We’re Here for You! Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Pay My Bill
  • Patient Portal
  • Careers
  • Philanthropy Office
  • Health Professionals
  • Medical Education
Central Maine Healthcare

Central Maine Healthcare

Changing the Face of Healthcare in Maine

  • Providers & Locations
        • Providers

          • Find A Provider
        • Locations

          • Central Maine Medical Center
          • Bridgton Hospital
          • Rumford Hospital
          • Topsham Care Center
          • Maine Urgent Care
          • Find a Practice
  • Services
        • Services

          • Audiology
          • Bariatric Surgery
          • Behavioral Health
          • Breast Health
          • Cancer Care
          • Diabetes & Endocrinology Care
          • Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)
          • Emergency Care
          • Gastroenterology
          • Heart & Vascular Care
          • Imaging Services
          • Integrative Medicine
          • Lab Services
          • Long-Term Care
          • Lung Screening
          • Maternity Services
          • Neurosciences
          • Nutrition Services
          • Occupational Health
          • Orthopaedic Care
          • Palliative Care
          • Pediatrics
          • Pharmacy
          • Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
          • Primary Care
          • Pulmonary Care
          • Rehabilitation & Therapy
          • Rheumatology
          • Sleep Medicine
          • Surgical Services
          • Telehealth Services
          • Topsham Care Center
          • Trauma Center
          • Urgent Care
          • Urology
          • Women’s Health
          • Wound Care
  • Patients and Visitors
        • Patients & Visitors

          • Advanced Care Planning
          • Billing & Financial Information
          • Price Transparency
          • Be Safe Speak Up
          • Health Library
          • myHealthlink Patient Portal
          • Notary Public
          • Patient Relations
          • Spiritual Support
          • Student Nurses
          • Tobacco and Smoke Free Campuses
          • Your Rights and Responsibilities
          • Visitor Guidelines
          • Request Medical Records
        • Living Well

          • Classes and Events
  • About Us
        • About Us

          • About Central Maine Healthcare
          • Accreditations and Certifications
          • Board of Directors
          • CMH Alert – COVID-19
          • CMH News
          • CMH Privacy Policy
          • Community Benefits
          • Contact CMH
          • Interpreter Services & Assistive Devices
          • Leadership Team
          • Mission, Vision & Values
          • Non-Discrimination Notice
          • Social Media Policy for Site Visitors
          • Topsham Ambulatory Surgery Center
          • Vendor Relations
          • Quality & Safety
          • Sponsorship Request
        • Ways to Give

          • Support Central Maine Healthcare
          • Annual Giving
          • Planned Giving
          • Volunteer Services
          • Contact the Philanthropy Office
Insomnia
Home Services Sleep Medicine Sleep Disorders We Treat Insomnia

Insomnia

 

Defining insomnia isn’t complicated; it means you have difficulty falling or staying asleep. Conquering insomnia, however, isn’t quite so easy because it can be traced to a long list of medical or lifestyle causes. Insomnia is a widespread sleep disorder: the National Institutes of Health says 30 percent of American adults experience some sleep disruption on a regular basis.

If you’re not getting the sleep you need for your healthiest and most productive life, the experts at Central Maine Healthcare can help. Our board-certified pulmonologists specialize in diagnosing and treating insomnia, and will work with you to create a personal plan to help put your sleep problems to bed.

Understanding Insomnia

The symptoms of insomnia are obvious: you’re tired during the day, you’re irritable and your performance at work or school is suffering.

What most people don’t realize is, there are two types of insomnia:

  • Acute insomnia sounds more severe, but the opposite is true; here it means “temporary,” caused by some life circumstance. You’re likely to get acute insomnia, for instance, the night before a big exam or job interview, or when you’ve had an argument with a friend. Acute insomnia resolves itself after a few days without any treatment.
  • Chronic insomnia is ongoing—meaning, it happens at least three times a week, for at least three months. It can be caused by a change in your environment (moving to a new house or a different city), working the night shift or split shifts, another illness or medications. It also can be linked to another medical or psychological disorder.

Your Lifestyle Can Affect Your Sleep

You’ve heard the saying, “you are what you eat.” Food and drink, more than any other factor, can keep you from occasionally getting a good night’s sleep:

  • Caffeine—no surprise there—can keep you awake. It’s a stimulant that stays active in your system for eight hours, so if you’re an all-day coffee drinker you should consider cutting yourself off after lunch.
  • Nicotine is another stimulant. If you smoke, you’re not resting as well as you might otherwise, even though you think smoking is relaxing you.
  • Alcohol can make you tired but can also disturb your sleep later, during the night.
  • A big meal close to bedtime can interrupt your sleep because heavy foods make it hard for your body to settle down and relax. Also, spicy food can cause heartburn, keeping you awake even longer.

Medical Causes of Insomnia

A large number of ongoing medical disorders can also cause you to lose sleep:

  • Nasal and sinus allergies or asthma
  • Lower back pain
  • Reflux or other gastro problems
  • Endocrine disorders
  • Arthritis pain
  • Depression
  • Other sleep disorders, such as restless leg syndrome
  • Chronic anxiety, such as a nightly feeling of being overwhelmed by family or work responsibilities.

Helping You Get the Sleep You Need

There’s currently no clear-cut test for diagnosing insomnia. But, by keeping a sleep log, answering targeted questions and a blood test to rule out issues such as thyroid disorders, you and your team at Central Maine can pinpoint the cause of your insomnia and find the right treatment. We may also recommend an overnight sleep study, offered at our full-service sleep center in Lewiston.

