Overcome Insomnia with the Help of REACH's Sleep Therapists
When was the last time you got a good night’s sleep? If you’re like most Americans, it was probably a long time ago. Surveys show that many of us aren’t getting as much restful sleep as our bodies need (over 7 hours) each night.
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, and up to 30% of all adults struggle with some form of it. If you’ve had trouble falling or staying asleep at night, REACH Behavioral Health can provide treatment for insomnia so that you can start to get the much-needed rest you deserve.
What Is Insomnia?
Although people often refer to any type of sleeping problem as “insomnia,” insomnia disorder is actually a specific sleep-wake disorder with a defined set of symptoms. The symptoms of insomnia include:
- Difficulty falling asleep at night
- Difficulty staying asleep, or getting up frequently during the night
- Waking up earlier than you’d planned and not being able to fall back asleep
- Sleepiness during the day
- Problems concentrating while you’re awake
To qualify for an insomnia diagnosis, you must have experienced these symptoms at least three nights a week for at least three months. You also need to have difficulty sleeping no matter what’s going on in your environment; for example, if you have to get up several times a night because you have a newborn baby, that’s (probably) not insomnia.
Insomnia can be both short-term and chronic. If you suffer from chronic insomnia and you haven’t gotten a good night’s rest in a long time, your health may be at risk. Sleep deficiency can lead to a whole host of other health problems, including high blood pressure, depression, and obesity.
Your insomnia might be your primary problem, but it might also be caused by a more prominent health condition. For example, if you have anxiety, then rumination and stressful thoughts can keep you awake at night. Things like chronic pain and certain medications might be keeping you up, too.
At REACH Behavioral Health, our team will work with you to identify the root of your insomnia so that we can make sure you get the right treatment.
Insomnia Treatment
Insomnia can make life difficult, but if you’re suffering from this sleep disorder, there is hope. There are insomnia treatment methods that have been shown to be successful, from sleep aid medication to cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia
One type of therapy for insomnia is called CBT-I, which stands for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia. CBT-I uses the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy and applies them to a short, solution-focused treatment to address the issue of insomnia specifically.
Using CBT-I, our mental health practitioners can help you identify the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are keeping you awake at night. Sometimes, our negative thoughts about sleep make it even harder to fall asleep. For example, you might find yourself thinking: “It’s already 2 a.m., and I need to be up by 7 a.m. I’m never going to be able to fall asleep, and I’ll be so tired tomorrow. That’ll cause me to struggle at work, and my supervisor will notice and discipline me.”
It’s important to identify and address these negative thoughts so you can get past them and finally get a good night’s rest.
Using CBT for insomnia, we can also assist you in making behavioral changes that will help you to sleep easier. We can work with you to set up an optimal sleep environment, create an ideal schedule, and cut out substances (like alcohol and caffeine) if you need to.
Psychiatric Insomnia Treatment
If CBT-I isn’t helpful for you, or if we determine that their benefits outweigh their risks, then we can also get you started on psychiatric medication to help you sleep at night. Sleep aids are an option, but sometimes, it’s underlying depression or anxiety that causes insomnia. Our psychiatric care team at REACH Behavioral Health will perform a thorough evaluation and prescribe you with the best medication for your situation.
Contact REACH for CBT for Insomnia
If you’re struggling with insomnia, you don’t need to go through this alone. The licensed therapists and psychiatrists at REACH Behavioral Health can help. Contact us today to work toward getting a good night’s sleep once and for all.