Struggling with chronic insomnia can feel like a never-ending battle. You might find yourself caught in a vicious cycle of worry and frustration, where your bed becomes a place associated with wakefulness rather than rest. What if there was a way to “hit the reset button” and improve your sleep? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) offers just that – a powerful, evidence-based approach to reset your brain and body for healthy sleep.

CBT-I helps you understand why you’re not sleeping and provides practical strategies to counteract those learned associations. It’s not about quick fixes, it’s about making sustainable changes to your thoughts and behaviors around sleep. 

Key CBT-I Strategies to Understand:

• Time in Bed Restriction: This might sound counterintuitive, but by intentionally limiting your time in bed, you build a stronger “sleep drive,” reducing wakeups and making sleep more efficient and consolidated.
• Stimulus Control Therapy: The brain is extremely associative, so the goal here is to break the negative association between your bed and wakefulness. This means reserving your bed for sleep and intimacy, and getting out of bed if you can’t sleep.
• Cognitive Restructuring: Our minds can be our worst enemies when it comes to sleep. This technique helps you identify and challenge those racing thoughts and dysfunctional beliefs about sleep that keep you awake and inhibit sleep. 
• Relaxation Training: While not a standalone solution, relaxation techniques practiced outside of bed can help calm your mind and body, and down-regulate an overactive nervous system, to help the body relax into sleep.

Anxiety, Depression, Chronic Pain and PTSD:

Studies show that CBT-I not only improves sleep but can also lead to improvements in other comorbid conditions. Early rise times help people get more exposure to bright light in the morning, which helps regulate mood. Less time in bed results in more physical activity which is important in improving sleep quality and regulating mood. 

Understanding Your Sleep Journey:

Keeping a sleep diary is an essential part of the therapy. Tracking helps you see patterns and identify areas for improvement. It also helps you determine your individual sleep needs and a consistent schedule you can commit to. You’ll focus on consistency in your bedtime and wake-up times, and aim for a sleep efficiency of around 85%. 

Beyond the Pill:

While sleeping medications might offer temporary relief, they often come with their own set of challenges, including fragmented sleep and potential memory issues. CBT-I is widely recognized as the first-line treatment for recurrent and chronic insomnia. In fact, for those already on sleep medications, talking with your prescriber to set up a weaning-off plan can be safely pursued in conjunction with CBT-I, allowing you to build lasting sleep skills as you taper off medication.

Ultimately, CBT-I empowers you to regain trust in your body’s ability to sleep. It’s about learning new, healthy associations with sleep, understanding the “why” behind your insomnia, and building a sense of mastery over your sleep health. If you’re ready to break free from the cycle of sleepless nights, exploring CBT-I could be your path to truly restful sleep.

To book a session with Jess, click here.