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Tracy The Sleep Coach

Browse the Category

CBTI

CBTI Insomnia Treatments

Paradoxical Insomnia – Sleep State Misperception

It’s actually really common to come across people who say they just don’t sleep. They[...]

CBTI Non Insomnia Sleep Disorders

Sleep Paralysis – What is it?

I get a lot of questions about sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is an inability to mov[...]

CBTI Insomnia Treatments

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia

Insomnia, the most common sleeping disorder, makes it difficult to get to sleep or stay a[...]

hi, im tracy
Get To Know Me

Get To Know Me

I'm a compassionate sleep coach that helps adults with insomnia reclaim the active and vibrant lives they want and deserve. I would love to help you sleep better!

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publications

Featured In

The Independent

Insomnia.Sleep-Disorders.net

We Are The City

The Deep Sleep Co

Deep Into Sleep Podcast

A Cuppa With The Coach

The Sleep Whisperer Podcast World Sleep Day Edition

The Sabir Bhatti Show

Meno Delight

Excel Against The Odds Podcast

Categories

  • ACT
  • CBTI
  • Insomnia Treatments
  • Mindset
  • Non Insomnia Sleep Disorders
  • Self Compassion

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How long have you had insomnia?How long have you been waiting to recover?There are a lot of people out there who have suffered for a really long time - like a LONG time. They've been 'trying all the things' and the don't want to wait to get better - but they do.They might 'know' that these evidence based approaches work for the majority of people but they still don't take the plunge.Why?I asked a group this recently and got a very diverse range of answers. Here are a few of those responses - and I'll cover a few more next time...What reasons do YOU have?#sleepsupport #sleepconsultant #solovelysofree #empoweringwomen #fallinlovewithyourself #bedhairdontcare #wellnesscommunity #cbti #insomniabrunch
How long have you had insomnia?How long have you been waiting to recover?There are a lot of people out there who have suffered for a really long time - like a LONG time. They've been 'trying all the things' and the don't want to wait to get better - but they do.They might 'know' that these evidence based approaches work for the majority of people but they still don't take the plunge.Why?I asked a group this recently and got a very diverse range of answers. Here are a few of those responses - and I'll cover a few more next time...What reasons do YOU have?#sleepsupport #sleepconsultant #solovelysofree #empoweringwomen #fallinlovewithyourself #bedhairdontcare #wellnesscommunity #cbti #insomniabrunch
How long have you had insomnia?How long have you been waiting to recover?There are a lot of people out there who have suffered for a really long time - like a LONG time. They've been 'trying all the things' and the don't want to wait to get better - but they do.They might 'know' that these evidence based approaches work for the majority of people but they still don't take the plunge.Why?I asked a group this recently and got a very diverse range of answers. Here are a few of those responses - and I'll cover a few more next time...What reasons do YOU have?#sleepsupport #sleepconsultant #solovelysofree #empoweringwomen #fallinlovewithyourself #bedhairdontcare #wellnesscommunity #cbti #insomniabrunch
How long have you had insomnia?How long have you been waiting to recover?There are a lot of people out there who have suffered for a really long time - like a LONG time. They've been 'trying all the things' and the don't want to wait to get better - but they do.They might 'know' that these evidence based approaches work for the majority of people but they still don't take the plunge.Why?I asked a group this recently and got a very diverse range of answers. Here are a few of those responses - and I'll cover a few more next time...What reasons do YOU have?#sleepsupport #sleepconsultant #solovelysofree #empoweringwomen #fallinlovewithyourself #bedhairdontcare #wellnesscommunity #cbti #insomniabrunch
How long have you had insomnia?How long have you been waiting to recover?There are a lot of people out there who have suffered for a really long time - like a LONG time. They've been 'trying all the things' and the don't want to wait to get better - but they do.They might 'know' that these evidence based approaches work for the majority of people but they still don't take the plunge.Why?I asked a group this recently and got a very diverse range of answers. Here are a few of those responses - and I'll cover a few more next time...What reasons do YOU have?#sleepsupport #sleepconsultant #solovelysofree #empoweringwomen #fallinlovewithyourself #bedhairdontcare #wellnesscommunity #cbti #insomniabrunch
How long have you had insomnia?How long have you been waiting to recover?There are a lot of people out there who have suffered for a really long time - like a LONG time. They've been 'trying all the things' and the don't want to wait to get better - but they do.They might 'know' that these evidence based approaches work for the majority of people but they still don't take the plunge.Why?I asked a group this recently and got a very diverse range of answers. Here are a few of those responses - and I'll cover a few more next time...What reasons do YOU have?#sleepsupport #sleepconsultant #solovelysofree #empoweringwomen #fallinlovewithyourself #bedhairdontcare #wellnesscommunity #cbti #insomniabrunch
How long have you had insomnia?How long have you been waiting to recover?There are a lot of people out there who have suffered for a really long time - like a LONG time. They've been 'trying all the things' and the don't want to wait to get better - but they do.They might 'know' that these evidence based approaches work for the majority of people but they still don't take the plunge.Why?I asked a group this recently and got a very diverse range of answers. Here are a few of those responses - and I'll cover a few more next time...What reasons do YOU have?#sleepsupport #sleepconsultant #solovelysofree #empoweringwomen #fallinlovewithyourself #bedhairdontcare #wellnesscommunity #cbti #insomniabrunch
Tracy the Sleep Coach
tracythesleepcoach
•
Follow

