Condition · Texas
Sleep Disorders and Mental Health in Texas
Sleep disorders include insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, sleep apnoea, restless legs, and parasomnias. They have different causes and different specialists. Lyte Psychiatry treats the ones that respond to psychiatric care and refers the rest.
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Akinwande Akintola, MD · Last reviewed July 2026 · Next review January 2027
Understanding sleep disorders
Naming the specific problem determines who should treat it. Difficulty falling or staying asleep points to insomnia; loud snoring with daytime sleepiness points to apnoea; sleeping well but at the wrong times points to a circadian rhythm disorder. Only some of those belong in psychiatry.
Sleep and mental health run in both directions. Poor sleep raises the risk of depression, and depression disrupts sleep, so treating only one side frequently produces a partial and short-lived result.
Some sleep problems need sleep medicine rather than psychiatry. Suspected apnoea, narcolepsy, or complex parasomnias require a sleep study and a sleep physician, and we say so early rather than treating around them.
Symptoms and when to seek an evaluation
- Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
- Waking unrefreshed no matter how long you were in bed
- Loud snoring, gasping, or witnessed pauses in breathing
- Falling asleep during the day despite adequate time in bed
- Sleeping well but at times that do not fit your life
- Unusual behaviour during sleep: walking, acting out dreams, night terrors
Seek an evaluation when these symptoms have lasted for weeks, are getting worse, or are affecting your work, sleep, or relationships. If you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 now.
What your first visit involves
- Sleep history: timing, duration, latency, awakenings, and daytime effect
- Screening for apnoea, restless legs, narcolepsy, and parasomnias needing referral
- Mental health screening for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance use
- Medication, alcohol, caffeine, and shift-work review
First appointments run longer than follow-ups so there is time to take a full history. You leave with a working diagnosis, a plan, and a follow-up date rather than a prescription and no explanation.
Therapy, psychiatry, and combined care
- CBT for insomnia, first-line for chronic insomnia
- Circadian interventions such as timed light exposure and schedule adjustment
- Treatment of underlying depression, anxiety, or PTSD
- Referral for sleep studies and sleep medicine where indicated
- Careful review and, where appropriate, reduction of sedative medication
Therapy and psychiatry are delivered in-house by clinicians licensed in Texas and share one chart, so a prescriber and a therapist working with you are looking at the same notes. Many people do best with both.
What we do not treat here
- Lyte does not perform sleep studies or polysomnography
- We do not manage CPAP therapy or diagnose sleep apnoea
- Narcolepsy and complex parasomnias are managed by sleep medicine specialists
Care options at Lyte
Clinicians who provide this care
Insurance and cost
Lyte is in network with several Texas plans, and coverage depends on your specific plan and benefits. We verify your benefits before the first visit so you know your expected cost in advance. See which plans we accept.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a sleep study?
If there is loud snoring, witnessed pauses in breathing, significant daytime sleepiness, or suspected narcolepsy or parasomnia, yes. Those need sleep medicine, and psychiatric treatment alone will not resolve them.
Will you prescribe sleeping tablets?
Rarely, and not as a first step. CBT for insomnia outperforms medication over the long term and does not carry tolerance or dependence risk. Short-term medication is considered in specific circumstances.
Which comes first, the sleep problem or the depression?
Often both. They maintain each other, which is why the plan usually addresses sleep and mood together rather than waiting for one to fix the other.
Does Lyte manage CPAP?
No. Sleep apnoea diagnosis and CPAP management are handled by sleep medicine. We coordinate and treat the mental health side.
Sources
Related conditions
- Insomnia: trouble falling or staying asleepThe most common sleep disorder in psychiatry, with a specific first-line treatment.
- Depression: sleep changes in depressionEarly-morning waking and hypersomnia are core depressive symptoms.
- Anxiety: a mind that will not switch offAnxiety is one of the most common causes of difficulty falling asleep.
- PTSD: nightmares and broken sleepTrauma-related sleep disruption needs trauma-specific treatment.
- ADHD: delayed sleep and ADHDDelayed sleep phase is common in ADHD, and stimulant timing affects it.
This page is for general education and is not medical advice or a substitute for care from your own clinician. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), and for a medical emergency call 911.
Book a sleep and mental health assessment
Lyte Psychiatry sees patients by secure telehealth across Texas and in person at our Pantego clinic in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
Book an appointment