Reclaiming Your Sleep from Insomnia

When Sleep Escapes Us

Sleep is essential for us to feel good and healthy as humans. Sleep helps us with our memory, emotional regulation, attention and focus, and many other things that keep our thinking sharp and emotions under control. That is why it is so devastating when our quality of sleep is poor. Even after a single night of bad rest, we can tell that we aren’t our normal, healthy selves. What happens, then, if a single bad night of sleep turns into many nights of bad sleep? We call this insomnia.

Insomnia happens when we struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep, or wake up earlier than we desire and it can be a particularly oppressive problem. Those who have experienced it know just how all-consuming and debilitating it can become in your life. After only a few nights of sleeplessness, we can start to stress and obsess about whether or not we will be able to fall asleep tonight and even become hopeless that we will ever sleep well again. 

So, how do we break the cycle of troubled sleep? If you struggle with insomnia, you know just how frustrating it can be to hear the same basic advice given over and over— put up blackout curtains, take a sleeping pill, have you tried melatonin? These first line treatments rarely alleviate true insomnia and may even make our sleep worse. So, let’s look at what CBT-I has to offer.

CBT-I to the Rescue

CBT-I focuses on how our thinking and behaviors impact our sleep quality. CBT-I, therefore, is a practical approach that explores the ways our actions and thoughts may be impacting our quality of sleep. Once we understand how our thinking and actions impact our sleep, we can work on improving sleep quality through education and thought/behavior interventions. While there is no one-size-fits-all treatment for insomnia, CBT-I is an especially good fit for those whose sleep struggles stem from environmental, mental, or behavioral causes. 

What To Expect

CBT-I typically takes 6 - 8 weeks to complete. During these weeks, you can expect to engage in education about sleep, assessment of your sleep patterns, and interventions related to habits and thought patterns [3]. Education, assessment, and intervention all work together to help you change thoughts and actions that may be getting in the way of a full nights rest. 

You should also expect to be hands on and engaged throughout the process. CBT-I requires commitment to completing weekly “homework” to be fully effective. While homework may bring back unfortunate memories of grade school, it is an important part of CBT-I that ensures it actually helps you change your sleep experience. Homework usually includes simple sleep habits tracking and employing the skills you learned that week in session to your nightly routine. That’s it!

Does It Work?

CBT-I works for many people, often leading to long-term stabilization of sleep. CBT-I methods are researched to be first-line intervention for treating insomnia because of its benefit and low risk of harm. But there are some conditions that may impact how successful CBT-I is for you. For instance, when insomnia results from an illness (i.e. sleep apnea) or medication regimen, CBT-I may not properly address the true source of insomnia. 

Some psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorders may limit CBT-I’s effectiveness. Having these psychiatric disorders or other illnesses does not mean that CBT-I will not work for you, but it is important to report them to your psychiatric provider so they can treat your insomnia in a holistic manner and set realistic expectations.  

Conclusion 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is an effective treatment for those experiencing chronic insomnia. If you struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep, or wake up feeling rested, it will help you better understand the things that promote or inhibit your healthy sleep. By engaging in CBT-I, you will develop healthier habits and thought patterns to promote better sleep. If you or someone you love is struggling with insomnia, reach out to Mace Behavioral Health to complete a sleep evaluation and discover if CBT-I could be the right approach for you. We look forward to hearing from you and walking with you on your sleep journey.