Insomnia, the most common sleeping disorder, makes it difficult to get to sleep or stay asleep. The leading insomnia treatment is called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi) CBTi has over 100 ‘gold standard’ randomized controlled trials supporting its use in chronic insomnia. 

Sleeping pills help with sleep – CBTi helps people to conquer the real reasons for their sleeping issues. Pills help people get to sleep in the short term, but CBTI treats the underlying causes of persistent sleeplessness by addressing the thinking and behaviours that are causing it in the first place.

So what is CBTi?

CBTi is a collection of techniques that change the behaviours and thinking associated with insomnia. There are always two major components to the therapy – Stimulus Control and Time in Bed Restriction.

Stimulus Control

Stimulus control works to change our ‘association’ with the bed. When we lose sleep night after night but remain in bed while we are awake, we disrupt our natural psychological and physiological relationship with our bed. We come to associate our bed with being awake – and often to our thoughts, fears, and anxieties about losing sleep. Stimulus control is a set of strategies that help people re-associate their bed with sleeping. They go from ‘nowhere to sleep’ to ‘this is where I sleep’ they help reset that relationship.

Bed Restriction

Time in bed restriction is in part a kind of stimulus control. It requires waking at the same time of the day and ensuring that you are only in bed for the same amount of time that you are sleeping. Accurate diaries are important for me to plan your personal strategy for bed restriction. This strategy helps re-associate your bed with sleep by limiting the time you stay in bed – and it also helps reset your circadian rythm.

It sounds harsh to ‘restrict time in bed’ for people who aren’t sleeping, but look at it this way: the therapist is allowing you the same time you were sleeping already, just no more! It’s a hard part of the strategy, but it is really critical. You can go from very choppy sleep to short, but solid sleep. When you’re sleeping consistently for that time, and depending on your needs, we slowly increase the time.

Another key component to CBTi is learning to manage feelings and thoughts around sleep. This is done through cognitive therapy and relaxation training. Often this gets left out by those attempting CBTi on their own, or they read a strategy and only use it when it’s most challenging – when they can’t sleep. Relaxation training and challenging irrational thinking about sleep is a skill that needs practice so that it can be used effectively when it’s needed. 

Why CBT-I and not Pills?

Sleeping medications can be a successful short term treatment for sleep problems, but they aren’t treating insomnia. Many people can take sleeping pills and still have insomnia – which shows itself again when they come off the sleeping pills. The people who don’t continue to have insomnia are often people who developed ways of ‘not thinking about sleep’. They come to not worry about sleep and they didn’t become worried about stopping or develop ‘just in case’ measures for sleeping. This reduction of sleep effort is a key component of CBTi strategies. It is critical to recovering from insomnia even if you are on sleeping pills.