Once we better understand the problem, your treatment plan may include one or a combination of:

  • Relaxation training:Breathing exercises, meditation and mindfulness training all can help immensely with your overall relaxation, helping you to sleep better at night.
  • Stimulus control:If you take your laptop to bed with you, pay bills in the bedroom or even watch TV until you go to bed, you’re stimulating your brain when you should be preparing it for rest. You can exercise stimulus control by following three simple rules: (a) don’t go to bed until you’re sleepy; (b) reserve the bedroom for two activities only—sleep and intimacy; and (c) if you’ve been lying in bed for 20 minutes and still can’t fall asleep, get up and do something else.
  • Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT):A therapist trained in CBT can teach you to eliminate unhealthy fears that keep you awake, or to change other thought patterns to help you rest easier. Learn more about our behavioral health services.
  • Over-the-counter or prescription medications: A mild sleeping medication might be necessary to get you in the habit of falling asleep on a regular schedule.

Primary Sidebar

Services

  • Audiology
  • Bariatric Surgery
    • About the Program
    • Bariatric Surgery Process
    • Contact Us
    • New Patient Questionnaire Packet
    • Programs and Services
      • Bariatric Surgery Support Group
      • Behavioral Health Resources
      • Nutrition Resources
      • Weight Loss Video
    • Surgical Options
      • Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
      • Vertical Sleeve Gastroectomy
      • Gastric Band Management
      • Revisional Surgery
    • Weight Loss Surgery FAQ
    • Who is a Candidate
    • Your Bariatric Team
  • Behavioral Health
  • Diabetes & Endocrinology Care
    • Conditions We Treat
      • Adrenal Disorders
      • Gestational Diabetes Care
      • Pituitary Disorders
      • Prediabetes
      • Thyroid Disorders
      • Type 1 & Type 2 Diabetes Care
    • Diabetes Education & Support
      • Diabetes Prevention Program
      • Lifestyle Coaches
      • Nutritional Counseling for Diabetes
  • Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)
    • Conditions We Treat
      • Chronic Ear Infections
      • Sinusitis
      • Vertigo & Dizziness
  • Emergency Care
    • Emergency Care FAQ
    • Emergency Medical Transport
    • ER or Urgent Care: Know Where to Go
    • Trauma Center
      • Child Safety Seat Program
      • Injury Prevention & Safety
      • Patient Education & Resources
  • Gastroenterology
    • Gastroenterology Treatments & Specialties
    • Gastrointestinal Disorders We Treat
      • Bowel Disorders
      • Crohn’s Disease
      • Esophageal Disorders
      • Hepatitis
      • Ulcerative Colitis Care
  • Imaging Services
    • CT Scan
    • Find a Location Near You
    • Interventional Radiology
    • Mammography
    • Nuclear Medicine
    • Open-Bore MRI
    • Ultrasound
    • X-Ray
  • Integrative Medicine
    • Types of Integrative Medicine Therapies
  • Lab Services
  • Long-Term Care
    • Activities & Fine Dining
    • Career Opportunities
    • Forms & Applications
    • Geriatric Care & Senior Care
    • Helpful Resources
    • Living Options
    • Our Care Locations
    • Tours
  • Nutrition Services
    • Recipes
  • Palliative Care
    • Bereavement & Grief
    • Our Services
  • Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
    • Our Services
      • Aesthetic Enhancements
      • Cosmetic Procedures
      • Laser Services
      • Reconstructive Surgery
    • Our Team
    • Patient Information
  • Primary Care
    • Family Medicine
    • How to Choose a Primary Care Provider
    • Internal Medicine
    • Pediatrics
  • Pulmonary Care
    • Conditions We Treat
    • Educational Videos
    • Our Team
  • Rehabilitation & Therapy
    • Inpatient Acute Rehab
      • Quality Outcomes
      • Rehabilitation and Therapy Objectives
      • Swing Bed Program
    • Outpatient Therapy
      • Occupational Therapy
      • Outpatient Therapy Locations
      • Physical Therapy
      • Specialty Programs
      • Speech Therapy
      • Therapy Services FAQs
  • Rheumatology
    • Conditions We Treat
      • Arthritis
      • Bursitis
      • Gout
      • Lupus
      • Osteoporosis
      • Tendonitis
  • Robotic Assisted Joint Replacements at Central Maine Medical Center
  • Sleep Medicine
    • Sleep Disorders
    • Sleep Disorders We Treat
      • Insomnia
      • Narcolepsy
      • Restless Leg Syndrome
      • Sleep Apnea
  • Surgical Services
    • Advanced Technology
      • da Vinci Robotic Surgery
    • Our Team
    • Types of Surgery We Offer
    • What to Expect with Surgery
      • Before Surgery
      • Day of Surgery
      • After Surgery
  • Telehealth Services
  • Urgent Care
    • Maine Urgent Care Locations
  • Urology
    • Bulkamid for Stress Urinary Incontinence
    • Fecal Incontinence
    • Overactive Bladder Treatment
  • Wound Care
    • Wounds We Treat
    • Treatments and Specialties
Central Maine Healthcare Logo

About Our Health System

  • Central Maine Medical Center
  • Bridgton Hospital
  • Rumford Hospital
  • Topsham Care Center
  • Physician Practices

I Want To…

  • Find A Provider
  • Find a Location
  • Find a Job
  • Pay My Bill
  • Make a Gift
  • Find a Class or Event
  • Contact CMH
  • CMH News

For Our Community

  • CMH Privacy Policy
  • Social Media Policy for Site Visitors
  • Interpreter Services & Assistive Devices
  • Non-Discrimination Notice
  • Your Rights & Responsibilities

For Healthcare Professionals

  • Join Our Team
  • Graduate Medical Education

For Employees

  • Employee Portal
  • Employee Remote Access