Understanding Insomnia
Common Symptoms
Insomnia is a sleep disorder where people are unhappy with how well or how long they sleep. They might have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Many adults, about 33% to 50%, often struggle with sleep issues. Insomnia can lead to significant problems in social life, work, school, and daily activities.
Common symptoms of insomnia include:
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Not feeling well-rested
- Feeling wired at night but drained during the day
- Overthinking when trying to fall asleep
- Restlessness at night
- Daytime irritability or brain fog
Sleep is crucial for brain function, and insufficient sleep can affect various aspects of our health, including weakened immunity, heart issues, weight issues, and more. Improving sleep can lead to improvements in both physical and mental well-being.
The Impact of Insomnia
Many don’t fully acknowledge the importance of sleep on our physical and mental health. Quality sleep isn’t just about feeling refreshed- it’s essential for your overall health and well-being.
The impact of insomnia on health includes:
- Weakened immune system
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Irritability
- Memory issues
By improving your sleep and treating insomnia, you’re not only promoting rest but also improving your physical and mental health.
Healthcare Professionals Involved in Treating Insomnia
Different types of healthcare professionals can help you treat your insomnia, including:
- Primary care physicians (PCP): Your doctor can assess for insomnia and identify if a medical reason causes your sleep issues.
- Sleep medicine specialists: These doctors have additional training on sleep-wake disorders that can help treat insomnia with sleep studies and medication.
- Mental health professionals: A therapist can help you identify and treat the underlying causes of insomnia, such as nervous system patterns, and work with you to create practices that result in restful sleep.
The important thing to remember is that you can achieve restful sleep. The first step is to ask for help.
Insomnia Treatment Options
The main research-based treatment options for insomnia include:
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT): CBT uses behavioral techniques and “produces results equivalent to sleep medication, with no side effects, fewer episodes of relapse, and a tendency for sleep to continue to improve long past the end of treatment”.
- Sleep hygiene education: You and your therapist will work together to create a sleep schedule and habits that work for you.
- Stimulus-control therapy (SCT): Stimulus-control therapy is a type of CBT that operates with the belief that certain stimuli in your bedroom can be associated with wakefulness or sleepiness. Your therapist will provide you with SCT skills you can use to improve your sleep quality and quantity.
- Relaxation therapy: Relaxation therapy can help you learn techniques to relax your body’s muscles, leading to improved sleep.
- Sleep-restriction therapy: This is a form of CBT that helps you identify the right amount of time to spend in bed to decrease the amount of time awake in bed.
You can choose whichever treatment option feels right for you.
At Evolve, we approach insomnia with the Sovereign Body Method™, which focuses on the underlying cause of the behavior, specifically why your body is not able to wind down at night. Instead of relying on strictly cognitive-based strategies, we work with you to recalibrate your nervous system so it’s not always “on”. The goal is not to change your thoughts, its to create a system that can actually power down.
Medications for Insomnia
Medications can help you get more sleep at night. However, it is important to remember that medications do not address the root causes of insomnia. At times, insomnia returns when the medication is discontinued.
Medication can be a beneficial starting point to help you get to a place where you can get some rest and begin to work on the underlying issues resulting in insomnia. For these reasons, medications should be used as a short-term solution.
Therapy Duration
How long it takes for insomnia therapy to begin working depends on each client and their specific sleep issues. Your therapist can give you tools you can use in your first session. How effective therapy is depends on your consistency with the practices you and your therapist decide on, as well as being honest about what you are experiencing with yourself and your therapist.
Full Recovery From Chronic Insomnia
With treatment, it is possible to overcome chronic insomnia. If you are struggling with insomnia, it is important to speak with a professional who specializes in and has experience with treating insomnia. Your therapist will provide you with useful tools to help you sleep longer and better throughout the night.
Maintaining Good Sleep After Insomnia Therapy
If you are consistent with the strategies you learn in therapy, you can permanently recover from insomnia. Throughout therapy, you will have the opportunity to try different tools and skills and choose which you prefer to help with your insomnia.
How Insomnia Therapy Works
Initial Assessment
During your initial assessment, you and your therapist will work together to understand your sleep issues and history, including your symptoms and sleep patterns. Your therapist will provide you with psychoeducation on the causes of your insomnia and various methods to overcome it, along with explanations of why these methods are effective.
It’s essential for you to understand what is happening in your body, as well as the rationale behind the recommendations your therapist makes. We want you to be actively engaged in every step of the process. This is also the time for your therapist to ask about your specific goals, ensuring that the sessions are focused on what you want to achieve rather than someone else’s objectives.
Treatment Sessions
Therapy sessions at Evolve follow a structured four-phase approach. These phases are designed to help you learn to use your feelings constructively, rather than allowing them to control you. By progressing through these phases, you will develop the ability to make decisions that align with your internal sense of what is right for you.
If you are struggling with insomnia, Evolve Therapy & Counseling can help. All our therapists are trained in the nervous system-based Soverign Body Method- contact us today for an appointment to improve your sleep quality. We offer insomnia counseling online and in person in Brickell, Downtown Miami, and West Palm Beach.