Cognitive behavioural therapy
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is all about changing your behaviour and thought process that is a key component of treating insomnia. A specially trained doctor will usually recommend this style of treatment, though patients might also be referred to a clinical psychologist. This type of therapy is generally split into five distinct categories that we’ve outlined below.
Stimulus control therapy—designed to help patients associate the bedroom with a place of sleep and work to establish a consistent sleeping pattern.
Sleep restriction therapy—designed around limiting the amount of time individuals spend in bed to the actual amount of time spent asleep. This involves creating mild sleep deprivation and then slowly increasing sleep time as sleeping habits improve.
Relaxation training—training to reduce stress and tension, both of which can create thoughts that interfere with our sleep.
Paradoxical intention—trying to stay awake for as long a possible to avoid any intention of falling asleep. This is usually done when individuals are having trouble falling asleep rather than maintaining sleep.
Biofeedback—the most technical of this list. Sensors are connected to a machine that will measure the body’s functions; including muscle tension and heart rate. Treating insomnia with this technique helps guide medical professionals towards the best course of action to help each individual.
Medication
Various types of medication are available for treating insomnia. These, in most cases, are not meant to be a permanent solution as they may become addictive, and individuals may become overly reliant on them.
Sleeping tablets, known as hypnotics, and are designed to encourage sleep. Doctors will try to avoid using these and will only issue them if they consider cases of insomnia to be severe.
Over-the-counter sleeping pills tend to come in the from of antihistamines—these aren’t recommended for long-term use as they will induce feelings of drowsiness in the day and do knot tackle the underlying cause of sleep problems. CBT is recommended as the first form of treatment.
Benzodiazepines are sometimes considered; these are prescription meds that are used to reduce anxiety and instill calm when treating insomnia. They will typically only be prescribed for a short time. Some of the common examples of these include diazepam, temazepam and loprazolam.
Z-drugs are sometimes also prescribed; these are similar to benzodiazepines and are equally effective. Much like benzodiazepines, these are not meant to be a permanent solution, as they pose the danger of dependency.
For over-55s, a medication called Ciradian can be used. Containing melatonin, a natural hormone that regulates sleep, this medication can help develop a more regular sleeping cycle and relieve insomnia for a brief period of time. The absolute maximum time you are recommended to take this drug for is 13 weeks.
Personal technologies
A new wave of technology has started to emerge that is often used for treating insomnia. Various apps and softwares can be downloaded onto your iPhone or Android phone to try and stimulate a healthy night’s sleep. Many of these apps use white noise to encourage sleep using music, hypnosis or guided meditation. While these are not endorsed as medically approved products. they might be worth trying out as a first approach. However, these do not substitute seeking help from a medical professional.
Apps that can track your sleeping progress are also available. They do this by manual input—and use sensors that are linked to when you put your phone face down to sleep —or syncing up with a smart watch product.
