When to see a doctor
Insomnia is common, and CBT-I is built for it. Some sleep problems are something else, though, and need a different kind of care. Sleep Toolbox can’t tell which you have. A doctor can.
Signs worth getting checked
Talk with a doctor if any of these sound familiar.
- Loud snoring, gasping, or choking in your sleep, or someone has seen you stop breathing. These can be signs of sleep apnea, which is common and treatable. The sleepiness from the sleep window adds to the sleepiness apnea causes, so get checked before you start it.
- Feeling very sleepy during the day even after enough time in bed, or waking with headaches or a very dry mouth.
- An urge to move your legs in the evening or at night, often with a crawling or aching feeling that gets better when you move. This can be restless legs syndrome.
- Acting out dreams, like shouting, punching, or kicking in your sleep.
- Sleepwalking or other unusual behavior during sleep.
- Falling asleep without meaning to, while driving, at work, in conversation, or in the middle of things.
- Sudden muscle weakness with strong emotion, like laughing.
- Trouble that has lasted three months or more, or that keeps coming back.
- Sleep that changed with a new medicine, a new health problem, pain, or a big change in mood.
- Waking very early with low mood that lasts more than a couple of weeks.
Before using the sleep window
Talk with a health care provider before you start if you have bipolar disorder, a seizure disorder, sleep apnea, sleepwalking or other unusual behavior during sleep, a history of falls, or another health problem, if you take medicine that makes you drowsy, if you’re pregnant, or if you drive or use machinery for work.
What a visit might involve
A doctor will usually ask about your sleep, your health, and your medicines. Bringing a week or two of your diary helps. Some people are referred for a sleep study, at home or overnight in a lab, which can find problems like sleep apnea. Others are referred to a clinician who specializes in CBT-I.
Drowsy driving
If you nod off while driving, or feel you might, don’t drive until you’ve talked with a doctor. This matters even more in the first weeks of the sleep window.
If you’re in crisis
Poor sleep and low mood often come together. If you’re thinking about suicide or about harming yourself or someone else, or you’re in danger, get help now. This site and the app aren’t crisis services, and nobody reads what you write in them.
- In the United States, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. It’s free, confidential, and available any time. For Spanish, call 988 and press 2, or text AYUDA to 988.
- Veterans and service members can call 988 and press 1, or text 838255.
- In an emergency, call 911.
- In Mexico, call Línea de la Vida at 800 911 2000. It’s free and available any time.
- Outside the United States, call your local emergency number or find a helpline at findahelpline.com.
References
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2023). International classification of sleep disorders (3rd ed., text rev.). American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
- Riemann, D., Espie, C. A., Altena, E., et al. (2023). The European Insomnia Guideline: An update on the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia 2023. Journal of Sleep Research, 32(6), e14035. doi.org/10.1111/jsr.14035
Helpful links
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine: Sleep disorders
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
- Find a Helpline, for countries outside the United States
Everyday Insight’s tools are for education and personal reflection. They are not therapy or medical care, and they are not for emergencies. In an emergency, call 911. If you are in crisis in the United States, call or text 988.