Short-Term or Chronic Insomnia? How to Tell, and When to Get Help

Almost everyone has a bad night now and then. Insomnia is when trouble sleeping keeps happening. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) calls insomnia a common sleep disorder: you may have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or getting good quality sleep.

Short-term insomnia

The NHLBI says short-term insomnia may be caused by stress or by changes in your schedule or environment, such as a new job, a move, travel or a hard stretch at home. It can last for a few days or weeks, and it often eases once the stress passes.

Chronic insomnia

The NHLBI describes chronic, or long-term, insomnia as sleep trouble that happens 3 or more nights a week, lasts more than 3 months and cannot be fully explained by another health problem. The DSM-5-TR, the reference clinicians use, calls this insomnia disorder, and a qualified clinician makes the diagnosis after a full evaluation.

Signs it is time to get help

• Trouble sleeping most nights for more than a few weeks
• Feeling tired, irritable or unfocused during the day because of poor sleep
• Worrying about sleep itself, or dreading bedtime
• Nodding off while driving or at work

If you feel drowsy, let someone else drive until your sleep improves.

What an evaluation looks at

A provider asks about your sleep schedule, your habits, your stress and your mood, and looks for other things that can disturb sleep, such as pain, another health problem or sleep apnea. Keeping a sleep diary for a week or two, a simple record of when you go to bed, when you wake and how rested you feel, makes the visit more useful.

Getting help at Hope Behavioral Medicine

We evaluate and treat insomnia in West Ashley and by secure video anywhere in South Carolina. Treatment focuses on techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I); medication is considered only when indicated, decided jointly with you. Request an appointment.

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988. In an emergency, call 911.

Sources: NHLBI, What Is Insomnia?; NHLBI, Insomnia Treatment; American Psychiatric Association, DSM-5-TR (insomnia disorder).

This article is general information, not medical advice, and does not create a patient–provider relationship. Every situation is different, so see a provider who can evaluate yours and develop a plan of care. Any medication discussed here may not be right for you: the right choice depends on your diagnoses, other health conditions and current medicines, so take medication only as directed by the provider managing your care. If you are ever in doubt about an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.