Alester Brown

Can CBT Help with Insomnia?

Insomnia is a condition that can negatively impact your everyday life. Sleep is essential to your health. Luckily, there are many ways to address it. One common tactic is to get cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). But does CBT for insomnia work? Read on to learn more.

What is CBT?

Cognitive behavior therapy is a psychological treatment that can address a wide range of conditions. Cognitive behavior therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is about understanding how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors affect your ability to sleep. Every person is unique, but the overarching goal is to reframe misconceptions and find ways to promote healthier sleep.

How Does CBT-I Work?

Treatment for insomnia usually takes anywhere between six and eight sessions. Typically, care providers will use a few different approaches to help you address issues.

Cognitive Intervention

This technique is about changing your thoughts and feelings about sleep. Your thoughts about sleep can lead to unhealthy behaviors that prevent you from getting a healthy night of rest. The longer that dysfunctional way of thinking continues, the more reinforcement it gets.

With cognitive intervention, you and your care provider will work to identify, challenge, and alter your perception of sleep. The goal here is to restructure your thinking and help you overcome the mental aspects of sleep that are holding you back.

Behavioral Intervention

The next critical component of CBT-I is changing your behavior. There are many things you can do to encourage healthier sleeping habits. Once you overcome the cognitive side of things, you can adopt behaviors that are more conducive to positive sleep patterns.

Your provider will work closely with you to establish a routine that caters to your specific needs. However, it can include steps to promote relaxation. For example, you may utilize breathing exercises, meditation, autogenic training, and more.

This stage also involves controlling the stimuli that cause restlessness, restricting negative habits, and more.

Using CBT to Address Insomnia

CBT-I can be a powerful tool in your fight against insomnia. Everyone's needs are different, but CBT for insomnia can provide better results than medications and other treatment techniques. Don't hesitate to give it a try. It could be the thing that makes a difference.

Author Resource:-

Alester Brown writes about mental and physical health. She advises people on difficulty sleeping & online sleep programs. You can find her thoughts at sleep program blog.