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Conditioned Insomnia
Conditioned Insomnia
Conditioned insomnia, also called "learned insomnia" or "psychophysiologic insomnia," is difficulty sleeping as a result of worrying about sleep. The harder one tries to sleep, the harder it is to fall asleep. Often the patient feels sleepy, goes to bed, and once in bed feels alert and has difficulty falling asleep.
How Conditioned Insomnia Develops
Perpetuating factors -- our response to an experience (may increase over time, and tend to be within the patient's control):
- Anxiety (worrying) about sleep
- Poor sleep habits
- Use of hyponotics and/or alcohol
- Rewards - TV, family or social
Precipitating factors -- induced by specific situations (often diminish over time):
- Stressful event
- Illness
- Job change or work stress
Predisposing factors -- set the stage for insomnia (usually remain constant):
- Personality - nervous, worrier
- Age - increases with age
- Genes - family history
- Biology - metabolism
How Conditioned Insomnia Is Treated
- Stimulus control
- Healthy sleep habits
- Use the bedroom only for sleep and sex.
- In some cases, restricting the amount of time in bed is helpful.
- Sleeping pills are not usually necessary, but may be helpful in certain cases.
Conditions We Treat
