HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING? HERE'S WHEN YOU SHOULD SEE A DOCTOR

I HAVE TROUBLE SLEEPING, AND I'VE TRIED THINGS LIKE LIMITING BLUE LIGHT AND COUNTING BACKWARDS FROM 100. SHOULD I SEE A DOCTOR?

- SIMAR BAJAJ

Adjusting your sleep hygiene and trying a few bedtime hacks are generally good ideas. But sometimes, keeping a consistent bedtime or putting away your phone isn’t enough.

Up to 20% of people in the United States have chronic sleep disorders; however, most adults have never discussed sleep with a primary care provider.

“Physicians aren’t asking enough about it, and people don’t think it’s something to go to the doctor about,” said Dr Lawrence Epstein, a sleep specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

While sleep disorders can seem self-evident, they're often more subtle than you think, and experts recommend watching out for certain warning signs.

It's normal to have a bad night of sleep now and then, said Philip Gehrman, the director of the Sleep, Neurobiology and Psychopathology lab at the University of Pennsylvania, especially if there’s a clear stressor like a big exam or work project.

However, experts say there are three main reasons to see a doctor — and some ways to distinguish what's normal versus abnormal.

When you're in bed, you might feel your mind racing or have trouble getting comfortable. These are possible signs of insomnia and restless leg syndrome, a condition characterised by an uncontrollable urge to move your legs, Gehrman said. While stress or anaemia may contribute to both conditions, there’s often no one common cause for these sleep disorders.