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Insomnia

If you dread bedtime because of insomnia, you’re not alone as at least a third of Americans struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep throughout the night.

At FoundationMED in Raleigh, North Carolina, the team of functional medicine physicians take a patient-focused approach and diagnose the true root cause of your sleepless nights before offering personalized treatment plans to address the condition causing your insomnia.

What is Insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that either prevents you from falling or staying asleep. For example, in addition to troubles falling asleep, you make wake several times throughout the night or wake up well before your alarm.

Insomnia is either acute or chronic. Almost everyone experiences acute insomnia from time to time when stress or worries get in the way of sleep. However, if you have insomnia more than three nights a week for three months or more, your condition is considered chronic.

What Causes Insomnia?

Insomnia is classified as either primary or secondary. Primary insomnia is when there is no apparent cause for your sleeplessness. Secondary insomnia is a side effect of another issue, such as:

  • Taking certain medicines
  • Chronic pain
  • Stress
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Grief
  • Hormonal disruptions
  • Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
  • Low blood sugar
  • Gastrointestinal disorders

The physicians at FoundationMED work with you to identify the root cause of your insomnia. By treating the underlying condition they can restore your health and help you get a good night’s sleep.

How Is Insomnia Treated?

Too often, doctors turn to pharmaceuticals to treat insomnia, which may help you sleep, but don’t actually heal the problem. At FoundationMED, your physician identifies and addresses the issue causing your insomnia, while also helping you make lifestyle adjustments to improve your sleep.

For example, you may have a hormonal imbalance that’s interfering with the neurotransmitters that regulate your sleep and wake cycles, which your doctor can address with hormone therapy and nutritional adjustments.

At the same time, your doctor may suggest changes to your diet and exercise habits to help you sleep through the night. They may also recommend removing all screens from your bedroom, adding blackout shades, and lowering the temperature while you sleep.

When Should I Talk To A Doctor About Insomnia?

While everyone has an occasional restless night, you should consult with the physicians at FoundationMED if you continuously struggle to sleep through the night. You should also schedule an appointment if you’re tired during the day, even if you think you slept through the night, or if your lack of sleep disrupts your life in other ways. The team also includes licensed health coaches who can work with you on lifestyle changes to help improve your sleep.

Getting enough high-quality sleep is critical to your overall well-being. Your body restores and replenishes itself while you rest, and in addition to daytime fatigue and irritability, chronic insomnia can lead to a variety of health problems including high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, and heart disease.

FoundationMED Does More

We work to assess and address the multiple issues that together can conspire to negatively affect your health and wellbeing. We call that “root cause” analysis – and it is reflected in our name: FoundationMED.

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