Insomnia & Sleep Problems
Insomnia is a psychological condition where people have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, waking too early, or getting poor quality sleep. Everyone struggles with these experiences sometimes. It may happen during a time of stress, a disrupted routine, a change in environment, or some other temporary circumstance. These blips in sleep quality usually come and go, but for some people, sleep problems can become more entrenched. They can start to impair functioning, resulting in irritability, fatigue, and difficulty with memory and concentration. For many people, this starts a vicious cycle where they begin to worry about sleep, making it more and more difficult to get the rest they need. This might involve worries such as:
What if I can’t fall asleep?
How much sleep will I get if I fall asleep now?
How will I be able to function at work tomorrow?
What if something bad happens because I wasn’t able to concentrate?
I’m going to be miserable tomorrow!
Fortunately, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is an effective, evidence-based treatment that can improve sleep relatively quickly. Research shows that roughly 70-80% of individuals struggling with insomnia benefit from CBT-I (Morin et al, 1994). CBT-I focuses on challenging the thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate sleep problems, integrating techniques such as stimulus control, sleep restriction, sleep hygiene, and mindfulness.
Sleep Resources:
Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine