Treatment for abnormal sleep conditions and disorders depends on the type of sleep disorder. The most important thing is to diagnose the cause of the disorder and treat it at its source. However, some disorders, in addition to treating the cause, may also require symptom management, such as chronic insomnia.
The principles for treating sleep disorders are similar to those for treating other diseases and can be divided into:
- Non-pharmacologic therapy
- Pharmacologic therapy
Or it can be divided into:
- Specific treatment
- Supportive treatment
While undergoing treatment, equally important are treatment compliance and regular follow-up. For example, treating patients with obstructive sleep apnea with positive airway pressure therapy, such as CPAP.
A major problem is that some patients do not adhere to continuous treatment (non-adherence) for various reasons, such as some patients feeling uncomfortable wearing the CPAP mask and thus not using the CPAP device anymore, without knowing that there are solutions to such problems, like changing the type of mask to a more suitable one, or for some, wearing the mask for a period before sleep without turning on the CPAP device can help the patient get accustomed to the condition while sleeping with the CPAP device operating.
