Fast Five Quiz: Insomnia Types and Causes

For diagnosis, the patient should maintain a sleep diary for 1-2 weeks. The AASM guideline recommends collection of sleep diary data both before and during active treatment and afterward if a relapse occurs or if the patient's status needs to be reevaluated.

In the diary, patients should record estimates of the time at which they do the following:

• Go to bed

• Fall asleep

• Awaken during the night

• Lie in bed awake

• Get out of bed in the morning

Patients should also record when and for how long they exercise, when they take medications, and when they consume caffeinated or alcoholic beverages. Diaries that record patient reflections on therapy sessions and the events of each day (with the patient's reactions to these sessions and events) have long been an adjunct to psychotherapy. The diary can help identify stressors, which can have a major impact on sleep.

Learn more about insomnia sleep diaries.

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Cite this: Stephen Soreff. Fast Five Quiz: Insomnia Types and Causes - Medscape - Jul 15, 2020.