![]() ![]() I spend perhaps 10 minutes in the first session talking about sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene, in which you adopt habits such as going to bed at the same time each day, keeping your bedroom cool and quiet, and not using electronic devices for a few hours before sleep, is not enough to treat insomnia. We've all heard a lot about the importance of sleep hygiene. We talked with Samina Ahmed, PsyD, a UH clinical psychologist with specialized training in CBT-I treatment for adults, to learn more about this therapy. ![]() The behavioral part of CBT-I helps you develop proven sleep habits and reduce problematic behaviors contributing to insomnia. The cognitive part focuses on your thoughts, feelings and expectations about sleep and insomnia, all of which may affect how well you sleep. But for chronic insomnia (more than three months of continued sleep difficulties), CBT-I is at least as effective as medication in the short-term and more effective in the long-term.ĬBT-I is based on scientific knowledge of sleep. If you have acute insomnia that has recently occurred because of life stressors, a physician might prescribe a temporary prescription of hypnotic medication or other sleep aids. Your sleep difficulties affecting your ability to perform your best at work or to complete daily tasks.Waking up often before your alarm and feeling unrefreshed.Waking up frequently through the night and struggling to return to sleep.Struggling to fall asleep, taking longer than 20 minutes at least three times a week to do so.There is another solution that studies have shown to be effective – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), provided through four to six sessions with a trained therapist.įirst, though, you likely have insomnia if you experience: If you have had insomnia for a long time, it might be frightening to contemplate going off those medicines. Nevertheless, some 10 million Americans use prescription medicines, and millions more rely on over-the-counter remedies. If you use sleeping aids – whether prescription or non-prescription – you've likely heard or read that this is not an ideal long-term solution for insomnia. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |