How CBT Can Help With Insomnia

If you’re having sleep problems and searching the internet for solutions at 3 a.m., you might have heard that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help with insomnia. Improving sleep is a complicated process — there’s a lot of information out there about sleep hygiene, how to wind down for the night, and every kind of treatment from salt lamps to sleeping pills. 

But how do you know which route is right for you, or if you even have insomnia?

Let’s start with the second question: do you have insomnia or are you just having a tough time sleeping lately? The clinical definition of chronic insomnia requires that sleep problems (difficulty falling or staying asleep) occur at least three times a week for at least three months, and cause a significant negative change in daily functioning or notable emotional distress. You don’t have to be sleepless all night to qualify — intermittent insomnia occurs off and on throughout the night. 

The good news is that the best treatment for insomnia also works for less severe sleep issues. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) has been clinically proven to improve sleep disorders no matter how severe they are.

Treating insomnia can be difficult — everyone’s circadian rhythm is a little bit different, and everyone’s situation and sleep environment are unique. For some people, sleep medications are the easiest answer, while for others the side effects make medication a no-go.

Forming healthy sleep habits is a great place to start, but if you need more help than a quick online search can offer, CBT is your best bet. Studies have shown that CBT for insomnia is just as effective as medication, without the side effects and with the added benefit of long-term improvement thanks to the retraining of patients’ sleep mechanisms.

How CBT for insomnia works

CBT is a relatively short-term intervention, especially when compared to other types of therapy, and insomnia treatment is no exception. Most professionals recommend a course of six-to-eight sessions, during which a mental health professional will assess the patient’s unique situation, which is made up of the predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating factors of their insomnia — sometimes referred to as the 3-P framework.

The provider then uses that information to define an approach and employs CBT to help the patient identify, address, and adjust the negative thought and behavior patterns that are impeding their sleep. The treatment will be unique to each patient’s needs — for example, if anxious thoughts are what keep you awake, that’s where the focus will be.

Some of the CBTI techniques a provider might help a patient employ include:

Some of these techniques, like stimulus control and sleep environment improvement, can be implemented fairly easily on your own — although, of course, working with an experienced provider is likely to yield better results.

Whatever the reason for your nighttime wakefulness, whether it’s anxiety or an imperfect environment or too much napping during the day, CBT can probably help (to be fair, even CBT can’t help you with a screaming baby or too much street noise). There’s a reason it’s considered the gold standard for insomnia treatment.

Therapists created Youper to make mental healthcare accessible to everyone. Youper is a mental health chatbot that guides you through interactive CBT Therapy exercises to help you calm anxiety, improve your relationships, be more productive, and improve your mood. Youper is available on your own time and schedule wherever and whenever needed.