Insomnia Treatments - CBT-I Therapist
How We Can Help
CBT-I is a form of therapy for sleep that focuses on changing the thoughts and behaviors that contribute to a person's problems. In the case of insomnia, CBT targets the negative thoughts and behaviors that can make it difficult for a person to fall asleep and stay asleep. CBT for insomnia typically involves a combination of techniques, including relaxation training, stimulus control, sleep restriction, and cognitive restructuring.
We use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) to help patients explore any underlying thoughts, feelings or current behaviors that may be playing a role in their insomnia.
Sleep diaries, behavioral changes, and relaxation exercises also play a part, and clients will be taught to become their own coach.
Please click here to view all available CBT-I providers through the University of Pennsylvania’s online directory.
What Is Insomnia?
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. It is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or both.
Insomnia can have a variety of causes, including stress, anxiety, depression, medications, and other medical conditions. Chronic insomnia can have a significant impact on a person's quality of life, leading to daytime fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.
You might be suffering from insomnia if 3 nights a week or more:
It takes you forever to fall asleep.
You find yourself frequently tossing and turning or waking up throughout the night.
You wake up hours before your alarm is supposed to go off, feeling exhausted.
Insomnia Types
Acute - Lasts for less than a month. This is a brief occurrence of sleep difficulty attributable to a stressful life event such as death or divorce. If left untreated, acute insomnia can lead to chronic insomnia and have a significant impact on a person's mental and physical health.
Chronic - Occurs in 10% of adults. Lasts for at least a month but usually 6 months or more, most often with no precipitating event. If you are experiencing symptoms of chronic insomnia, it is important to seek professional help to improve your sleep quality and overall well-being.
Comorbid - Occurs at the same time as another mental or physical health problem. Lack of sleep can compromise your immune system, increasing your risk of depression, anxiety, dementia, psychosis and stroke. Seeking professional help for comorbid insomnia is crucial to improve sleep quality and overall health.
How It Works
Through the cognitive behavioral aspects of CBT-I, myself (A CBT-I therapist) help change how patients perceive sleep and the existing symptoms of insomnia.
Relaxation techniques, such as breathing or mindfulness, are taught to help patients prepare for sleep. This involves learning techniques that can help you relax your body and mind, such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided imagery. By practicing these techniques regularly, you can reduce the tension and anxiety that can interfere with sleep.
Stimulus control involves making changes to your sleep environment and routine to promote sleep. This may include things like avoiding stimulating activities in the bedroom, establishing a regular bedtime routine, and avoiding naps during the day.
Cognitive restructuring involves identifying and changing negative thoughts and beliefs that can interfere with sleep. This may involve challenging beliefs like "I'll never be able to sleep" or "I need 8 hours of sleep to function."
Developing good sleep hygiene is key to practicing positive sleep habits. As such we encourage clients to keep a sleep diary, limit screen-time as bedtime approaches, only use the bed for sleep and sex, resist naps, build up the need for sleep, and know how to unwind before sleeping.
With consistent practice and support, clients can develop long-lasting habits that promote healthy sleep and overall well-being such as:
Improvement in sleep and daytime function by 70 to 80 percent.
Reduction in both depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation.
Increased motivation for healthy lifestyle changes.
Improved alertness and energy.
CBT-I has been found to be more effective than sleep medications in the long term.
Longer and better-quality sleep.
Increased energy and concentration during the day.
Decreased reliance on medication for sleep.
Reduced daytime fatigue and irritability.
Notable Benefits of CBT-I Therapy
Speaking Work
Sleep
Talks
Below are some recent presentations Dr. Kolzet gave on insomnia, other sleep disorders and the interaction between sleep and physical health. Future sleep talks can be tailored to your specific question, need or interest.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
As a Behavioral Sleep Medicine Specialist, Dr. Kolzet is uniquely positioned to provide cutting edge instruction on CBT-I, the number one recommended non-medicinal treatment for insomnia by the American College of Physicians. Whether you are a small private practice, a digital therapeutics startup, or a large hospital system, Dr. Kolzet can teach you and your team about the evidenced-based behavioral science behind CBT-I. Presentation topics include the ways in which CBT-I can help patients change how they perceive sleep and their symptoms, implement relaxation techniques and mindfulness practices, develop good sleep hygiene, practice positive sleep habits, and improve their sleep quality, mood and overall life satisfaction.
SLEEP & CANCER
Sleep issues and cancer are two ubiquitous health concerns. Are you curious about the connection between the two? Dr. Kolzet can provide education about how to work with patients living with the realities of cancer and how those realities can impact both their mental health and sleep. She will explain what we can do about fatigue and sleep disorders in chronically ill patients as well as how it can be understood, treated and managed for all types of patients. Further, she can speak about the strengths and weaknesses in the current treatment landscape for cancer patients with sleep issues.
sleep & heart health
Insomnia and other sleep issues have been linked to cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. Sleep is thus critically important for reducing risk of cardiovascular disease. As a health psychologist, Dr. Kolzet is uniquely positioned to comment on the interaction between sleep and heart health and provide sleep-related cardiovascular prevention updates to clinicians. She presents the latest clinical science on the diagnosis and evidence-based treatment of insomnia and how they can help patients who are either at risk for, or living with, cardiovascular disease.
