Insomnia

You check the clock again. If you can manage to fall asleep now, you can get four hours of sleep. Four hours is okay, right? You’ve certainly survived on less. You toss and turn for what feels like an eternity, and when your alarm goes off, you want to cry. Did you even sleep at all? You hit snooze a few times, and before you know it, you’re running late again. You grab some coffee so you can try to make it through the day without crashing, and you manage–barely–thanks to caffeine. You’re on autopilot all day long, zoning out and yawning so much your jaw hurts. That night, the cycle continues. At this point, the days have started to blur together, and it seems like all you think about is sleep.

Poor sleep is the root of seemingly endless issues. It can heighten anxiety and other mental health symptoms and can lead to low energy, poor focus, and forgetfulness. Maybe you’ve seen increased errors or a negative impact on work performance, or maybe your partner has noticed you just don’t seem to be present or enjoying time at home. Insomnia robs you of the opportunity to fully participate in your life. It deprives your body of the restorative process we all need in order to function optimally.

Maybe you feel like you’ve tried everything: napping, melatonin, even medication. Nothing seems to help, and you just continue to feel exhausted and miserable. You may believe you are just a bad sleeper, and it may seem like it will always be this way.

Many people face periods of insomnia, and most recover rather quickly. For some, though, the problem can become chronic, and chronic insomnia is a treatable–though undertreated–condition. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (or CBT-I) is a structured, evidence-based treatment for chronic insomnia. Research suggests that 80% of people benefit from CBT-I in as little as 4–8 weeks of treatment*, and what’s even more promising is that these results tend to be long-lasting. Some clients need to come in for “booster” sessions periodically, but the changes people make through CBT-I tend to be well-sustained over time.

If you originally sought me out to treat anxiety but found yourself on this page, I’m guessing some of this information may resonate. In this case, your symptoms of anxiety may feel much more manageable once your sleep improves. During our consult, we can talk about what kind of treatment may be best for you depending on the level of your symptoms.