CBTi is not for everyone though. People with an increased risk of falling, risk of fragility fracture, need for total vigilance in their work, other sleep disorders (particularly sleep apnoea, parasomnias), people with unmanaged anxiety, phobias, or mood disorders, and people who are undergoing certain other therapies, such as exposure treatments for phobias and PTSD.  

Effectiveness of CBTI

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia gives people longer and deeper sleep than people on Zopiclone. CBTi is also more effective long term. The evidence is robust, reliable and long term, including with a varied group of patient populations. These groups include people with chronic pain, fibromyalgia and other conditions. It is effective in over 80% of people for whom it is suited, making it the British Medical Association’s top recommendation for treatment of chronic insomnia.

The main reason people haven’t heard of CBTI is because there are not enough practitioners! I practice CBTi with my clients and would be happy to help you overcome your insomnia.

This website contains information that is for informational purposes only. Nothing on this website should be construed as personal healthcare advice. Always seek the advice of your own healthcare professionals when working to improve your sleep.

1 week ago
View on Instagram |
1/5
Skill, experience and a solid background are important for every coach to bring to the table. Serving clients well requires it.One thing people really appreciate about working with me is that I’m open about my own experience with insomnia. I can relate and many people find this makes me more ‘relateable’ - and for some this is a key factor in deciding who to work with.If you want guidance and support along your sleep recovery journey, and to experience the kinds of transformations you’ll find in my highlights, drop me a DM so we can see how I help.Life is too short to spend it exhausted.⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ #sleeptip #reachoutforhelp #sleepcoach #sleeptips #insomniacthoughts #sleepconsultant #insomniaproblems #overcomeinsomnia✌🏻 #sleepissues #insomniasucks #insomniacs #sleepproblems
Tracy the Sleep Coach
tracythesleepcoach
•
Follow

Insomnia, the most common sleeping disorder, makes it difficult to get to sleep or stay asleep. The leading insomnia treatment is called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi) CBTi has over 100 ‘gold standard’ randomized controlled trials supporting its use in chronic insomnia. 

Sleeping pills help with sleep – CBTi helps people to conquer the real reasons for their sleeping issues. Pills help people get to sleep in the short term, but CBTI treats the underlying causes of persistent sleeplessness by addressing the thinking and behaviours that are causing it in the first place.

So what is CBTi?

CBTi is a collection of techniques that change the behaviours and thinking associated with insomnia. There are always two major components to the therapy – Stimulus Control and Time in Bed Restriction.

Stimulus Control

Stimulus control works to change our ‘association’ with the bed. When we lose sleep night after night but remain in bed while we are awake, we disrupt our natural psychological and physiological relationship with our bed. We come to associate our bed with being awake – and often to our thoughts, fears, and anxieties about losing sleep. Stimulus control is a set of strategies that help people re-associate their bed with sleeping. They go from ‘nowhere to sleep’ to ‘this is where I sleep’ they help reset that relationship.

Bed Restriction

Time in bed restriction is in part a kind of stimulus control. It requires waking at the same time of the day and ensuring that you are only in bed for the same amount of time that you are sleeping. Accurate diaries are important for me to plan your personal strategy for bed restriction. This strategy helps re-associate your bed with sleep by limiting the time you stay in bed – and it also helps reset your circadian rythm.

It sounds harsh to ‘restrict time in bed’ for people who aren’t sleeping, but look at it this way: the therapist is allowing you the same time you were sleeping already, just no more! It’s a hard part of the strategy, but it is really critical. You can go from very choppy sleep to short, but solid sleep. When you’re sleeping consistently for that time, and depending on your needs, we slowly increase the time.

Another key component to CBTi is learning to manage feelings and thoughts around sleep. This is done through cognitive therapy and relaxation training. Often this gets left out by those attempting CBTi on their own, or they read a strategy and only use it when it’s most challenging – when they can’t sleep. Relaxation training and challenging irrational thinking about sleep is a skill that needs practice so that it can be used effectively when it’s needed. 

Why CBT-I and not Pills?

