“It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.” (John Steinbeck, 1902-1968).
Behavioral Sleep Medicine is a specialised area of sleep science and research focussing on the diagnoses and treatments of sleep disorders, by targeting behavioral, psychological and physiological factors that interfere with good sleep health.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is the recommended, primary treatment for chronic insomnia disorder in adults. CBT-I is a well-researched, evidence-based treatment providing long-term effectiveness for a majority of adults, compared to the use of medications.
The treatment targets negative thoughts associated with an individual’s struggle with sleep, along with behavioral changes targeting sleep latency (time taken to fall asleep) and wake after sleep onset (unscheduled wakings during the night). A program of CBT-I is usually of six weekly sessions, with follow-up sessions at one and three months if needed. Components include a comprehensive assessment of current sleep behaviors and patterns, targeted bedtime re-scheduling, stimulus control, cognitive therapy, and sleep hygiene. The use of mindfulness and relaxation techniques at bedtime can also be tailored to suit the individual to enhance the onset of sleep.
However, as with any behavioral treatments, the willingness of the individual to make changes, together with a commitment to restore good quality sleep for the long-term, are the keys to the proven, successful treatment of insomnia. CBT-I can restore good quality, regulated sleep, but it will not happen overnight.
Your sleep recovery can be restored to what the human species has learned over millions of years of evolution; that is, quite simply, good sleep health.
So, are you willing to invest six to eight weeks of your time now, to have good, refreshing sleep again for the rest of your life? The choice is yours.
You can do this. You know you want to “…make sleep your friend.”
To improve your sleep health, please contact us here.