Do you need insomnia management after a mental health assessment?

A mental health assessment can explore how sleep relates to mood, anxiety, stress, trauma, substance use, medicines, physical symptoms, and daily routines. Insomnia management may include a sleep diary, regular wake times, behavioural strategies, talking therapy, review of medicines, or treatment for an underlying condition. The approach depends on whether difficulty is falling asleep, staying asleep, waking too early, or feeling unrefreshed. Sleeping tablets are not the only option, and some medicines or substances can worsen sleep or cause daytime drowsiness.

Track bedtime, estimated sleep time, awakenings, wake time, naps, caffeine, alcohol, and daytime alertness for discussion with your clinician. Keep a consistent wake time, use the bed for sleep rather than prolonged worrying, and reduce stimulating screens or work close to bedtime. Ask before changing psychiatric or sleep medicine, because sudden changes can cause problems. Mention snoring, gasping, restless legs, pain, hot flushes, and shifts in mood, since these details may change the assessment.

Seek urgent help if you feel at risk of harming yourself or someone else, cannot stay safe because of extreme sleepiness, or have several nights of little sleep with unusually high energy, racing thoughts, impulsive behaviour, or loss of contact with reality. Contact your clinician promptly for severe daytime impairment, medication reactions, or rapidly worsening mood. Do not drive when too sleepy to respond safely.

Ask: What may be driving my sleep problem? Would a sleep diary or talking therapy help? Could any medicine or substance be affecting sleep? What warning signs should prompt urgent contact?