Sleeping medications can be a successful short term treatment for sleep problems, but they aren’t treating insomnia. Many people can take sleeping pills and still have insomnia – which shows itself again when they come off the sleeping pills. The people who don’t continue to have insomnia are often people who developed ways of ‘not thinking about sleep’. They come to not worry about sleep and they didn’t become worried about stopping or develop ‘just in case’ measures for sleeping. This reduction of sleep effort is a key component of CBTi strategies. It is critical to recovering from insomnia even if you are on sleeping pills.

CBTi is not for everyone though. People with an increased risk of falling, risk of fragility fracture, need for total vigilance in their work, other sleep disorders (particularly sleep apnoea, parasomnias), people with unmanaged anxiety, phobias, or mood disorders, and people who are undergoing certain other therapies, such as exposure treatments for phobias and PTSD.  

Effectiveness of CBTI

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia gives people longer and deeper sleep than people on Zopiclone. CBTi is also more effective long term. The evidence is robust, reliable and long term, including with a varied group of patient populations. These groups include people with chronic pain, fibromyalgia and other conditions. It is effective in over 80% of people for whom it is suited, making it the British Medical Association’s top recommendation for treatment of chronic insomnia.

The main reason people haven’t heard of CBTI is because there are not enough practitioners! I practice CBTi with my clients and would be happy to help you overcome your insomnia.

This website contains information that is for informational purposes only. Nothing on this website should be construed as personal healthcare advice. Always seek the advice of your own healthcare professionals when working to improve your sleep.

3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
2/5
Have you ever noticed how hard it is to NOT yawn when someone else does?What amazes me is that it's SO common....but they don't know exactly why or what drives this phenomenon!Any ideas or read anything interesting about this lately?yawn🙃#sleepingtime #naturallyme #sleephealth #solovelysofree #powerwithin #wellnesswednesdays #wellnesscommunity #letmesleep #qualitysleep #selfvalue #petitejoys #doitanyway #dontloseyourself #insomniabrunch #sleephelp #wantsleep #tracythesleepcoach
Have you ever noticed how hard it is to NOT yawn when someone else does?What amazes me is that it's SO common....but they don't know exactly why or what drives this phenomenon!Any ideas or read anything interesting about this lately?yawn🙃#sleepingtime #naturallyme #sleephealth #solovelysofree #powerwithin #wellnesswednesdays #wellnesscommunity #letmesleep #qualitysleep #selfvalue #petitejoys #doitanyway #dontloseyourself #insomniabrunch #sleephelp #wantsleep #tracythesleepcoach
Have you ever noticed how hard it is to NOT yawn when someone else does?What amazes me is that it's SO common....but they don't know exactly why or what drives this phenomenon!Any ideas or read anything interesting about this lately?yawn🙃#sleepingtime #naturallyme #sleephealth #solovelysofree #powerwithin #wellnesswednesdays #wellnesscommunity #letmesleep #qualitysleep #selfvalue #petitejoys #doitanyway #dontloseyourself #insomniabrunch #sleephelp #wantsleep #tracythesleepcoach
Have you ever noticed how hard it is to NOT yawn when someone else does?What amazes me is that it's SO common....but they don't know exactly why or what drives this phenomenon!Any ideas or read anything interesting about this lately?yawn🙃#sleepingtime #naturallyme #sleephealth #solovelysofree #powerwithin #wellnesswednesdays #wellnesscommunity #letmesleep #qualitysleep #selfvalue #petitejoys #doitanyway #dontloseyourself #insomniabrunch #sleephelp #wantsleep #tracythesleepcoach
Tracy the Sleep Coach
tracythesleepcoach
•
Follow

Insomnia, the most common sleeping disorder, makes it difficult to get to sleep or stay asleep. The leading insomnia treatment is called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi) CBTi has over 100 ‘gold standard’ randomized controlled trials supporting its use in chronic insomnia. 

Sleeping pills help with sleep – CBTi helps people to conquer the real reasons for their sleeping issues. Pills help people get to sleep in the short term, but CBTI treats the underlying causes of persistent sleeplessness by addressing the thinking and behaviours that are causing it in the first place.

So what is CBTi?

