What is Chronic Insomnia?
That feeling of tossing and turning in bed, being exhausted but not able to fall into sleep, looking at the alarm clock and knowing that you have to get up for work in just a few hours… Practically everyone has had this experience at one point in their lives for a night or two. But what do you do when insomnia persists for weeks or months? Not only is chronic insomnia distressing, a chronic lack of sleep can also increase your risk for health conditions such as heart disease and high blood pressure (Mayo Clinic, 2023).
We believe in providing a supportive, non-judgmental space while also utilizing years of experience and training in some of the most effective methods of treating anxiety, stress, and trauma. We also love to educate our clients and community so that they can become experts in their own mental health.
How Can We Cure Insomnia without Medication?
Fortunately, psychology has a treatment solution for insomnia, one that has been found to work even better than sleeping pill medicines (which can be addicting and oftentimes are not a sustainable solution). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is an evidence-based psychotherapy treatment for insomnia (Bootzin, 1972). Studies have shown that most people see positive results from CBT in as few as 6-8 sessions.
CBT-I: How Does it Help?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) combines various psychological strategies in order to help you change both the way you think about sleep (managing the anxiety around sleep) and routines and sleep habits that help you to train your brain and body to sleep through the night. It is a whole system designed to increase sleep efficiency, and ultimately put you back in control of your sleep. Strategies include stimulus control, sleep consolidation, and relaxation training. The best news is that research shows that people learning CBT-I strategies see long-term improvements due to learning how to promote the body’s own natural sleep mechanisms (Rossman, 2019).
If you are struggling with acute or chronic insomnia, reach out to a Skyline psychologist to learn if CBT-I may be a good fit for you!
Contact Us
If you are interested in talking with a Skyline psychologist about how we might help, contact us.
We offer free 15-minute phone consultations to all new clients.
267-281-7407
References
Bootzin RR. A stimulus control treatment for insomnia. Proceedings of the American Psychological Association. 1972;7:395-6.
Mayo Clinic. 2023. Insomnia treatment: Cognitive behavioral therapy instead of sleeping pills. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/in-depth/insomnia-treatment/art-20046677
Rossman J. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia: An Effective and Underutilized Treatment for Insomnia. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2019 Aug 12;13(6):544-547. doi: 10.1177/1559827619867677. PMID: 31662718; PMCID: PMC6796223.