How To Overcome Insomnia Thanks To Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

You may have tried countless times to overcome insomnia. However, your attempts may have been in vain. Brief psychological treatments, compared to popular medications, are the best solution.

Insomnia is a major problem and often very poorly treated. In addition, it is very frequent, since 6% of the members of the adult population suffer insomnia to the point of meeting the diagnostic criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). In addition, up to 12% report that it significantly interferes with their daytime activities.

What is meant by insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disturbance that involves difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting up very early in the morning. This disorder is associated with considerable functional impairment and great damage to health.

This condition, in addition, usually predicts the development of numerous psychological and medical conditions, hence the importance of being well treated by health professionals. According to DSM-5 criteria, a diagnosis of insomnia should be assigned when there is a subjective complaint of difficulty falling or maintaining sleep.

These difficulties must be associated with deficiencies during the day. Furthermore, they should not be better explained by another medical or psychiatric condition. Thus, to diagnose insomnia it is required that the time to fall asleep or wake up after the onset of sleep is greater than 30 minutes. This should happen for at least three nights a week for a period of at least six months.

Overcome insomnia thanks to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for insomnia has been identified as an effective treatment in multiple investigations. A recent review has found a high effectiveness of this therapy to overcome insomnia and gains that are sustained in a long-term follow-up.

Various classes of both prescription and over-the-counter medications are used in the treatment of insomnia. These include benzodiazepines, nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics, antidepressants, and over-the-counter antihistamines (eg, diphenhydramine and doxylamine).

However, there is evidence that non-pharmacological treatments to overcome insomnia are more accepted by patients  and, in addition, they produce longer-lasting effects. Thus, cognitive behavioral therapy to overcome insomnia has shown to be an effective and promising intervention.

This therapy is characterized because it focuses on sleep. It is relatively short compared to other types of psychotherapy and the patient plays a very active role in its treatment. The main objective pursued is to help the patient improve their sleep and their functioning during the day.

To achieve these goals, the patient is given direct guidance. However, the patient is responsible for carrying out the recommendations of the psychologist at home.

How is insomnia treated from cognitive-behavioral therapy?

Cognitive-behavioral therapy focuses on the cognitive and behavioral processes that maintain insomnia in order to reverse them. The treatment is carried out in a time-limited format, requiring six to eight sessions lasting 50 minutes each.

The first treatment session is devoted to a summary of the treatment. Also to set goals and educate about sleep and circadian rhythms. The next three sessions are designed to address sleep preoccupation, symptom attention, safety behaviors, and daytime energy.

The fifth, sixth, and seventh sessions are devoted to topics such as relaxation, sleep hygiene, bedtime and wake-up routines, etc. Finally, the eighth session is focused on preventing relapses.

After an evaluation of the history and severity of insomnia, a first treatment session is scheduled. This first session includes several critical components of treatment. Thus, a summary is presented and the logic of the treatment is explained. A case formulation is also made and the patient is informed about the basic sleep processes.

After this initial session , the behavioral and cognitive processes that will be the treatment objectives to overcome insomnia are selected. Finally, the treatment concludes with a review of the tools and care in relapse prevention.