Management Strategies for Insomnia

Chronic sleeplessness or insomnia can take a heavy toll on your physical and mental health. When you don’t get enough quality sleep at night, your immune system weakens, leaving you vulnerable to opportunistic infections. And, without sufficient rest, you don’t handle stress as well, losing physical and emotional resilience.

When you know you need to get to sleep, but just can’t figure out how, turn to the psychiatric and mental health experts at Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates, LLC. Our team, under the leadership of Dr. Ronald P. Winfield, supports new and existing patients with insomnia from around the North Chelmsford, Massachusetts, region.

Understanding insomnia

You need to complete full sleep cycles in order to be sufficiently rested each day. Insomnia can come in the form of struggling to fall asleep. Or, you might not be able to stay asleep, waking frequently overnight or waking up too early in the morning.

Lots of people struggle with sleeplessness from time to time, especially during stressful life situations. However, if you have ongoing problems with insomnia, your overall health and wellness can start to suffer. In addition to fatigue, you could experience memory and concentration problems, irritable moods, and an increased proneness to accidents and errors.

Insomnia can arise from many causes. Your insomnia may be related to an underlying mood disorder or mental health condition like depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Your insomnia could also worsen your mental health condition, creating a negative loop.

Keeping a sleep diary is a good way to start with learning more about your sleep disturbances and rest patterns. Your provider may request that you start or maintain a sleep diary at the beginning of your treatment for insomnia.

Strategies to cope with your insomnia

Dr. Winfield and his associates understand that everyone is different when it comes to insomnia. We customize your insomnia support treatment plan to your unique physiological, psychological, and lifestyle needs. We also screen our patients for underlying health conditions that could need treatment to resolve your insomnia symptoms.

Depending on your treatment needs, Dr. Winfield and the team at Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates can recommend effective strategies to help you get the rest you need. These may include:

• Lifestyle changes like giving up caffeine or other stimulants, especially around bedtime, or keeping a more regular routine
• Stress management techniques to help you get in the mindset for quality rest when you’re ready to settle down
• Counseling and psychotherapy to address underlying causes of insomnia and restore your mental health
• Prescription medications to help with your sleep needs

For insomnia related to depression, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) may be helpful to change your neuronal activity over time.

For support with insomnia that can really help, get in touch with the team at Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates today. Schedule your appointment online now, or call to book.