What is Sleep Therapy?
What is Sleep Therapy?
Do you ever find it hard to get a good night’s sleep—tossing, turning, difficulty falling, and staying asleep?
If you experience a troubled sleep pattern that is chronically or clinically significant, you may be suffering from insomnia.
The effects of this lack of sleep include low productivity, poor memory, irritability, loss of concentration, and strained relationships with others.
Insomnia can be caused by traumatic life events, environmental changes, mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, and a myriad of other problems. Many of us are struggling to find inner peace within our minds and bodies.
And it is no surprise that these sleep issues have been exacerbated by stressful events such as the pandemic. According to the American Sleep Association, insomnia is the most common sleep disorder “with short-term issues reported by about 30% of adults and chronic insomnia by 10%.”
Treatment Option: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
As a licensed clinical therapist (LCSW) and sleep behavior therapist, I strongly recommend CBT-I as a highly effective method for treating insomnia. Many of my clients have significantly improved their sleep through this treatment.
CBT-I is endorsed as the standard treatment for insomnia by professional organizations such as the National Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. It has proven to be more effective than sleeping pills in several studies and improves sleep in 75-80% of insomnia patients.
How it works
In the coaching I provide through the Balanced+Well program, we meet to discuss your sleep problems and the best treatment plan for you. This treatment typically consists of 1-6 sessions where you learn ways to improve your sleep and keep a diary to track your sleep each day.
In these sessions, CBT-I aims to change sleep habits and scheduling factors through a holistic, multifaceted education on:
sleep hygiene
behavioral strategies
cognitive techniques
stimulus control
sleep restriction
mindfulness training
relaxation training
Sleep hygiene is particularly important for developing healthy sleep habits, such as preparing a comfortable sleep environment through a suitable bed, room temperature, and lighting. Other practices include exercising, limiting caffeine and alcohol consumption, and maintaining a relaxing bedtime ritual.
If you want to finally get some adequate sleep and start feeling like yourself again, I encourage you to consider scheduling a sleep coach session with me with the link below. I look forward to assisting you on your balanced + well journey! And if you have not signed up for the newsletter yet, please do!
For more tips, and resources, or to book a free discovery call with me, please click the link below. I’d love to assist you on your quest to be balanced + well through life coaching.
And if you know you’re ready for the next step in your wellness journey including better sleep and health overall, please check out my Balanced + Well Program to achieve meaningful results in your life.