According to
statistics, between 50 million and 70 million people in America suffer from a
sleeping or wakefulness disorder. A lack of sleep or poor sleep can have a wide
range of negative health effects, from poor concentration to obesity. The CDC
has stated that inadequate sleep is a public health epidemic in America.
While sleeping
pills and other medications have long been the most popular way to deal with
sleeping issues, there might be something else that could be more effective –
cognitive behavioral therapy.
It seems,
according to research and statistics that simply changing your behavior and
your attitude to sleep could be more effective than sleeping pills. CBT can be
a very effective treatment even for chronic sleep problems.
The Study
According to
research conducted by researchers at the Melbourne Sleep Disorders Centre in
Australia, CBT should be the first treatment option for people with chronic
insomnia. The researchers thoroughly analyzed data on sleep disorders and CBT.
They found that people in therapy groups decreased the time it took to fall
asleep by 19 minutes after treatment.
They also slept
for about seven more minutes a night and spent 26 fewer minutes waking
throughout the night. Researchers discovered that when CBT was used for
treating insomnia, patients fell asleep 20 minutes faster than they previously
did. Patients also improved their sleep efficiency by 10%.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia
The researchers
from the Melbourne Sleep Disorders Center stated that while sleeping pills may
seem like a quick and easy option in the short term, they don’t help the
situation in the long term.
Sleeping
medications often have side effects and they can be very addictive. CBT
techniques on the other hand tackle the root of the problem more, and don’t
come along with the addiction and side effects issues that sleeping pills do.
CBT is a type of
treatment that focuses on changing your behavior, attitude and thinking process
towards something. When it comes to CBT for sleeping problems, the treatment
involves changing your expectations, developing new sleep hygiene practices,
controlling sleep environment and implementing relaxation techniques.
While sleeping
pills were once thought to be the best solution for sleeping disorders like
insomnia, it seems that they may only offer a quick fix. And the side effects
and potential addiction problems that come alongside these medications means
that people should consider other more effective options, like CBT.