In New Zealand insomnia is not funded through the public health system.
If a person is seeking help they can go to their general practitioner (GP) but often they do not have the resources to help patients within the 15 minutes allocated. Other sleep disorders like sleep apnea and narcolepsy are funded for public health care and qualify for an overnight study.
Ang believes insomnia is the most common sleeping problem which presents itself to doctors in primary care, but due to time pressure it is hard to treat effectively.
"Insomnia is a specialised field, there's no funding beyond 15 minutes and you certainly can't treat someone for insomnia in 15 minutes, that's just impossible."
Richard Medlicott medical director of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners believes tools are limited.
"The public system does not have the resources to see everyone, so they will decide whether to offer an appointment and at what level of urgency depending on severity."
After seeing their family doctor patients seriously affected are referred to specialists where they must pay. Private institutions like the Sleep Well Clinics utilise techniques such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), before referring the patient elsewhere.
CBT addresses contributors like caffeine, alcohol, maintaining a sleep schedule and encouraging patients to get up if they are awake. This therapy takes multiple sessions at the expense of the patient.
Private appointments cost between $200 to $600, out of reach for many people like Annalice.