Insomnia is not fearful- fear of it is dangerous
Kovrov G.V., Posohov S.I.

I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that occurs both independently and on a background of psychological and physiological distress. It leads to decreased quality of life and  worsening of comorbidities course. Despite the fact that today the principles of its diagnostics and treatment are simple enough, doctors of general practice face some tactical issues of treatment, caused primarily by psychological state of the patient, limited choice of sleeping pills, that are often far from ideal hypnotic. The paper addresses some diagnostic (assessment of levels of anxiety, depression, dysfunctional beliefs, polysomnography) and therapeutic techniques (principles of sleep hygiene, method of cognitive-behavioral therapy, phytotherapy and other drugs), which can help doctors to select tactics and strategies for insomnia treatment faster, particularly with concomitant somatic and neurological disorders. Attention is paid to peculiarities of identifying hidden sleep disorders, mechanism of action of modern sleeping pills. Timely diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders (non-drug approaches are extremely effective) have a positive effect on the underlying disease course.

Key words: insomnia, insomnia treatment, sleep quality, sleep hygiene.

For citation: Kovrov G.V., Posohov S.I. Insomnia is not fearful – fear of it is dangerous // RMJ. 2016. № 24. P. 1627–1630.