Does CBT help with insomnia?

night insomnia

If you have a sleep disorder such as insomnia, you can move on with your life. However, in the long term, you may experience poor immunity, organ failure, chronic fatigue, and other health problems. Up to 30% of the world’s population experience symptoms of poor sleep or suffer from insomnia. Nevertheless, now experts are using various effective methods such as alternative medicine (acupuncture, meditation, etc) to help millions of people regain healthy sleep and continue to live happily. 

However, one of the most effective methods is therapy, which helps to deal not only with consequences but also helps to identify and eliminate the reasons of sleep loss. This method is based on the use of cognitive behavioral therapy. Its effectiveness lies in the fact that you can pave the way to a sound sleep. 

We will talk about how CBT therapy works, as well as what techniques specialists use to help patients. 

How does the CBT therapy work? 

The point of all this is to discover the connections between what a person thinks and what he does that interfere with a good sleep. When resorting to this therapy, specialists help patients independently identify any factors contributing to insomnia. 

Based on the analysis of all thoughts and behaviors of the patient, specialists help to change them, as well as identify other problems that may indirectly cause sleep disorders. 

Depending on the problems as well as the needs of the patients, a sleep coach may suggest therapy sessions to consider all factors. Sometimes, several sessions are enough to understand what may cause sleep disturbances. After that, people can change their lifestyle on their own. 

Offline appointments with sleep coaches are not the only thing that patients can try. Anyone experiencing this disorder can benefit from an online session with a sleep coach who practices CBT-I for insomnia. Specialized apps let you talk with a specialist in real time at any time of the day and get help. 

This type of therapy is advanced because it is based on the study of three aspects of each patient’s life. Based on the name, two aspects imply changing thoughts and behaviors. Also, there is a third additional aspect, aneducational one. Itt helps patients learn about sleep hygiene and its importance for a good sleep. 

Specialists provide personalized tips, taking into account individual needs of patients. However, some general techniques are common to this therapy. 

Techniques 

Changing the ways of thinking 

Various thoughts, as well as excitement and anxiety before bedtime, do not contribute to sound sleep. Over time, they may lead to sleep loss. 

People who previously struggled with sleep at night begin to notice restless thoughts more acutely. Because of this, people can lie awake in bed for a long time and try every possible way to fall asleep. Thus, futile attempts to sleep lead to anxiety, as well as to the fact that people spend a long time in bed awake. Over time, this turns into a daily routine, which aggravates the health condition. 

Specialists help identify thoughts that negatively affect the overall ability to fall asleep. In addition, specialists, together with patients, analyze them and also help to change their ways of thinking. 

Stimulus management 

Due to the inability to fall asleep, people turn the bedroom into a place to use devices, eat, watch TV, and more. Specialists help to change the attitude towards the bedroom. 

People are encouraged to use the sleeping place exclusively for sleeping, or sexual intercourse. In addition, they are advised to leave the room if they cannot fall asleep within 20 minutes. Also, it is recommended to have a sleep schedule. This means sticking to an exact schedule for when you should go to bed and when you should wake up.