What Kind of Therapy is Used to Treat Insomnia?
Cognitive behavioral therapy is the most popular treatment for insomnia. This involves multiple sessions with a sleep specialist to address issues related to your sleeping habits and schedule. It teaches techniques that will help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, improve quality of sleep at night and promote sleep hygiene–getting enough shut-eye at the same time every night without distractions like caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, stress anxiety or depression. Plus it aims at instilling healthy sleeping habits like getting enough shut-eye at night as well as avoiding substances which make it hard to sleep soundly such as caffeine alcohol nicotine stress anxiety or depression.
CBT-I is an evidence-based, drug-free solution to treating insomnia. This goal-directed therapy has long-lasting effects and most participants report improved sleep satisfaction.
Stimulus control therapies (SCBTs) are strategies that instruct individuals how to create sleep-wake patterns, avoid stimulants like caffeine and nicotine, utilize light therapy for relaxation, reduce stress and other behaviors that disrupt sleeping patterns. In addition to teaching patients new sleeping habits, SCBT also teaches relaxation techniques so they can unwind and clear their minds.
Insomnia can be a real issue for many people, particularly those with medical conditions or life circumstances that disrupt the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. For instance, acid reflux may cause frequent night waking ups and prevent people from getting enough rest.
Other common causes of insomnia include pain, an active lifestyle and certain medications or supplements. If any of these apply to you, it’s essential that you seek medical assistance from a sleep therapist or doctor right away.
Exercise has been found to improve sleep and may be an effective treatment for chronic insomnia. Furthermore, various complementary and alternative medicine therapies such as acupuncture, yoga, tai chi and meditation may also be beneficial.
Combining medications and other interventions for insomnia can be an effective and safe treatment. The most commonly prescribed prescription sleep medication is a benzodiazepine, but newer nonbenzodiazepine GABA-A receptor agonists offer less side effects and withdrawal symptoms than their benzodiazepine counterparts.
Cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia is an evidence-based, goal-directed treatment of insomnia that addresses a patient’s personal habits and beliefs that make it difficult to sleep soundly at night. It teaches patients how to modify their behaviors in order to promote better sleep quality and can be an effective first-line solution for chronic or acute insomnia.
People suffering from insomnia often turn to over-the-counter sleep aids for relief. Unfortunately, these can become habit forming and lead to other issues such as morning sleepiness.
Insomnia can be treated with medications, behavioral and dietary modifications, and stress reduction methods. The most successful treatments focus on improving sleep quality and preventing recurrences of the condition.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that individuals with insomnia should be evaluated for potential medical causes and coexisting psychiatric disorders. For those at higher risk (like those with medical conditions, depression or anxiety), physicians can prescribe a short course of benzodiazepine or melatonin receptor agonist to promote sleep and reduce the likelihood of relapse.