Everyone experiences a sleepless night or two occasionally. Work stress, a sick child, or a sudden life change can impact how quickly you fall asleep and how long you stay asleep at night. However, if insomnia continues, seek help from your sleep doctor, Dr. Richard Bogan at Bogan Sleep Consultants in Columbia, SC. Dr. Bogan's kind and accurate sleep disorder diagnoses and treatments help patients beat insomnia and find the rest they deserve.
What is insomnia?
If you cannot sleep, stay asleep or wake up early more than three nights a week for three months, you likely suffer from insomnia, says the National Sleep Foundation. The resulting effects of insomnia include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Irritability
- Fatigue and poor energy levels
- Lack of concentration
- Poor memory
While women seem more prone to insomnia, adds the National Sleep Foundation, most anyone at any age can lose sleep chronically.
Fortunately, your sleep doctor in Columbia, Dr. Richard Bogan can help. At Bogan Sleep Consultants, Dr. Bogan and his team accurately test for, diagnose and treat a range of sleep disorders. They provide in-house Polysomnograms, CPAP adjustments and more which are fully monitored and accurately report what happens when a patient sleeps.
Treating insomnia
Care plans for insomnia are as individual as the patients who need them. Common elements, however, include lifestyle changes which improve what physicians call 'sleep hygiene.' Sometimes, controlling insomnia needs nothing more than:
- The same bedtime each night
- Less visual stimulation before bed (no TV, cell phones or computer devices)
- A bedroom that's devoted to rest (no storage or work-related items)
- No food or alcohol before bed
Additionally, Dr. Bogan may recommend relaxation and/or breathing techniques and cognitive behavioral therapies to help the body and mind eliminate distractions and focus on sleep.
Plus, while not all patients require sleep medications, they can be very helpful to some individuals. Over-the-counter sleep aids and even allergy medications provide just enough drowsiness to induce sleep. Also, with supervision, pharmaceuticals such as Ambien and Valium (an oral tranquilizer) help on a limited basis. Finally, some people benefit from herbal supplements such as Melatonin and Valerian root.
Whatever your need is, you can trust Dr. Bogan's expertise to customize a treatment plan just right for your symptoms, lifestyle and medical history, too.
Sleep well
You can conquer insomnia with the help of your sleep doctor at Bogan Sleep Consultants in Columbia, SC. To schedule your consultation, contact the office at (803) 251-3093.
