Insomnia is a common sleep problem that can make it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep for longer periods, or lead you to wake up too early with inability to get back to sleep. We commonly have short bouts of insomnia due to stress, illness, etc that resolves on its own. It becomes problematic when insomnia does not resolve after three months or regularly recurs for periods of a month at a time with no apparent reason. In these cases, Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is a well studied, effective treatment and is the recommended first line of treatment.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia is a structured, brief treatment that helps you identify and change thought and behavior patterns that drive or worsen sleep problems. Unlike sleeping pills, CBT-I helps you overcome the underlying drivers of your sleep problems and has no negative side effects or complications.
For more on how CBT-I works and what the treatment entails, please click the link below from the Sleep Foundation:
