I Toss and Turn All Night Long: Can You Help?

Insomnia is a type of sleep disorder that makes it difficult to fall asleep and/or stay asleep, which leads to daytime disruptions in how you feel and function. About 10% of the global population experiences insomnia as a medical condition.

At Northern Virginia Psychiatric Group, our expert team of providers regularly diagnoses and treats insomnia at our office in Fairfax, Virginia. If you’re spending your nights tossing and turning, finding sleep elusive, we have a number of treatment options that can help you get your 40 winks and more.

Sleep habits and needs

Your sleep routine and how much sleep you need to function at your peak are unique to you; other people may experience sleep differently. As a result, experts consider a wide range of sleep characteristics as “normal.” Some examples of this include:

Early birds/early risers are people who naturally prefer to go to bed and wake up early.

Night owls/late risers are people who prefer to go to bed and wake up late.

Short-sleepers are people who naturally need less sleep than others. Research indicates there may be an underlying genetic reason for that.

Learned sleep differences cover sleep habits that people pick up to fulfill a specific need. For example, military personnel who have combat experience often learn to sleep lightly, because the dangers of their profession mean they might have to get up at any time to fight.

At the opposite pole, some people learn to sleep heavily so they won’t be bothered by noises around them — say, frequent construction work outside or a house full of loud kids.

Your need for sleep changes significantly during your life. An infant needs between 14-17 hours of sleep per day, while adults 18 and older need about seven to nine hours per day, on average.

Types of insomnia

There are two primary categories that researchers use to describe insomnia:

1. Duration: classified as acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term); the chronic form is called insomnia disorder
2. Cause: primary insomnia happens independently of anything else; secondary insomnia is a symptom of another condition or circumstance

In addition, the way you have difficulty sleeping is an important symptom of the condition, and it happens in one of three ways:

The first is initial (sleep onset) insomnia, meaning you have difficulty falling asleep.

The second is middle (maintenance) insomnia, meaning you wake up in the middle of the night, but you’re able to fall back asleep. It’s the most common form, affecting almost two-thirds of those diagnosed with the condition.

The third is late (early waking) insomnia, meaning you wake up exceedingly early in the morning and aren’t able to fall back asleep.

People generally rotate through these different categories during their lives.

Treating insomnia

Treatment for insomnia depends on a variety of factors, including the underlying cause and the severity of your symptoms. The Northern Virginia Psychiatric Group team might recommend:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy: learn how to think in more productive ways and make better choices
• Relaxation techniques: includes meditation and deep breathing
• Sleep restriction
• Light therapy
• Prescription medication

Most of all, you may benefit from healthy lifestyle changes, especially exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and improving your sleep hygiene.

Sleep hygiene means maintaining a sleep schedule where you go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, including weekends and holidays. It can also involve having a bedtime routine, where the same actions every night train your brain to expect sleep to come; using your bedroom only for sleeping; and not consuming alcohol or caffeine before bed.

In addition, because your mental health plays a large role in sleeping well, getting proper mental health care can be an effective way to improve your sleep.

If your tossing and turning is leading to sleepless nights and daytime fatigue, you need to see a specialist in sleep disorders to help you get your rhythm back. Northern Virginia Psychiatric Group can help. Call our office at 571-748-4588, or contact us online to schedule your appointment.