Insomnia is a serious public health concern with a significant economic burden, comparable to other psychiatric disorders like depression and anxiety. It reduces workplace productivity and imposes both direct and indirect costs on society. To address this, we developed a simple algorithm for diagnosing and managing insomnia, designed for use by general practitioners and non-sleep specialists.

This updated study review aimed at a clinical algorithm for diagnosis and treatment of insomnia in adults. We developed an easy-to-apply algorithm to diagnose and manage insomnia that can be used by general practitioners and non-sleep specialists. To this end, our team reviewed the previous studies to determine the prevalence, evaluation, and treatment of insomnia. We used the results to develop a clinical algorithm for diagnosing and managing insomnia.

Insomnia occurs in a short (less than 3 months duration) or chronic form (≥3 months duration). Insomnia management includes both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. There is ample research evidence for the impact of a variety of non-pharmacological treatments, but both types of treatments can be used for each patient. If there are any contradictions in the diagnosis process, therapists should use objective instruments, such as polysomnography, but they should not be in a hurry to use these instruments.

Habibolah Khazaie has completed his specialty in psychiatry at the age of 30(2002) and has been active for over twenty years in the specialized field of sleep disorders and psychiatry, engaging in education, research, and patient treatment. He is currently the Head of the Sleep Disorders Research Center at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences. He has over 300 publications that have been cited over 25000 times, and his publication h-index is 47. He has been serving as an editorial board member of several reputed journals and also, he is one of the contributing authors of the Sleep Disorders chapter in the Kaplan and Sadock’s Textbook of Psychiatry.