CBTi is a collection of techniques that change the behaviours and thinking associated with insomnia. There are always two major components to the therapy – Stimulus Control and Time in Bed Restriction.

Stimulus Control

Stimulus control works to change our ‘association’ with the bed. When we lose sleep night after night but remain in bed while we are awake, we disrupt our natural psychological and physiological relationship with our bed. We come to associate our bed with being awake – and often to our thoughts, fears, and anxieties about losing sleep. Stimulus control is a set of strategies that help people re-associate their bed with sleeping. They go from ‘nowhere to sleep’ to ‘this is where I sleep’ they help reset that relationship.

Bed Restriction

Time in bed restriction is in part a kind of stimulus control. It requires waking at the same time of the day and ensuring that you are only in bed for the same amount of time that you are sleeping. Accurate diaries are important for me to plan your personal strategy for bed restriction. This strategy helps re-associate your bed with sleep by limiting the time you stay in bed – and it also helps reset your circadian rythm.

It sounds harsh to ‘restrict time in bed’ for people who aren’t sleeping, but look at it this way: the therapist is allowing you the same time you were sleeping already, just no more! It’s a hard part of the strategy, but it is really critical. You can go from very choppy sleep to short, but solid sleep. When you’re sleeping consistently for that time, and depending on your needs, we slowly increase the time.

Another key component to CBTi is learning to manage feelings and thoughts around sleep. This is done through cognitive therapy and relaxation training. Often this gets left out by those attempting CBTi on their own, or they read a strategy and only use it when it’s most challenging – when they can’t sleep. Relaxation training and challenging irrational thinking about sleep is a skill that needs practice so that it can be used effectively when it’s needed. 

Why CBT-I and not Pills?

Sleeping medications can be a successful short term treatment for sleep problems, but they aren’t treating insomnia. Many people can take sleeping pills and still have insomnia – which shows itself again when they come off the sleeping pills. The people who don’t continue to have insomnia are often people who developed ways of ‘not thinking about sleep’. They come to not worry about sleep and they didn’t become worried about stopping or develop ‘just in case’ measures for sleeping. This reduction of sleep effort is a key component of CBTi strategies. It is critical to recovering from insomnia even if you are on sleeping pills.

CBTi is not for everyone though. People with an increased risk of falling, risk of fragility fracture, need for total vigilance in their work, other sleep disorders (particularly sleep apnoea, parasomnias), people with unmanaged anxiety, phobias, or mood disorders, and people who are undergoing certain other therapies, such as exposure treatments for phobias and PTSD.  

Effectiveness of CBTI

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia gives people longer and deeper sleep than people on Zopiclone. CBTi is also more effective long term. The evidence is robust, reliable and long term, including with a varied group of patient populations. These groups include people with chronic pain, fibromyalgia and other conditions. It is effective in over 80% of people for whom it is suited, making it the British Medical Association’s top recommendation for treatment of chronic insomnia.

The main reason people haven’t heard of CBTI is because there are not enough practitioners! I practice CBTi with my clients and would be happy to help you overcome your insomnia.

This website contains information that is for informational purposes only. Nothing on this website should be construed as personal healthcare advice. Always seek the advice of your own healthcare professionals when working to improve your sleep.

1 month ago
View on Instagram |
3/5
It amazes me how much people can spend on supplements, drops, oils, and gadgets - nearly £1200 in six months - and still not have their sleep sorted.How much do you spend a month on trying to sort out your sleep?I can help you save that money - and sort your sleep - two birds with one stone!DM me for more information
It amazes me how much people can spend on supplements, drops, oils, and gadgets - nearly £1200 in six months - and still not have their sleep sorted.How much do you spend a month on trying to sort out your sleep?I can help you save that money - and sort your sleep - two birds with one stone!DM me for more information
It amazes me how much people can spend on supplements, drops, oils, and gadgets - nearly £1200 in six months - and still not have their sleep sorted.How much do you spend a month on trying to sort out your sleep?I can help you save that money - and sort your sleep - two birds with one stone!DM me for more information
It amazes me how much people can spend on supplements, drops, oils, and gadgets - nearly £1200 in six months - and still not have their sleep sorted.How much do you spend a month on trying to sort out your sleep?I can help you save that money - and sort your sleep - two birds with one stone!DM me for more information
Tracy the Sleep Coach
tracythesleepcoach
•
Follow

Insomnia, the most common sleeping disorder, makes it difficult to get to sleep or stay asleep. The leading insomnia treatment is called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi) CBTi has over 100 ‘gold standard’ randomized controlled trials supporting its use in chronic insomnia. 

