Insomnia
Insomnia can be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term). There are so many reasons why our sleep can suffer. When our sleep does suffer, we might feel irritable, anxious, and fatigued. We start to worry about our sleep. Which then we try harder with our sleep. Then in turn, makes it worse. The insomnia cycle begins.
What are common types of Insomnia?
Acute Insomnia is short term insomnia that can last from a few days to a few weeks. It can also be referred to as adjustment insomnia because it typically occurs when you experience a stressful or traumatic event.
Chronic Insomnia is when sleep difficulties occur at least 3 times a week for over 3 months.
There are 2 types of Chronic Insomnia: Primary and Secondary
Primary is sleeplessness that cannot be attributed to an existing medical, psychiatric or environmental cause (such as drug abuse or medications).
Secondary is when symptoms of insomnia arise from a primary medical illness, mental disorders or other sleep disorders. It may also arise from use, abuse or exposure to certain substances.
Psychophysiological Insomnia is when there is an excessive amount of anxiety and worry regarding sleep and sleeplessness making it harder to sleep well. This happens when someone experiences insomnia and then begins to stress or worry about it following by having poor sleep. The initial cause of insomnia got placed on the back burner while their worry is now the reason of poor sleep.
Paradoxical Insomnia is a sleep state misperception. Its reporting of severe insomnia without collateral objective evidence of sleep disturbance or significant impairment of daytime function. Paradoxical insomnia is when people feel awake even while they are asleep, leading them to underestimate how many hours they sleep each night.
Is CBTI right for me?
If are struggling with your sleep, then sleep therapy is the solution you are seeking and its called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi). CBTi is one of the most effective treatments for insomnia. CBTi works just as well as medications but without the side effects. And bonus, it can relieve symptoms of stress and anxiety like worry.
This evidence-based approach involves learning structured techniques to help train your mind to replace negative sleep thoughts and behaviors with positive sleep thoughts and behaviors. I know it sounds strange to think of therapy for sleep. But stick with me. Think of me like a coach for your sleep. Trust me, it works if you put in the work. As your sleep coach, I will be there every step of the way to kick insomnia to the curb.
Tracking
Monitor daily exercises, behaviors, stressors, and emotions to see what is working, not working, and track patterns and progress to allow insight and change.
Coaching
Will have a sleep coach walking side-by-side with you on this sleep journey to help you unlock your potential.
Mindfulness
With a few simple exercises, learn how to ground your thoughts in the present without judgement.
Sleep Hygiene
Learn good sleep habits, sleep routine, sleep prescription and how to calculate sleep efficiency.
CBTi is a short term treatment program with long lasting results. Typically there are between 4-6 sessions. My program starts as a 5-session program in 6 weeks. Each session, you will receive a detailed workbook that is yours to keep. At successful completion of my CBTi program, I will also provide you a detailed progress letter, addressed to your referring physician, to submit to your healthcare team
Are you ready to start your sleep journey? If so, let's get started