Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
What is CBT-I?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is an evidence-based treatment for people who have ongoing difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting restorative sleep. CBT-I focuses on the thoughts, behaviors, and sleep patterns that can contribute to insomnia and helps clients develop healthier, more consistent sleep habits. Persistent sleep difficulties can affect mood, concentration, energy, and daily functioning.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia
(CBT-I) is an evidence-based treatment for people who have ongoing difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting restorative sleep. CBT-I focuses on the thoughts, behaviors, and sleep patterns that can contribute to insomnia and helps clients develop healthier, more consistent sleep habits. Persistent sleep difficulties can affect mood, concentration, energy, and daily functioning.
How Is CBT-I Adapted for Children and Adolescents?
CBT-I can be adapted to address the developmental needs of children and adolescents. Treatment often involves parents and may address bedtime routines, sleep schedules, nighttime fears, difficulty sleeping independently, and habits that may interfere with healthy sleep.
Strategies are tailored to the child’s age and individual sleep difficulties. For adolescents, treatment may also address later sleep schedules, difficulty waking in the morning, and the impact of school, activities, and technology on sleep.
Understanding the Cycle of Insomnia
When sleep becomes difficult, people often make changes in an effort to get more rest. They may go to bed earlier, stay in bed longer, sleep later when possible, or spend more time trying to make themselves fall asleep. Although these strategies may seem helpful, some can unintentionally contribute to ongoing sleep difficulties.
Worry about sleep can also become part of the cycle. Watching the clock, calculating how many hours of sleep are left, or worrying about the next day can increase frustration and alertness when the body needs to settle.
What Does CBT-I Involve?
Treatment begins with an individualized assessment of sleep patterns and the factors that may be contributing to insomnia. Clients may keep a sleep diary to help identify patterns and track progress. Depending on each client’s needs, treatment may include stimulus control, sleep restriction or sleep compression, consistent sleep scheduling, relaxation strategies, and addressing thoughts that contribute to worry about sleep.
CBT-I goes beyond “sleep hygiene” recommendations by targeting the thinking and behavioral patterns that maintain insomnia. Over time, clients can develop more consistent sleep patterns, spend less time struggling to fall or stay asleep, and become less anxious and preoccupied with sleep.
Understanding the Cycle of Insomnia
When sleep becomes difficult, people often make changes in an effort to get more rest. They may go to bed earlier, stay in bed longer, sleep later when possible, or spend more time trying to make themselves fall asleep. Although these strategies may seem helpful, some can unintentionally contribute to ongoing sleep difficulties.
Worry about sleep can also become part of the cycle. Watching the clock, calculating how many hours of sleep are left, or worrying about the next day can increase frustration and alertness when the body needs to settle.
What Does CBT-I Involve?
Treatment begins with an individualized assessment of sleep patterns and the factors that may be contributing to insomnia. Clients may keep a sleep diary to help identify patterns and track progress. Depending on each client’s needs, treatment may include stimulus control, sleep restriction or sleep compression, consistent sleep scheduling, relaxation strategies, and addressing thoughts that contribute to worry about sleep.
CBT-I goes beyond “sleep hygiene” recommendations by targeting the thinking and behavioral patterns that maintain insomnia. Over time, clients can develop more consistent sleep patterns, spend less time struggling to fall or stay asleep, and become less preoccupied with sleep.
How Is CBT-I Adapted for Children and Adolescents?
CBT-I can be adapted for children and adolescents experiencing sleep difficulties. Treatment may address bedtime routines, sleep schedules, nighttime fears, difficulty sleeping independently, and habits that may interfere with healthy sleep. Strategies are tailored to the child’s age and specific sleep difficulties, with parents involved as needed. For adolescents, treatment may also address later sleep schedules, difficulty waking in the morning, and the impact of school, activities, and technology on sleep.
Ready to take the next step?
If sleep difficulties are affecting everyday life, CBT-I can help address the patterns that may be keeping insomnia going. Contact us to determine whether CBT-I may be a good fit for you or your child.
Ready to take the next step?
If sleep difficulties are affecting everyday life, CBT-I can help address the patterns that may be keeping insomnia going. Contact us to determine whether CBT-I may be a good fit for you or your child.