CBT-I is a specific, structured form of CBT designed for chronic sleep difficulties rather than general mental health concerns. It is considered the first-line, most effective treatment for chronic insomnia, ahead of medication.
CBT-I addresses the thoughts and habits that keep insomnia going: time spent awake in bed, irregular sleep schedules, daytime napping, and anxiety about not sleeping. Its main components — stimulus control (re-linking bed with sleep), sleep scheduling, cognitive work on sleep-related worry, and relaxation — have the strongest evidence of any insomnia treatment. Sleep hygiene is a small part, not the whole.
A course is brief and highly structured, often around four to eight sessions. You keep a sleep diary between sessions, and the program adjusts your sleep window week by week. It works well by telehealth. Where anxiety, low mood or stress are part of the picture, those are worked on alongside.
Anyone whose sleep difficulty has lasted more than a few months, including people already using sleeping tablets who want to reduce them with their GP's guidance.
Further reading: Sleep Health Foundation.
Sometimes, yes — stimulus control means leaving bed when you can't sleep, which feels counter-intuitive but is one of the most effective parts of the program.
It can, with adaptation. Tell your practitioner your roster at the outset.
Yes. Many people start CBT-I while still on medication and taper it, with their GP, as the program takes effect.
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