Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia, or CBT-i, helps you discover what's keeping you up at night and helps you find consistent and restorative sleep.
Nora sighed as the “Are you still watching?” message popped up on her screen once again. It was the middle of the night; she should have long ago fallen asleep.
But yes, she was still watching.
And unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time Nora found herself watching endless episodes until her body finally drifted off.
It used to be something that happened only every once in a while. She’d find herself unable to sleep, watch TV to shut down her mind, and hours later wake up to find her TV still playing in the background.
But lately, it was becoming more of a regular occurrence- something that happened at least a few nights out of the week.
When she did finally manage to get some shuteye, she felt like the quality of her rest wasn’t what it should be. She’d wait until the absolute last minute she could until she finally had to peel herself out from under her covers in the mornings. And then rush to get ready to make it to her work on time.
On the weekends, she was losing more and more of her mornings to lying around in bed. She knew these were bad habits, but she was just so tired.
She was desperate for sleep- good sleep, normal sleep.
01
What’s Normal Sleep Anyway?
Well, it depends on you.
Each of us has different needs based on our age, our health, our lifestyles, and other factors.
What defines healthy sleep varies from person to person. But for most, "normal" means getting 7-9 hours of consistent, uninterrupted sleep every night.
Sleeplessness or finding yourself waking up often throughout the night are both markers of insomnia.
Chances are you’re not getting the kind of rest you need if you’ve noticed any of the following about yourself:
- You feel groggy most days
- You’re a frequent yawner
- Your mood is prickly
- Your concentration levels are low
- You’re forgetful
- You struggle to take in new information
- Your appetite is insatiable
- You’re clumsy
- Your motivation levels are low
- You rely on caffeine or carbs to keep your energy levels up
All of these are signs that you’re not getting the rest you need.
Even if you’ve only been experiencing any of these for a few weeks or months, they can still be signs that insomnia is causing harm to your physical health, mental health, and productivity levels.
But it turns out that there’s nothing abnormal about experiencing sleep problems. In fact, one in seven adults reports experiencing insomnia at any given point.
02
Insomnia Triggers
So what leads to poor sleep? Unfortunately, there’s no one easy answer.
There’s a laundry list of reasons, and figuring out why you can’t sleep is a key component of finding a way to get you back on track.
Make a list of anything you think of that could possibly be a source of your insomnia. Be sure to think through factors that might not be so obvious right off the bat, like not enough natural sunlight, too much screentime close to bed, and unresolved anxiety producers.
To help you identify what’s keeping you up at night, you can start by asking yourself:
- Are you under a lot of stress right now?
- Have there been any changes to your lifestyle or schedule?
- Are you keeping consistent times for going to bed at night and waking up in the morning?
- Are you interacting with your phone in bed or screens too close to bedtime?
- Are you eating and drinking too much within an hour of going to bed?
- Have there been any changes to your health recently?
Ultimately, you may need to work with your doctor to find out why you can’t sleep, but starting off by asking yourself questions like these can help point you in the right direction.
For Nora, she knew the light from the TV probably wasn’t doing her any favors when it came time to get better rest. But mindless television was the only thing she could think of to shut down her mind that didn’t require effort at the end of a long day.
She had struggled to get to bed before. But it was usually only something that happened every once in a while. For the most part, she actually was a great sleeper.
Lately, however, her once short-term sleep deprivation was becoming more and more frequent. She had started a new job, but it was a job she had fought for. It was one that she was excited about. She looked forward to walking into her office each day and actually enjoyed the projects she was working on. It was the first time she actually felt like she was doing a job she wanted to be doing.
It couldn’t the thing keeping her up at night, could it?
03
How To Treat Insomnia
Insomnia is a lot of things- it’s annoying and it’s distressing. But beyond that, lack of sleep can be detrimental.
It can leave you at risk for:
- Poor mood
- Increased anxiety
- Increased impulsivity
- Poor memory
- Less creativity
- Weakened immunity
- Weight gain
- Reduced sex drive
So what do you do when you’re spending more time counting sheep than getting shuteye?
If you’ve tried for better rest to no avail, it may be time to reach out for help. And the good news is that there are proven insomnia treatment options available to help you get better rest.
Most doctors will recommend that you start by assessing your sleep hygiene, a set of personalized routines and habits to help you get the best rest possible. Sleep hygiene practices are highly personalized and vary person-to-person.
Some may benefit from using over-the-counter sleep aids for help. Common sleep supplements include melatonin, valerian, Unisom sleep tablets, and antihistamines.
Even though these are all available without a prescription, you should still speak to a doctor before you start using them to make sure you’re taking them safely and properly.
If over-the-counter options don’t work, you do have the option to speak with your doctor about a prescription sleep aid. There are several different types of prescription medications available for this purpose, and you’ll need to work closely with a doctor to determine if any are the right fit for you.
Last but not least, CBT-i, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia, is another common option. CBT-i can be done alone or in combination with some of the other treatment options listed above.
