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Conditions›Primary insomnia

Primary insomnia

As per National Institute of Health, Primary Insomnia is not a symptom or side effect of another medical condition. Many life changes can trigger it such as: •Major or long-lasting stress or emotional upset. •Travel •Work schedules that disrupt sleep routine. It can persist due to •habits formed to deal with the lack of sleep- taking naps, worrying about sleep, and going to bed early.

Dr. Krishna Kumarreviewed this

Psychiatry 57 years experience

Is a type of:Geriatric sleep disorder

How long it usually lasts:

Chronic (lasts years to lifelong)

How common is it?

Very common

Very common	Extremely rare	Very rare	Rare	Common	Very common
Baby0-2
Preteen6-13				Common
Teenager14-18					Very common
Young adult19-40					Very common
Middle-aged adult41-60					Very common

Medications

Ratings show how effective doctors think these medications are at treating Primary insomnia

Other treatments

Relaxation techniques

Behavior therapy

Avoiding caffeine

Tests

Thyroid stimulating hormone

Insomnia severity index

Risk factors

Personal

Regular caffeine use

Recent traumatic event

Related questions

A 32-year-old male asked:

What is the definition or description of: Primary insomnia?

2 doctor answers2 doctors weighed in

A member asked:

Do doctors see a lot of patients with primary insomnia?

2 doctor answers2 doctors weighed in

A 35-year-old female asked:

I have primary insomnia (which runs in my family). Sleep hygiene has not solved the problem and I don't use caffeine. What should I try next?

3 doctor answers13 doctors weighed in

A 66-year-old female asked:

Do all ppis have insomnia as a side effect? Taking Prilosec for gastritis; it caused insomnia even though taking lunesta (eszopiclone) for primary insomnia. Thanks.

1 doctor answer3 doctors weighed in

A 35-year-old female asked:

I have primary insomnia (which runs in my family). Why is it worst at the time of the month leading up to my menstrual period?

3 doctor answers5 doctors weighed in

A 42-year-old female asked:

Can I take Seroquel indefinitely for chronic primary insomnia? 12.5 mg has stopped working after 18 days. Should I increase it? Ambien (zolpidem) no longer works for me. Neither does Trazodone.

3 doctor answers6 doctors weighed in

A 24-year-old female asked:

I don't have a primary care dr. What kind of dr would write an excuse for me to take less classes this term? Insomnia but not seeking treatment

2 doctor answers4 doctors weighed in

A 20-year-old male asked:

I've been on 75mg of mirtazapine for 7 months , primarily for anxiety and insomnia. Is this high dose normal? How would you reccommend cutting back?

2 doctor answers4 doctors weighed in

A 30-year-old male asked:

I've had insomnia for the past week, but all my primary care doctor suggested is seratonin, what should I do? I think it's anxiety driven it wont stop

2 doctor answers9 doctors weighed in

A 39-year-old female asked:

Trouble finding psychatrist- dealing with primary care. She has me on nortriptyline for anxiety/sleep Started at 10mg, felt great- my body adjusted , my panic and insomnia came back, did 20mg, same thing. Its been 5 weeks, do I go up in dose?

2 doctor answers3 doctors weighed in

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