Comprehensive care for sleep-related difficulties
Sleep that will not come wears down everything else. A considered assessment starts with understanding your nights.
Insomnia is a sleep disorder involving difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, or waking too early and being unable to get back to sleep. It is defined as much by the daytime consequences as by the nights: sleep that is short or broken but leaves a person functioning well is not the same problem.
More than 1 in 10 people in Australia have at least mild insomnia at any given time, with higher rates among women and among older people.
At night
During the day
That last point is central to how chronic insomnia sustains itself. Anxiety about not sleeping becomes its own obstacle to sleep, and the pattern outlives whatever started it.
Acute insomnia is short-term, usually attached to an identifiable stressor such as worry, illness, grief or a change in circumstances. It commonly resolves when the situation does.
Chronic insomnia disorder is trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at least 3 nights per week, for at least 3 months, that affects how you function during the day. This is the threshold that separates a run of bad nights from a condition warranting assessment.
Insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea often occur together, and the combination is assessed differently from insomnia alone.
There is no specific test to diagnose insomnia. A doctor will usually ask you to keep a sleep diary for a couple of weeks and will ask about your sleep habits, your medicines, and your caffeine and alcohol intake. Questionnaires are commonly used.
Where the history suggests sleep apnoea, restless legs or another sleep disorder, a sleep study may be arranged. Screening for depression, anxiety and pain is standard, since these frequently sit underneath a sleep complaint.
Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, known as CBT-i, is recommended as first-line treatment in Australian general practice guidelines. It works on the behaviours and thought patterns that keep insomnia going, and it outperforms sleep medicines over the longer term. It is available face to face, through digital programmes, and by telehealth.
Sleep hygiene and relaxation techniques support that work: consistent timing, a wind-down routine, limiting caffeine and alcohol, and getting out of bed when sleep is not coming.
Medicines are considered where other approaches have not been effective, and are generally intended for short-term use.
Before you book
A structured review of your health with an AHPRA-registered Clinician, by video or telephone.
A consultation with a LeafLine Clinic Clinician is a structured review of your health. Your Clinician takes your history, including your sleep pattern, how long it has been disrupted, daytime effects, what has already been tried and what happened, your current medicines, and your other conditions.
Your Clinician will discuss your concerns and review your previous treatments: what has been tried, what happened, and what you are taking now.
Your Clinician explores appropriate management options based on clinical judgement and your individual circumstances. Specific treatment options can only be discussed and decided during a private consultation with a qualified Clinician.
Some people are not suitable for care through this clinic, and where that is the case your Clinician will say so during the consultation and discuss where to go next.
See a doctor if sleep difficulty has persisted three nights a week for three months or more, or sooner if daytime function, mood or safety is affected. Loud snoring with pauses in breathing, or falling asleep during the day, should be assessed for sleep apnoea. Never drive when you are too tired to do so safely. For medical emergencies, call 000.
Chronic insomnia disorder is defined as trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at least 3 nights per week, for at least 3 months, that affects how you function during the day. Shorter episodes attached to an identifiable stressor are called acute insomnia and often resolve with the situation.
More than 1 in 10 people in Australia have at least mild insomnia at any given time, with higher rates among women and among older people.
Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, known as CBT-i, is recommended as first-line treatment in Australian general practice guidelines. It addresses the behaviours and thought patterns that keep insomnia going and outperforms sleep medicines over the longer term. It is available face to face, digitally and by telehealth.
No. There is no specific test to diagnose insomnia. Assessment relies on your history, a sleep diary kept over a couple of weeks, and questionnaires about sleep habits, medicines, caffeine and alcohol. A sleep study may be arranged where sleep apnoea or another sleep disorder is suspected.
This page is general health information about a condition. It is not a description of any treatment, it is not medical advice, and it is not a substitute for an assessment by a qualified practitioner. Decisions about your care are made with your Clinician, in a consultation, based on your own history.
Last reviewed 7 September 2026. Written by Umar Khan, CEO.
Sources
If you are experiencing insomnia or sleep disturbances, you can book a telehealth consultation with one of our AHPRA-registered Clinicians to discuss your symptoms and care options.
AHPRA-registered Clinicians · Australian-owned and operated · Telehealth nationwide
Quick answers
Process, fees and eligibility, from our published information
No clinical advice. For anything medical, your Clinician is the right person, in a consultation.
