Condition
Sleep & Insomnia
- Telehealth by Zoom
- Ages 5 and up
- Licensed in OR, WA, ME, FL
In short
Justin Bethoney, PMHNP treats sleep problems by first identifying when the difficulty happens: falling asleep, staying asleep or waking too early. Breathing exercises, journaling and sleep habits help most with falling asleep; blood sugar and hormones are checked for middle-of-the-night waking. When medication helps, he favors mild options over Ambien-type drugs.
- 01
Which kind of problem?
Falling asleep, waking in the night and waking early have different causes.
- 02
Gentle tools first
Breathing exercises, journaling and sleep habits, plus blood sugar and hormone checks.
- 03
Mild medications
Doxepin, trazodone, hydroxyzine or temporary melatonin; Ambien-type drugs only rarely.
Which kind of sleep problem?
Trouble falling asleep, waking in the middle of the night and waking too early have different causes, so the first step is pinning down the pattern.
- Falling asleep: breathing exercises, journaling and sleep-habit changes tend to help
- Waking in the night: checking blood sugar and hormones is important
Gentle tools first
Several supplements can help, many overlapping with those used for anxiety. When medication is useful, Justin typically uses mild options such as doxepin, trazodone or hydroxyzine, or temporary melatonin. He generally does not prescribe Ambien, Lunesta or other "Z-drugs", though he is familiar with them.
How Justin helps
From Justin's book, free to read
Go deeper in The Mental Wellness Diet
Common questions
Does Justin prescribe Ambien?
Ready to get to the root of it?
Complete the short screening form or leave a voicemail. Calls are returned within 24 hours on weekdays.
In crisis? Call or text 988, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room.