Can CBT Solve My Insomnia?

[Video Transcription]

To be honest, I'm not an expert in cognitive behavioral therapy. 

I'm a sleep doctor. I spend a lot of my time fixing sleep problems, like fixing broken parts in a car. But what i've noticed is a lot of patients who after fixing their sleep problems, they're just still not quite satisfied. So I started learning more about cognitive behavioral therapy, which is the most effective, but underused treatment for sleep. It's helped a lot of my patients with not just only fixing sleep problems, but also maintenance and interior upgrades. 

Cognitive behavioral therapy is not just talk therapy or just sleep hygiene. It's much more than that. It's the number one, recommended first line treatment for insomnia. Because it's a lot more effective and longer lasting than any medication. 

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a personalized treatment that can tackle all sleep issues and through different pathways. The three ways that it helps, number one: education. Two: behavioral intervention. Three: fostering healthy sleep beliefs and attitudes. 

Education is a key component because before we try to fix anything, we should first understand how things work. It helps us then determine a path to go forward and measure our progress along the way. Learning about sleep also helps you become your own sleep expert. That way no matter what sleep challenges life may throw your way, you stay in control and continue to enjoy good sleep. 

Behavioral intervention is my favorite part. It gives quick results and so it's very satisfying that way. It's like a toolbox with many different tools in there. Stimulus control is a fancy word for getting out of bed when you can't sleep at night. Sleep restriction: match the time you spend in bed to the actual amount of sleep that you're getting. Your toolbox should be personalized to you, your needs, your situation, your sleep goals. They're not meant to be one size fit all. 

Sleep beliefs and attitudes, these are our core beliefs. What sleep means to us and what our ideal sleep is. They take on influence from the culture and society that we live in. Also flavor from our personal experiences. Having the right versus wrong set of sleep beliefs can directly affect our relationship with sleep. 

Hopefully by this point you're feeling just a little bit more intrigued about cognitive behavioral therapy than when we first started. If you're thinking if you can do cognitive behavioral therapy on your own, yes you can. There are a lot of online programs and apps. Check it out and see which one might work for you. 

First, talk to a professional sleep provider to get a comprehensive evaluation, before embarking on treatment. We would also like to be there for you on this journey, guide you through this process, to become a true good sleeper. 

Thank you for watching the video, I hope you enjoyed it. Give me a thumbs up, also check out my website. There you can schedule a consultation if you would like to work one-to-one with me. 

Have a good night!