Insomnia & sleep problem treatment in Surat

Everyone has an occasional bad night. Insomnia is when poor sleep becomes a pattern — taking more than about 30 minutes to fall asleep, waking up often or very early, or sleeping but never feeling refreshed — and it affects how you function during the day.

Short-term insomnia often follows stress, illness or travel. When it happens at least three nights a week for three months or more, doctors call it chronic insomnia. By then, worrying about sleep itself usually keeps the problem going.

• Poor sleep for more than a month
• You feel exhausted, irritable or unfocused during the day
• You depend on sleeping pills or alcohol to sleep
• Sleep problems come with low mood, worry or panic
• You snore loudly or stop breathing during sleep
• You have dozed off while driving

A psychiatrist treats insomnia together with the stress, anxiety or depression that so often drives it. Where sleep apnoea is suspected, you will be referred for a sleep study.

CBT for insomnia (CBT-I) — the first choice

CBT-I is a short, structured programme that retrains the brain to associate bed with sleep. It includes a fixed wake-up time, going to bed only when sleepy, getting up if you cannot sleep, temporarily limiting time in bed, calming a racing mind and correcting unhelpful beliefs about sleep. International guidelines recommend it as the first treatment for chronic insomnia because its benefits last.

Treating the underlying cause

When insomnia comes with depression or anxiety, treating that condition usually improves sleep. Some antidepressants also have a calming effect at night and are not habit-forming.

Sleeping pills — used carefully

Medicines such as zolpidem or benzodiazepines can help for a short period, for example during a crisis. Taken nightly for months, they lose effect and can cause dependence, memory problems, daytime drowsiness and falls in older adults. If you have been taking sleeping pills for a long time, do not stop suddenly — a psychiatrist can help you reduce them safely.

• Wake up at the same time every day, including Sundays
• Use the bed only for sleep — no phone, TV or work
• If you can’t sleep in 20–30 minutes, get up and do something calm
• No tea, coffee or cola after 2 pm
• Get morning daylight and exercise during the day
• Avoid long afternoon naps (keep them under 30 minutes)
• Have dinner 2–3 hours before bed and keep the room dark and cool
• Write tomorrow’s to-do list before bed to park your thoughts

Racing thoughts at night? Read how to stop overthinking.