What Is CBT For Insomnia?
Insomnia is a common condition that includes difficulty falling asleep (“sleep onset”), staying asleep (“sleep maintenance”), or waking up too early in the morning and being unable to fall back asleep. According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 36% of children ages 3-5 years old, 20% of children 5-10 years old, 24% of teens, and 20% of adults experience insomnia symptoms.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) improves sleep quality and helps people fall asleep faster, stay asleep, and have better energy throughout the day. Professionals across disciplines (i.e., psychologists, psychiatrists, primary care providers, sleep medicine specialists, etc.) consider CBT-I the recommended first-line treatment for insomnia in youth and adults. Research strongly suggests that CBT-I is an effective treatment. In fact, there is compelling evidence that CBT-I is more effective at treating insomnia than medication.
CBT-I is a structured type of therapy approach that includes cognitive, behavioral, and educational elements to combat the persistent symptoms of insomnia. Over the course of treatment, a CBT-I-trained provider helps explore the thoughts, behavior, and feelings contributing to insomnia symptoms. Your feelings and thoughts about sleep are examined and tested for accuracy while behaviors are reviewed to determine if they disrupt sleep. You will work with your provider to reframe misconceptions to facilitate more restful sleep.
A CBT-I provider will assess the contributing and maintaining factors underlying your sleep issues (i.e., anxiety, stress, sedentary lifestyle, inconsistent sleep schedule) and tailor the intervention to meet the unique needs of each individual.
Below are aspects of CBT-I that you will most likely encounter in therapy for insomnia:
Psychoeducation
Understand the association between thoughts, feelings, behavior, and sleep. You’ll learn strategies to “talk back” to unhelpful and inaccurate thoughts that get in the way of sleep-promoting behaviors.
Behavioral Intervention
Improve your ability to relax your mind and body, especially surrounding and approaching bedtime. Gain an understanding of powerful tools that include stimulus control and sleep restriction to help you establish and maintain healthier sleep habits.
Cognitive Intervention
Practice cognitive restructuring to identify and correct inaccurate/unhelpful thoughts and beliefs about sleep. For instance, you’ll work with your provider to identify and dispel common sleep myths (e.g., “People need at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep to function well” or “You’ll bomb the test because you didn’t get enough sleep”).
Whether you’re experiencing chronic, transient, or short-term insomnia, working with a CBT-I specialist can get your sleep back on track. Contact me if you would like to schedule a consultation to learn more about how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia may help you or your child.
