Insomnia

Common Questions & Answers
The precise cause of insomnia is unclear, but it involves factors like genetics, differences in brain activity, underlying medical problems, mental health conditions, and lifestyle factors, including changes in circumstances and routine. Exercise habits, diet, and stress can also play a role.
Having a consistent bedtime routine, sleeping in a relaxing environment, and avoiding caffeine, bright lights, and device screens before bed can improve sleep hygiene, as can increased daytime exercise and sunlight exposure. If these measures don’t help, talk to your physician or a sleep medicine specialist.
See a doctor if insomnia interferes with your daily life or persists for several weeks. A physician may refer you to a sleep center for further testing. Any sign of insomnia requires investigation, as optimal sleep is crucial for overall health.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is a type of therapy that helps you identify and adjust thoughts and behaviors that disrupt sleep. This may include habits you’ve developed to improve sleep that aren’t working or targeting worry around sleep.
Long-term use of sleeping pills can lead to dependency, as people can build a tolerance quickly and find weaning off them challenging. Sleeping pills can also interact with other substances and cause excessive drowsiness, falls, and behavioral changes. Consult a doctor for advice.

Abhinav Singh, MD
Medical Reviewer
Abhinav Singh, MD, is a board-certified sleep medicine specialist and the medical director of the Indiana Sleep Center. He is also an associate clinical professor at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Indianapolis, where he developed and teaches a sleep medicine rotation.
Dr. Singh’s research and clinical practice focus on sleep disorders, including excessive daytime sleepiness, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, insomnia, and sleep education.
Singh is a peer reviewer for the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, Sleep Health (from the National Sleep Foundation) and the Journal of Sleep Disorders: Treatment and Care, and is coauthor of the book Sleep to Heal: 7 Simple Steps to Better Sleep. He has received several Top Doctor recognitions and is the sleep specialist for the Indiana Pacers NBA team.
He lives in the Indianapolis area and enjoys music production and racquet sports.

Sanjai Sinha, MD
Medical Reviewer
Dr. Sinha did his undergraduate training at the University of California in Berkeley, where he graduated magna cum laude. He earned his medical degree at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City in 1998 and completed his internship and residency training at the New York University School of Medicine in 2001. Subsequently, he worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs from 2001 to 2012 and held faculty appointments at both the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
In 2006, he won the VISN3 Network Director Award for Public Service and a commendation from the secretary of Veterans Affairs for his relief work after Hurricane Katrina. He joined Weill Cornell Medical College in 2012, where he is an assistant professor of clinical medicine and the director of the care management program, as well as a practicing physician.
In addition to his work for Everyday Health, Sinha has written for various publications, including Sharecare and Drugs.com; published numerous papers in peer-reviewed medical journals, such as the Journal of General Internal Medicine; and presented at national conferences on many healthcare delivery topics. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Chester Wu, MD
Medical Reviewer
Chester Wu, MD, is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine. He cares for patients through his private practice in Houston, where he provides evaluations, medication management, and therapy for psychiatric and sleep medicine conditions.
After training at the Baylor College of Medicine and Stanford University School of Medicine, Dr. Wu established the first sleep medicine program within a psychiatric system in the United States while at the Menninger Clinic in Houston.

Angela D. Harper, MD
Medical Reviewer
Angela D. Harper, MD, is in private practice at Columbia Psychiatric Associates in South Carolina, where she provides evaluations, medication management, and psychotherapy for adults.
A distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Harper has worked as a psychiatrist throughout her career, serving a large number of patients in various settings, including a psychiatric hospital on the inpatient psychiatric and addiction units, a community mental health center, and a 350-bed nursing home and rehab facility. She has provided legal case consultation for a number of attorneys.
Harper graduated magna cum laude from Furman University with a bachelor's degree and cum laude from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, where she also completed her residency in adult psychiatry. During residency, she won numerous awards, including the Laughlin Fellowship from the American College of Psychiatrists, the Ginsberg Fellowship from the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training, and resident of the year and resident medical student teacher of the year. She was also the member-in-training trustee to the American Psychiatric Association board of trustees during her last two years of residency training.
Harper volunteered for a five-year term on her medical school's admission committee, has given numerous presentations, and has taught medical students and residents. She currently supervises a nurse practitioner. She is passionate about volunteering for the state medical board's medical disciplinary commission, on which she has served since 2015.
She and her husband are avid travelers and have been to over 55 countries and territories.
- Insomnia. Cleveland Clinic. February 13, 2023.
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