Institute for Continuing Education

Identifying and Managing Insomnia

Course Objectives

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

• Identify and classify sleep disorders according to the ICSD-3-TR, with emphasis on insomnia disorder subtypes including chronic insomnia disorder, short-term insomnia disorder, and other insomnia disorder, and their epidemiological significance in clinical practice
• Recognize and assess the multidimensional impact of insomnia on patient quality of life, including physical health consequences (cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, immune dysfunction), mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment), occupational functioning (work productivity, absenteeism), and social well-being
• Apply current diagnostic criteria from the ICSD-3-TR to differentiate insomnia from other sleep disorders including obstructive sleep apnea, comorbid insomnia and sleep apnea (COMISA), restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, and medical/psychiatric conditions affecting sleep
• Describe evidence-based treatment approaches for insomnia disorder, including the core components of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (sleep restriction therapy, stimulus control therapy, cognitive restructuring, relaxation training), pharmacological interventions (dual orexin receptor antagonists, benzodiazepine receptor agonists, melatonin receptor agonists), and emerging digital therapeutics
• Evaluate the role of polysomnography in insomnia assessment and understand when overnight sleep studies are clinically indicated (suspected comorbid sleep-disordered breathing, periodic limb movements, parasomnias, treatment-resistant insomnia) versus contraindicated (uncomplicated chronic insomnia disorder)
• Analyze the bidirectional relationships between insomnia and common comorbidities such as major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain syndromes, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, and recognize the clinical implications for integrated treatment approaches
• Develop collaborative management plans for patients with insomnia by understanding the sleep technologist's role in comprehensive patient care including patient education about sleep hygiene and behavioral strategies, treatment adherence support for positive airway pressure therapy in COMISA patients, recognition of treatment barriers, and interdisciplinary care coordination with physicians, behavioral sleep medicine specialists, and other healthcare providers

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.