In today's high-pressure society, many people have symptoms such as difficulty falling asleep, poor sleep, easy awakening, self-conscious dreams, and early awakening, thinking that they are suffering from insomnia. Professor Pan Jiyang, director of the Sleep Medicine Center at the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University in Guangzhou, said that the presence of these symptoms does not mean that they all have insomnia. In China, most people belong to insomnia symptoms, and only a small number of people belong to insomnia, that is, insomnia disorder.

Interviewee: Professor Pan Jiyang, Director of the Department of Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University

Insomnia disorder is not the same as insomnia symptoms

Insomnia symptoms are not necessarily diseases Insomnia disorders belong to sleep disorders and mental disorders

What are insomnia symptoms and what are insomnia? Professor Pan Jiyang said, "The symptoms of insomnia refer to the symptoms that occur when an ordinary person faces a high-pressure, fast-paced life, and the symptoms are often related to stress responses. The so-called sub-health state of Chinese people is mainly manifested by symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia. For example, students can't sleep before exams, white-collar workers can't sleep due to work pressure, and so on. Professor Pan Jiyang said that occasional insomnia symptoms often belong to the normal range of the human body, and it will not have much impact on the human body. Moreover, most people are able to recover from this stress-induced stress response through self-regulation. However, there are also a small number of people who develop mental disorders and insomnia symptoms due to excessive stress response or too long a time.

"Insomnia is when a patient has insomnia for three months or more in a row before it can be called an insomnia disorder. Insomnia disorders are among the most common sleep problems and mental disorders. Professor Pan Jiyang said that in addition to showing insomnia symptoms, insomnia patients will also bring great pain and psychological burden to patients, seriously affecting people's normal life and work; Some may even aggravate or induce palpitations, chest palpitations, dizziness, headaches, strokes and other conditions. Professor Pan Jiyang said that according to the results of epidemiological surveys, the prevalence of chronic insomnia disorder is about 2%-0%; The prevalence of insomnia disorders in the general adult population in China is about 0.0%-0.0%. Therefore, insomnia patients are still in the minority group. However, Professor Pan Jiyang also emphasized that whether it is a sub-health state or a stress response in life; When an individual experiences sleep disturbances, adjustments should be made early to prevent insomnia from evolving. Chronic insomnia disorders must be diagnosed professionally at a sleep medicine center.

The new type of sleeping pill has a high safety profile

However, it may reduce the individual's alertness

Nowadays, more and more people are improving their insomnia symptoms through various methods. However, drug treatment of insomnia disorder is the main treatment method abroad. Chinese believe that drugs will make people dependent and cause harm to the human body. Is this statement correct? "Sleeping pills are mainly divided into two categories, one is the older generation of sleeping pills, that is, people often say diazepam drugs; The other is a newer type of sleeping pill, which is a non-diazepam drug. Professor Pan Jiyang said that the older generation of sleeping drugs, such as diazepam, etc., will indeed cause people to have a certain degree of dependence, and cause certain harm to the human body, and at the same time make the individual's memory decline. However, the new type of sleeping pills has been greatly improved, and from the 90s of the last century to the present, it has been used for a long time and has a high safety.

However, Professor Pan Jiyang also said that clinical experiments have shown that taking sleeping pills does not have much effect on the spirit of individuals who do not use them, but some people have reduced their alertness. Moreover, the metabolism of sleeping pills in the female body is slower, and the duration of the drug effect will increase accordingly. Therefore, Professor Pan Jiyang reminded that, first, take it only when you need it - when the individual feels difficult to fall asleep before going to bed, take it about 15 minutes in advance that night. Second, the US FDA requires that when the patient is a woman, it is recommended that the patient should remember to start with halving the dosage to ensure that the patient has enough energy the next day.

Insomnia should be adjusted in time

Long-term insomnia or accompanied by symptoms of depression and anxiety

Although modern sleeping pills are relatively safe, there are still many people who are skeptical. Some even refuse to take medication in order to avoid dependence. To this end, Professor Pan Jiyang warned all individuals suffering from insomnia to know how to weigh the pros and cons. Although some sleeping pills have side effects, they can effectively help you sleep better and ensure that you have a full mental state. Obviously, the benefits of sleeping pills outweigh the disadvantages.

In addition, Professor Pan Jiyang said that although most people have long-term insomnia, they will not develop major depressive disorders or anxiety disorders. However, it is easy to feel irritable, unable to calm down, anxious, etc., accompanied by symptoms such as depression and anxiety. If it is not adjusted or improved in time, it is possible to develop into a chronic insomnia disorder. Therefore, Professor Pan Jiyang emphasized that when individuals have insomnia symptoms, they should be adjusted in time; If necessary, a moderate amount of sleeping pills should be taken. When this symptom appears for three months or more, you should go to the Sleep Center Hospital of the local university hospital for sleep monitoring and seek help from a doctor.

Expert Profile

Pan Jiyang

Director of the Department of Psychiatry and Director of the Sleep Medicine Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou; Professor, Chief Physician; Doctoral supervisor, academic leader of psychiatry and chief expert of sleep medicine. Graduate tutor of School of Management, Jinan University.

從事精神醫學及睡眠醫學臨床近30年。1996年1月-1999年1月赴美國哈佛大學醫學院附屬麻省總醫院精神科焦慮礙障臨床研究部學習焦慮障礙的診斷和臨床藥物治療，以及在美國德州大學西南醫學中心精神科臨床精神衛生研究中心，師從世界著名抑鬱症專家A.John Professor Rush (Chair of the DSM-IV Mood Disorders Diagnostic Criteria Group and Principal Investigator of the STAR'D Research Project) is a postdoctoral researcher under his supervision, engaged in clinical research on the psychobiology of depressive disorders and antidepressant drugs.

In 2003, he was awarded a scholarship by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine to the Sleep Center of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in the United States to receive training in sleep clinical diagnosis and treatment techniques, and learned various sleep clinical diagnosis and treatment techniques under the guidance of Professor Alan Pack, the director of the center.

At present, his main clinical research interests are the clinical pharmacology and psychobiology of sleep disorders, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders and bipolar disorder.

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This article is only for health science popularization and does not constitute medication or medical guidelines, it is recommended to seek medical attention in time if you have health problems.