Doctors Answers (3)
You should have a sleep evaluation by a specialist to assess your sleep problems more thoroughly. If you only have insomnia then a sleep study is usually not necessary. You should keep a sleep journal or your patterns through out the night and bring it in when you have your office evaluation.
As we say, it is not much fun watching someone not sleep all night. That being said, we usually work toward getting someone to sleep before ordering a sleep study. We are concerned when patients fall asleep but awaken frequently and have trouble returning to sleep. A sleep study may tell us why they are awakening allowing for treatment of disorders such as sleep disordered breathing or limb movements. Often, even when someone sleeps 8 hours they don't feel refreshed. A sleep study may tell us why. There may be very little restorative sleep or the sleep may be fragmented. I recommend you start by seeing a physician who can help you get some sleep using FDA approved and studied medication for sleep. Avoid over the counter agents as they often adversely affect sleep architecture.
You can have a sleep study for insomnia. Make sure to be seen for your exhaustion. You do not need to suffer like that anymore. Hang in there.
