What is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia?
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (or CBT-I) is a type of talk therapy and the top recommended treatment for insomnia by the American College of Physicians.
In CBT-I, your therapist will screen and analyze your sleep habits, develop a treatment plan tailored to your particular experience of insomnia, and help you build specific skills to reduce both existing symptoms of insomnia and anxiety around sleep.
Studies have shown that CBT-I improves sleep and daytime functioning by 70-80%, improves mood, and reduces co-morbid concerns like depression.
Length of CBT-I treatment
Most individuals are able to resolve their insomnia within nine sessions or less, without medications. If clients stick to a strict sleep regimen as planned with their therapist, their insomnia may even improve within just a few days.
The most typical type of insomnia entails lying in bed, worrying about not sleeping, and finding it increasingly hard to fall asleep – this pattern of insomnia is highly treatable.
Structure of CBT-I sessions
Insomnia treatment has three major steps:
- Screening for medical issues and assessing sleep by a qualified provider.
- Targeting issues and methods to treat the insomnia particular to your case.
- Gradually employing techniques to correct sleep problems.
Learn more about what to expect in CBT-I sessions here.