Suddenly can’t sleep? The answer could a few sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): it cured 73 per cent of recent insomniacs after just three months, a new study has found.
One one-hour session of one-to-one CBT was given to a group of 20 adults who reported having recently started to have problems sleeping, or were waking up too early. After a month, 60 per cent of those reported improvements in their sleep patterns and quality, and, by three months, this had risen to 73 per cent.
By comparison, just 15 per cent of another group of 20 recent insomniacs, who weren’t given CBT, also said their sleep had improved.
The study was led by Jason Ellis from Northumbria University, who also carried out the CBT sessions.
Insomnia affects around on-third of the adult population to some degree. Typical problems include having difficulty falling asleep, struggling to get back to sleep after they wake up, or waking up too early.
(Source: Sleep, 2015; 38(6): 971-8)
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