How can CBT for insomnia help improve sleep.
With 1 in 4 of us suffering with poor sleep, there are plenty of marketing products and gimmicks around to relieve you of your hard earned cash. However, when it comes to an evidence base there is only one treatment which has consistently be shown to improve sleep in 80% of those who try it.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia is a programme of treatment which looks at the way in which you have ‘un-learnt’ to sleep well. Often, poor sleepers will say that their body just doesn’t know how to fall asleep or stay asleep. It’s like a switch is flicked and suddenly they are awake in bed and with a racing mind going a 100 miles an hour, it can feel uncontrollable and impossible to get back to sleep.
The first step in CBT for insomnia is to help you to understand what your body needs in order to sleep well and why you are stuck in the cycle of poor sleep. Once you have an understanding of what you need to change to improve your sleep you also understand what isn’t helping. For example, giving up all caffeine, having lengthy wind down routines and trying to force yourself to clear your mind before bed can all result in the sleep problem actually getting worse.
Instead you will focus on creating a higher drive to sleep so that you fall asleep quicker but also wake less through the night. You will also look at the impact what you think about sleep can have on the quality of the sleep you get.
CBT for insomnia is recommended by the NHS however there are very few trained specialists in this area so the treatment can be difficult to find. This is why I designed the Sleep Well, Live Better Course. As founder of The Insomnia Clinic and NHS consultant I believe not everyone needs therapy to learn how to sleep well, often they just need to know the step by step changes they need to make. Techniques which are tried and tested and continue to help many people sleep well without medication. The course guides you though everything you need to know with the added support of a private facebook group or 1:1 sessions if necessary.
Free Sleep Webinar: How to fall asleep easily and sleep through the night.
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- The 3 things you need to control your sleep.
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