Educational Series – Recent advances in the management of insomnia
Insomnia is the most common of the sleeping disorders affecting around 5-10% of adults. The inability to fall and/or stay asleep is often distressing and can have significant negative impacts on daytime functioning and productivity. Behaviour therapy is the recommended first line treatment for insomnia with hypnotics* (e.g. benzodiazepine receptor antagonists, sedating antihistamines and tricyclic antidepressants) being used as adjunctive or alternative therapy. Dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs) are a newer class of hypnotic. In December 2024, the Minister of Health consented to the distribution of the DORA lemborexant (Dayvigo®) in New Zealand for treatment of insomnia in adults. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of insomnia and evaluate how lemborexant compares to other insomnia treatments.
*Not all medications discussed in this review are Medsafe registered in New Zealand
Expert contributor
Professor Lutz Beckert
Lutz Beckert is the Dean and Head of Campus of the University of Otago, Christchurch. Lutz is also a Respiratory Physician at Te Whatu Ora Panui Canterbury with a clinical interest in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Respiratory Physiology, and Airways Disease. Lutz has published more than 130 peer reviewed article including co-authoring the NZ Adolescent and […]
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