Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is a behavioral therapy that treats primary insomnia. No medication is used in the course of treatment, and clients pursuing the treatment are encouraged to speak with their prescribers about reducing their use of sleep medications prior to treatment. Over the course of approximately eight weeks clients learn how to modify their sleep behavior in order to fall asleep quickly, achieve efficient, restful sleep, and prevent relapse of insomnia.
CBT-I differs from standard talk therapy in both focus and duration. It is a much shorter therapy, taking as little as eight weeks in most cases, and does not rely on insight, emotional focus, or personal history, instead spending the full duration of treatment solely on the problem of achieving efficient, restful sleep. CBT-I is evidenced in the research as being as or more effective than medications, whose efficacy is dependent on the clients continued use.
CBT-I has been shown to work even with clients who have complications to their ability to sleep such as:
- Chronic Pain
- Depression
- Anxiety
CBT-I is not a cure all for all sleep disorders, and as such the treatment process includes evaluating the clients sleep difficulties to ensure a match for the treatment.
CBT-I does not treat:
- Acute (less than one month) Insomnia
- Parasomnias (such as sleepwalking)
- Restless Leg Syndrome and other sleep related movement disorders
- Jet Lag
- Narcolepsy
- Night Terrors
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- Paradoxical Insomnia
- Sleep quality after CBT-I tends to be better than sleep with sleep medications.
