The relapse prevention stage of CBT-I involves consolidating gains made in treatment to maintain good sleep going forward. Relapse prevention: The goal of therapy is to give you the tools you need to create change and empower you going forward. CBT-I can also help teach natural ways to “trick” the body to either increase sleepiness for bedtime or alertness for optimal daytime functioning. It’s not all intuitive, but when we know what can help or hinder our shut eye time, we are empowered to improve our own sleep and our health overall. Sleep hygiene involves everything from the food we eat, to the substances (such as caffeine and alcohol) we consume, the environment in which we sleep, the times of day in which we engage in particular activities such as exercise, our exposure to light (natural and artificial), and our routine leading up to bedtime. Sleep hygiene and psychoeducation: Another important element of CBT-I is helping you to understand the host of habits that contribute to sleep quality. This involves looking at what you currently do when you cannot sleep as well as things you do in your bed and bedroom that are possibly maintaining insomnia (e.g., watching tv, reading). So, we often say the brain needs to be re-trained! A CBT-I therapist helps re-train your brain so that you can once again sleep when and where you want to. The body becomes primed to be alert in bed, the exact opposite of what we need to be able to fall asleep. Stimulus control: After extended periods of not being able to sleep in one’s bed, bed often becomes a place of stress (not rest!). With the help of a skilled therapist, you learn how to regain control over your sleep. These changes are often counterintuitive! People with insomnia often find this one of the most difficult but most effective parts of CBT-I. It often involves making significant changes to when you go to bed and when you wake up. This strategy can greatly improve your quality of sleep. By first examining what your current sleep (or lack thereof) looks like, a CBT-I therapist then guides you to change your sleep schedule. A skilled CBT-I therapist can help make sense of otherwise confusing sleep patterns. Sleep efficiency therapy: People frequently say there is no pattern to their insomnia, a very common yet frustrating experience. Jenkins explains some of the core therapy components include… Melissa Jenkins, CSAM’s resident insomnia expert, CBT-I focuses on improving the quality and quantity of one’s sleep. What is CBT-I?ĬBT-I involves a number of elements, and is based on helping the client learn strategies that will help facilitate better sleep. However, there is a particular form of therapy entirely dedicated to the treatment of insomnia: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). People don’t often think that therapy can help them with sleep – especially if it feels like sleep is the main problem rather than a byproduct of anxiety. However, medication is often a short-term solution, like a band aid in order to achieve long-term results, it’s important to address the underlying problem. It’s a common misconception that sleep difficulties require medication – such as sleep aids – to be alleviated. Though full clinically diagnosable insomnia has fairly specific criteria, if you are unable to sleep well often enough that it is having a negative effect on your day to day life, it’s worth talking with a professional to see how you might get better sleep.
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