodiazepines as first-line pharmacotherapy for short-term insomnia.
Hypnotics should be considered only after a thorough diagnostic assessment of secondary causes of insomnia, after sleep hygiene has been improved and after behavioral treatments has been attempted. If these approaches are unsuccessful, then hypnotics can be used, starting with very low doses and limiting use to short periods.
Some antidepressant, such as sedating tricyclic antidepressants, mirtazapine and trazodone, are also used as sedative-hypnotic agents for the treatment of chronic insomnia. Low nocturnal melatonin production and secretion have been documented in elderly insomniacs, and exogenous melatonin has been shown to be beneficial in treating sleep disturbances of these patients.
There are several effective treatment approaches to primary insomnia that do not involve the use of psychopharmacs Education about normal sleep and counseling around habits for promoting good sleep hygiene are a good but not sufficient intervention when used alone. Various relaxation therapies such as progressive muscle relaxation can be helpful.
Stimulus control behavior modification focuses on eliminating environmental cues associated with arousal. Sleep restriction therapy is similarly aimed at reducing the amount of wake time spent in bed.
Sleep deprivation helps consolidate sleep on subsequent nights, thereby improving sleep efficiency.