Insomnia and CBT-I

Insomnia: The Most Common Sleep Disorder

If you have ever had a poor night’s sleep, you know how important sleep is. Good sleep, just like food and water, is essential for us to be the most vibrant version of ourselves at work, home, and with the people we care about.

Unfortunately, for many Americans, sleepless nights aren’t just an occasional nuisance. About 10 - 15% of Americans experience chronic insomnia, where they have had difficulty sleeping at least three days a week for three months. Studies have shown chronic insomnia is associated with numerous negative health outcomes.

CBT-I Can Help Improve Sleep Quality and Treat Insomnia

Luckily, there are quick and effective treatments to help you get your sleep back on track. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is considered the first line treatment for insomnia by the American College of Physicians, National Institutes of Health, and the British Association of Psychopharmacology.

In fact, CBT-I is recommended before medications due to its long lasting results. Plus, it has no risk of dependance or medication-induced side effects (as is often found with sleeping medications).

CBT-I has also been found to be effective in populations that have pervasive sleep difficulties, such as older adults, pregnant folx, and individuals with other mental health concerns (such as depression, anxiety, trauma, etc.)

While CBT-I does require changes to your current sleep behaviors, research shows that most individuals see significant improvement in their sleep in about 4 - 6 weekly sessions with a trained CBT-I therapist.

How CBT- I Helps Sleep and Insomnia

CBT-I works by helping clients change their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors (stimulus control/sleep restriction) around sleep.

Stimulus Control

When you are having difficulty sleeping, it can be easy to start associating your bed with worry, anxiety, and restlessness. CBT-I helps clients break this connection so that your bed can become a place for relaxation and sleep. CBT-I does this by encouraging clients to only use their bed for sleep (and sex). This means no longer watching TV in bed, lounging in bed during the day, or scrolling on your phone for hours after you wake up.

Sleep Restriction

The next part of CBT-I rests on sleep restriction therapy. Sleep restriction therapy aims to limit the time you sleep so that you increase your sleep drive or need for sleep. While this may sound counterintuitive, reducing the amount of time you sleep in the beginning can help you build up your sleep drive so that you get more restful and deep sleep the next night. Once you’ve significantly strengthened your sleep drive, your clinician and you will begin to add more time to your sleep schedule until you are feeling rested and recharged.

Changing Thoughts Around Sleep

Research has shown that individuals who have insomnia tend to also spend a lot of time worrying about sleep. CBT-I helps clients learn more about sleep and work through worried thoughts so they can put them aside when it’s finally time for them to fall asleep.

Stress in the Body

In addition to worried thoughts, individuals with sleep difficulties may also feel stress or tension in their body that makes it hard to fall asleep. CBT-I addresses this by helping clients learn skills to begin to relax their body so they can fall asleep more easily.

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