Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi)
- Elizabeth Bradley, MS

- 5 days ago
- 2 min read

Sleep issues occur in most adults at some point in their lives. The type of sleep disturbance can vary from occasional difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep to waking up at odd hours.
Insomnia is a distressing condition where this regular inability to sleep interferes with your life and may include stress, anxiety, or even physical health impacts such as lethargy, weakened immunity, or difficulty concentrating (e.g., when driving).
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia (CBTi) is the first-line treatment recommended by sleep experts to address sleep issues, specifically insomnia. It is effective long-term and avoids possible negative side effects from medication use.
Generally, it involves around 6-8 sessions with a Behavioral Sleep Medicine specialist, but it can be utilized long-term depending on your needs.
Some areas that can be explored include:
Dysfunctional thoughts or anxiety surrounding not being able to sleep
How to control the stimuli in the sleeping environment that may prevent rest (e.g., “doom-scrolling” or bright light exposure)
Sleep restriction, where a person has restricted time in bed to re-associate the bedroom for sleep (and sex) only.
If you aren’t ready for a CBTi session, there are some alternative options to explore:
Sleep Reset - A digital form of sleep training administered by sleep coaches. It isn’t CBTi, but it can be helpful.
Books:
Hello Sleep by Jade Wu
Sleep Prescription by Aric Prather
The Sleep Fix by Diane Macedo
Quiet Your Mind by Colleen Carney and Rachel Manber
Advice Phoneline Project Sleep - You can call for advice on sleep issues.
Peter Attia & Ashley Mason YouTube video - Overcoming Insomnia
Speak to your Client Advocate to learn more and determine the best program for you.
“If you don’t deal with what’s causing you stress or anxiety during the day, it’s going to
demand to be dealt with in the middle of the night.”
- Psychologist & Sleep Specialist Ashley Mason, PhD



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