Institute for Continuing Education

Identifying and Managing Insomnia

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Identify the types of sleep disorders and the epidemiology.
• Recognize the impact of sleep disorders on patient quality of life.
• Review the differential diagnoses of sleep disorders, particularly insomnia.
• Develop plans to manage patients with sleep disorders.

Course Information

According to the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR), approximately 40 million Americans suffer from more than 80 debilitating sleep disorders, including the dyssomnias (sleep apnea syndromes, narcolepsy, insomnia, hypersomnia, periodic movement disorders, and circadian-rhythm disturbances); parasomnias (sleep walking or terrors, nocturnal myoclonus, bruxism, and more); or sleep problems associated with medical or psychiatric conditions. The National Sleep Foundation puts the number even higher, reporting that as many as 63 million Americans have a diagnosable and treatable sleep disorder - yet most sleep-related problems are never identified.

Sleep experts attribute the under-diagnosis of sleep disorders to patient reluctance in seeking medical attention, as well as to physicians being unaccustomed to asking their patients about sleep problems. In fact, the Government’s establishment of the NCSDR in the mid-1990s was prompted, in part, by evidence of a failure of primary-care doctors to recognize and treat sleep disorders.

The goal of this course is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the diagnosis, current treatment protocols, and clinical strategies for the treatment and management of insomnia.