Understanding Insomnia & Sleep Disorders
Chronic poor sleep is not a minor inconvenience. It raises the risk of depression, anxiety, hypertension and accidents. Many people self-medicate with sleeping tablets bought over the counter and develop dependence. Dr. Sushovan Roy treats insomnia at the root using CBT-I based methods with medication used briefly and rationally.
Chemist-counter sleeping tablets taken nightly for months are one of the most common problems seen here. They stop working, they are hard to stop, and they were never treating the actual cause.
Signs that are worth taking seriously
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Frequent night-time awakenings
- Waking very early and unable to resume sleep
- Unrefreshing sleep despite hours in bed
- Daytime fatigue and irritability
- Poor concentration and memory
- Dependence on sleeping tablets
- Reversed sleep-wake cycle
When it is time to see a psychiatrist
Not every low patch needs a doctor. These are the points at which a clinical opinion genuinely helps rather than waiting longer:
- Trouble sleeping three or more nights a week for over a month
- Daytime tiredness, irritability or poor concentration because of it
- You are dependent on sleeping tablets bought without a prescription
- Loud snoring with gasping — this needs assessment for sleep apnoea
How this is treated at the chamber
Treatment starts with a sleep diary and screening for depression, anxiety, thyroid disease and sleep apnoea. It then applies CBT-I including stimulus control and sleep restriction, screen and caffeine correction, safe short-term pharmacological support if required, and a structured plan to taper existing sleeping pill dependence.
What happens at the first visit
A full history, unhurried
What has been happening, for how long, and how it is affecting sleep, work, studies and family. Relatives can join if you want them to.
Examination and tests where needed
Thyroid, vitamin B12, sugar and other basic investigations are ordered when they could be contributing. Physical causes are ruled out before anything else.
The diagnosis, explained plainly
You are told what the condition is, what it is not, and why. No jargon and no vague reassurance.
A plan you have agreed to
Medication where it is needed, at the lowest dose that will work, plus counselling and follow-up dates. Cost is discussed openly.