HIGHLIGHTS FOR INSOMNIA DIAGNOSTICS AND TREATMENT

Abstract

Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders, characterised by repeated disability to fall asleep or continue to sleep, and worsened sleep quality, that affects daytime functioning and does not reveal in spite of adequate sleep hygiene. Insomnia diagnostics involve thorough patient history, specialised questionnaires, sleep diary, objective examination and investigation for commorbid disorders. Polysomnography is recommended in case of clinical suspicion of other sleep disorders like periodic limb movement disorder, sleep apnea or narcolepsy; in case of treatment-resistant insomnia or in case of clinical suspicion of large discrepancy between subjectively experienced and polysomnographically measured sleep. According to the European guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia, that were issued in 2017, cognitive behavioral therapy is the treatment of choice for chronic insomnia, while benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine agonists are recommended only for a short period of symptom–relieving therapy.