Management of insomnia.

Insomnia is a common problem and studies in Singapore and abroad have shown that up to a third of any population studied has experienced insomnia. There is also increasing awareness of insomnia as a health risk. Current views of the problem not only focus on the disturbed sleep pattern but also on the daytime consequences. Younger adults tend to experience sleep latency problems and older adults, sleep maintenance problems. Sleep varies from person to person and according to age. There are no normative values to help in the diagnosis of insomnia but some features typical of insomnia have been noted. The aetiologies of insomnia are diverse and must be determined in the assessment of patients. Treatment of insomnia is non-pharmacologic and/or pharmacologic therapy. There are an increasing number of studies on the various treatments and at present a combination of both types appears best in the long-term management of the problem.