Sleeping pills help with sleep – CBTi helps people to conquer the real reasons for their sleeping issues. Pills help people get to sleep in the short term, but CBTI treats the underlying causes of persistent sleeplessness by addressing the thinking and behaviours that are causing it in the first place.

So what is CBTi?

CBTi is a collection of techniques that change the behaviours and thinking associated with insomnia. There are always two major components to the therapy – Stimulus Control and Time in Bed Restriction.

Stimulus Control

Stimulus control works to change our ‘association’ with the bed. When we lose sleep night after night but remain in bed while we are awake, we disrupt our natural psychological and physiological relationship with our bed. We come to associate our bed with being awake – and often to our thoughts, fears, and anxieties about losing sleep. Stimulus control is a set of strategies that help people re-associate their bed with sleeping. They go from ‘nowhere to sleep’ to ‘this is where I sleep’ they help reset that relationship.

Bed Restriction

Time in bed restriction is in part a kind of stimulus control. It requires waking at the same time of the day and ensuring that you are only in bed for the same amount of time that you are sleeping. Accurate diaries are important for me to plan your personal strategy for bed restriction. This strategy helps re-associate your bed with sleep by limiting the time you stay in bed – and it also helps reset your circadian rythm.

It sounds harsh to ‘restrict time in bed’ for people who aren’t sleeping, but look at it this way: the therapist is allowing you the same time you were sleeping already, just no more! It’s a hard part of the strategy, but it is really critical. You can go from very choppy sleep to short, but solid sleep. When you’re sleeping consistently for that time, and depending on your needs, we slowly increase the time.

Another key component to CBTi is learning to manage feelings and thoughts around sleep. This is done through cognitive therapy and relaxation training. Often this gets left out by those attempting CBTi on their own, or they read a strategy and only use it when it’s most challenging – when they can’t sleep. Relaxation training and challenging irrational thinking about sleep is a skill that needs practice so that it can be used effectively when it’s needed. 

Why CBT-I and not Pills?

Sleeping medications can be a successful short term treatment for sleep problems, but they aren’t treating insomnia. Many people can take sleeping pills and still have insomnia – which shows itself again when they come off the sleeping pills. The people who don’t continue to have insomnia are often people who developed ways of ‘not thinking about sleep’. They come to not worry about sleep and they didn’t become worried about stopping or develop ‘just in case’ measures for sleeping. This reduction of sleep effort is a key component of CBTi strategies. It is critical to recovering from insomnia even if you are on sleeping pills.

CBTi is not for everyone though. People with an increased risk of falling, risk of fragility fracture, need for total vigilance in their work, other sleep disorders (particularly sleep apnoea, parasomnias), people with unmanaged anxiety, phobias, or mood disorders, and people who are undergoing certain other therapies, such as exposure treatments for phobias and PTSD.  

Effectiveness of CBTI

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia gives people longer and deeper sleep than people on Zopiclone. CBTi is also more effective long term. The evidence is robust, reliable and long term, including with a varied group of patient populations. These groups include people with chronic pain, fibromyalgia and other conditions. It is effective in over 80% of people for whom it is suited, making it the British Medical Association’s top recommendation for treatment of chronic insomnia.

The main reason people haven’t heard of CBTI is because there are not enough practitioners! I practice CBTi with my clients and would be happy to help you overcome your insomnia.

This website contains information that is for informational purposes only. Nothing on this website should be construed as personal healthcare advice. Always seek the advice of your own healthcare professionals when working to improve your sleep.

