Middle-of-the-night insomnia

Middle-of-the-night insomnia (MOTN) is insomnia characterized by difficulty returning to sleep after awakening either in the middle of the night, or too early in the morning. Also referred to as nocturnal awakenings, middle of the night awakenings and middle insomnia, this category of insomnia is different from initial or sleep-onset insomnia, which is a difficulty falling asleep at the beginning of sleep.

Due to the disrupted sleep patterns caused by middle-of-the-night insomnia, many sufferers of the condition complain of fatigue the following day. Excessive daytime sleepiness has been noted as being nearly two times higher in individuals with nocturnal awakenings compared to those who sleep through the night.^[1]

Prevalence

Waking up in the middle of the night, or nocturnal awakening, is the most frequently reported insomnia symptom, with approximately 35% of Americans over 18 reporting waking up three or more times per week.^[1] Of those who experience nocturnal awakenings, 43% report difficulty in resuming sleep after waking, while over 90% report the condition persisting for more than six months. Greater than 50% contend with MOTN conditions for more than five years.

A 2008 "Sleep in America" poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation found that 42% of respondents awakened during the night at least a few nights a week, and 29% said they woke up too early and couldn’t get back to sleep.^[2] Other clinical studies have reported between 25% and 35% of people experience nocturnal awakenings at least three nights a week.^[3]

Common causes

• Pain
• Pregnancy
• Anxiety
• Difficulty breathing / sleep apnea
• Need to use the bathroom
• Hunger or thirst
• Illness

^[4]

Nocturnal awakenings are more common in older patients and have been associated with depressive disorders, chronic pain, obstructive sleep apnea, obesity, alcohol consumption, hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease, heart disease, menopause, prostate problems, and bipolar disorders.^[4]

Treatment

Middle-of-the-night insomnia is often treated with medication, although there are no current U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved medications specifically for treating MOTN awakening. Because most medications usually require 6–8 hours of sleep to avoid lingering effects the next day, these are often used every night at bedtime to prevent awakenings.^[5] Medication may not be prescribed in some cases, especially if the cause turns out to be the patient ingesting too much fluid during the day or just before he goes to sleep. Sleep restriction therapy and stimulus control therapy as described in insomnia have shown significance in treating middle of night insomnia. Some studies have shown that zaleplon, which has a short elimination half-life, may be suitable for middle-of-the-night administration because it does not impair next day performance.^[6][7][8]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} ""Nocturnal awakenings and comorbid disorders in the American general population" - Journal of Psychiatric Research (in press), Maurice M. Ohayon, MD, DSc, PhD". http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T8T-4S56435-1&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=91f7a61b916e9520becdbee4ba5deb5e. Retrieved 2008-05-06. 
2. ^ "2008 "Sleep in America" poll". Archived from the original on 2008-07-03. http://web.archive.org/web/20080703215357/http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.3933533/. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
3. ^ ""Epidemiology of Insomnia: What We Know and What We Still Need to Learn." – Sleep Medicine Reviews 2002; 6:97-111, Maurice M. Ohayon, MD, DSc, PhD". http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WX7-45WRKSW-3&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=adfe19077985c76cc53b29f4f81dc934. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
4. ^ ^{a b} ""Daytime pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic evaluation of low-dose sublingual transmucosal zolpidem hemitartrate"- Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, 2008;23(1):13-20, Thomas Roth, David Mayleben, Bruce C. Corser, Nikhilesh N. Singh". http://www.druglib.com/abstract/ro/roth-t_hum-psychopharmacol_20080100.html. Retrieved 2008-05-27. 
5. ^ ""Nocturnal awakenings: a case study with decision points"- Journal of Family Practice, April 2008". http://www.med.upenn.edu/uep/user_documents/dfd16.pdf. Retrieved 2008-07-11. 
6. ^ Sleep and residual sedation after administration of zaleplon, zolpidem, and placebo during experimental middle-of-the-night awakening. PMID 17557470
7. ^ Hypnotics and driving safety: meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials applying the on-the-road driving test. PMID 18690916
8. ^ Stone BM, Turner C, Mills SL, et al. (February 2002). "Noise-induced sleep maintenance insomnia: hypnotic and residual effects of zaleplon". Br J Clin Pharmacol 53 (2): 196–202. doi:10.1046/j.-5251.2001.01520.x. PMC 1874295. PMID 11851645. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/118951810/PDFSTART.