Table of contents:
- Overview of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- CBT therapeutic measures for treating insomnia
- 1. Stimulus control therapy
- 2. Sleep restriction therapy
- 3. Relaxation therapy
- 4. Education on sleep hygiene
- 5. Cognitive therapy and psychotherapy
Sleeping pills are often the main choice for treating insomnia. However, sleeping pills are actually not the right solution because their long-term effects can lead to dependence. That's why many doctors and health professionals recommend that you do cognitive behavioral therapy to treat your insomnia problem.
Overview of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
The main goal of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is to change the thought patterns or behaviors that cause various problems in a person's life. Well, in general, insomnia is rooted in unhealthy lifestyles and long-standing messy sleep patterns that are difficult to change.
That is why CBT therapy will be carried out if sleep disorders do not improve, even after you have tried various ways to improve your sleep patterns over the years.
CBT to treat insomnia (CBT-I) is a structured program that aims to help you develop good sleep habits by avoiding negative behaviors and thoughts that keep you from sleeping well.
CBT therapeutic measures for treating insomnia
CBT-I itself consists of several therapeutic methods to treat insomnia, including:
1. Stimulus control therapy
A stimulus is anything that causes a response. The purpose of this method is for you to get a positive response when sleeping at night. That is why, doctors or therapists will teach patients to organize their thoughts so that they can associate the bedroom only with sleep activities. The reason is, lying in bed awake (for example, while playing on a cellphone or laptop) can be a bad habit that makes it difficult for you to sleep.
This method will teach you to use your bed only for sleep and sexual activity. So you shouldn't read, watch TV or do anything other than sleep in your bed. You are also taught to go to sleep immediately if you feel very sleepy.
If you can't sleep after 20 minutes even though you are lying in bed, you are required to get out of bed and do some relaxing activity. For example meditation. If you feel sleepy later, then you can go back to sleep again.
2. Sleep restriction therapy
This method is done by limiting your sleep time to only 5 hours per day from the ideal sleep time of 7 hours per day. This is done so that you are sleep deprived and tired at night.
Well, it is the circumstances that will actually help you fall asleep faster and wake up less at night. As a result, you can sleep better and have a more stable sleep pattern at night.
As your sleep time gets better, your sleep time will gradually increase.
3. Relaxation therapy
Relaxation therapy teaches you how to relax your mind and body to reduce stress and anxiety, which can make it difficult for you to sleep well. This method can be used both during the day and at bedtime with meditation, breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, and so on.
Usually relaxation therapy is also carried out in conjunction with biofeedback. Biofeedback itself is a sensor that is installed in the patient's body to measure the level of muscle tension, heart rate and frequency of the patient's brain waves.
This method requires you to focus and concentrate on seeing the results. Some people may quickly learn this method in just a few sessions. However, some others may need multiple sessions to master this technique.
4. Education on sleep hygiene
In many cases, sleep disturbances are often caused due to bad habits such as smoking, drinking too much caffeine and alcohol, or not exercising regularly. So by applying this method, you are required to be consistent in running a healthy lifestyle.
Not only that, sleep hygiene therapy will also provide various basic tips that help you develop a healthy sleep pattern.
5. Cognitive therapy and psychotherapy
This method is used to help you identify negative thoughts and feelings that can make it difficult for you to sleep. Later you will learn how to deal with negative thoughts and increase your positive attitude and self-confidence. This allows you to focus on removing all the worries you feel from your mind.
With CBT-I therapy, people who have acute insomnia will no longer need to take sleeping pills, which can put their life at risk later in life. According to researchers from the American College of Physicians, CBT-I has gone through various phases of experimentation so it is suitable for people who have trouble sleeping so they can sleep well at night.