1 month ago
View on Instagram |
4/5
NOTE THE CHANGE!I've had to change the time for this week's Q and A Thursday in my FREE Facebook Group Sound Sleep Strategies.We'll meet at 3pm instead of 2pm on Thursday.See you there!!#insomniabrunch #sleepless #insomniaproblems #insomniac #selfcare #qualified #sleeptherapy #sleeptherapy💤 #wellnesslife #restedbaby
Tracy the Sleep Coach
tracythesleepcoach
•
Follow

Insomnia, the most common sleeping disorder, makes it difficult to get to sleep or stay asleep. The leading insomnia treatment is called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi) CBTi has over 100 ‘gold standard’ randomized controlled trials supporting its use in chronic insomnia. 

Sleeping pills help with sleep – CBTi helps people to conquer the real reasons for their sleeping issues. Pills help people get to sleep in the short term, but CBTI treats the underlying causes of persistent sleeplessness by addressing the thinking and behaviours that are causing it in the first place.

So what is CBTi?

CBTi is a collection of techniques that change the behaviours and thinking associated with insomnia. There are always two major components to the therapy – Stimulus Control and Time in Bed Restriction.

Stimulus Control

Stimulus control works to change our ‘association’ with the bed. When we lose sleep night after night but remain in bed while we are awake, we disrupt our natural psychological and physiological relationship with our bed. We come to associate our bed with being awake – and often to our thoughts, fears, and anxieties about losing sleep. Stimulus control is a set of strategies that help people re-associate their bed with sleeping. They go from ‘nowhere to sleep’ to ‘this is where I sleep’ they help reset that relationship.

Bed Restriction

Time in bed restriction is in part a kind of stimulus control. It requires waking at the same time of the day and ensuring that you are only in bed for the same amount of time that you are sleeping. Accurate diaries are important for me to plan your personal strategy for bed restriction. This strategy helps re-associate your bed with sleep by limiting the time you stay in bed – and it also helps reset your circadian rythm.

It sounds harsh to ‘restrict time in bed’ for people who aren’t sleeping, but look at it this way: the therapist is allowing you the same time you were sleeping already, just no more! It’s a hard part of the strategy, but it is really critical. You can go from very choppy sleep to short, but solid sleep. When you’re sleeping consistently for that time, and depending on your needs, we slowly increase the time.

Another key component to CBTi is learning to manage feelings and thoughts around sleep. This is done through cognitive therapy and relaxation training. Often this gets left out by those attempting CBTi on their own, or they read a strategy and only use it when it’s most challenging – when they can’t sleep. Relaxation training and challenging irrational thinking about sleep is a skill that needs practice so that it can be used effectively when it’s needed. 

Why CBT-I and not Pills?

Sleeping medications can be a successful short term treatment for sleep problems, but they aren’t treating insomnia. Many people can take sleeping pills and still have insomnia – which shows itself again when they come off the sleeping pills. The people who don’t continue to have insomnia are often people who developed ways of ‘not thinking about sleep’. They come to not worry about sleep and they didn’t become worried about stopping or develop ‘just in case’ measures for sleeping. This reduction of sleep effort is a key component of CBTi strategies. It is critical to recovering from insomnia even if you are on sleeping pills.

CBTi is not for everyone though. People with an increased risk of falling, risk of fragility fracture, need for total vigilance in their work, other sleep disorders (particularly sleep apnoea, parasomnias), people with unmanaged anxiety, phobias, or mood disorders, and people who are undergoing certain other therapies, such as exposure treatments for phobias and PTSD.  

Effectiveness of CBTI

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia gives people longer and deeper sleep than people on Zopiclone. CBTi is also more effective long term. The evidence is robust, reliable and long term, including with a varied group of patient populations. These groups include people with chronic pain, fibromyalgia and other conditions. It is effective in over 80% of people for whom it is suited, making it the British Medical Association’s top recommendation for treatment of chronic insomnia.

The main reason people haven’t heard of CBTI is because there are not enough practitioners! I practice CBTi with my clients and would be happy to help you overcome your insomnia.

This website contains information that is for informational purposes only. Nothing on this website should be construed as personal healthcare advice. Always seek the advice of your own healthcare professionals when working to improve your sleep.

1 month ago
View on Instagram |
5/5
@tracythesleepcoach

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This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
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