Detection and assessment of insomnia.

Insomnia is one of the most common complaints encountered by the primary care physician. Yet, in many cases, physicians treat the symptom of insomnia rather than evaluating and treating the underlying causes of insomnia. Because the subjective complaint of insomnia does not always correlate with evidence of objective sleep disruption, a careful history and evaluation are required. Assessment of the duration of insomnia and quantification of the impact of nocturnal sleep disruption on daytime functioning provide the most reliable indices of severity. Primary insomnia may be due to a number of different causes, such as poor sleep hygiene or circadian rhythm disruption. Insomnia may also be the presenting symptom of other primary sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea syndrome or nocturnal myoclonus, or of a variety of medical or psychiatric illnesses. The treatment of the patient with insomnia should address the underlying cause, when identifiable. When the cause cannot be identified, treatment should be conservative; nonpharmacologic therapies should be used whenever possible. When pharmacologic approaches are indicated, short-acting benzodiazepines should be administered in concordance with strict prescribing guidelines. Frequent follow-up is necessary to ensure continued therapeutic efficacy of the prescribed therapy.