You’ve heard it before: “You’ll feel better after a good night’s rest.” But what if a good night’s rest seems out of reach? You may have insomnia. Studies show that insomnia affects up to 60 percent of the population and is especially prevalent in older adults, women, and individuals with physical or mental health concerns. For many of those insomnia sufferers, cognitive behavioral therapy can be an excellent tool to achieve better sleep. Read on to find out more about the benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia
What Is Insomnia?
Do you have trouble falling asleep? Do you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night, unable to go back to sleep? Do you feel tired during the day? You may have insomnia. Per the Mayo Clinic, insomnia is a common sleep disorder that can make it “hard to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep, or cause you to wake up too early and not be able to get back to sleep.” Insomnia can be debilitating for a number of reasons, whether you experience short-term insomnia or long-term insomnia, the latter of which can last for a month or more. Regardless of what kind of insomnia you have, cognitive behavioral therapy may be able to help.
What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a popular form of psychological treatment. The American Psychological Association (APA) explains that CBT usually involves efforts to change both thinking patterns and behavioral patterns, ultimately helping individuals “learn to be their own therapists.” CBT practitioners argue that, by addressing unhelpful thinking and behavioral patterns, individuals can learn how to better manage day-to-day mental health concerns – like insomnia, for example.
How Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Work?
Insomnia-focused CBT, otherwise known as CBT-I, explores the connection between sleep patterns and thinking and behavioral patterns. According to the Sleep Foundation, CBT-I helps to “identify thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are contributing to the symptoms of insomnia.” Over the course of six to eight weeks, the provider may help the client develop more productive ways of thinking and behaving to promote restful sleep. Providers use several different types of interventions, as outlined by the Sleep Foundation:
Cognitive Interventions
Cognitive interventions in CBT-I focus on the client’s potentially unhelpful thoughts about sleep. These might include anxiety about falling asleep, unrealistic expectations for sleep, and concerns over daytime fatigue, all of which can negatively affect sleep quality.
Behavioral Interventions
Behavioral interventions promote helpful behaviors around sleep. These interventions often include things like relaxation training, but they can also be as simple as removing cell phones, TV, and computers from the bedroom. These behavioral changes can all help promote good sleep hygiene, establishing the bedroom as a relaxing place to sleep.
Psychoeducational Interventions
The concept of a psychoeducational intervention is key to CBT-I. This kind of intervention is focused on empowering the client with information about how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors connect back to sleep. This brings us back to sleep hygiene, which involves developing habits that encourage sleep, including diet, exercise, and other lifestyle choices.
Does CBT-I Work?
The short answer: yes, it does work! As many as 80 percent of individuals report insomnia improvements after undergoing CBT-I. Many of these results also linger over time. Proven benefits include less time to fall asleep, more time spent asleep, and waking up less often. While CBT-I may not completely solve every case of insomnia, it has confirmed benefits for nearly all types of insomnia sufferers.
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If you’re struggling with insomnia, consider CBT. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia has proven benefits for both short-term and long-term insomnia, helping all kinds of individuals enjoy better sleep.
Reed Behavioral Health offers highly individualized solutions for individuals and families who have been impacted by behavioral health problems. Our approach is different. It starts with a comprehensive and individualized assessment process so we can determine how to best help you. For more information, please call us at 763-577-2489, email us at [email protected], or send us a message online. We look forward to working with you!