Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Insomnia, Psychological Science / 10.06.2015
Cognitive Therapy May Be Safe and Effective For Chronic Insomnia
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr David Cunnington
Sleep Physician & Director
Melbourne Sleep Disorders Centre
East Melbourne Australia
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Insomnia is a very common problem with 15-20% of adults having chronic insomnia, that is, trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep most days for 3 months or more. The most commonly used treatment is sleeping pills or hypnotics, however, they don’t address the underlying disorder, and come with potential side effects. Also, sleeping tablets just mask the symptoms, and as soon as tablets are stopped, symptoms recur. People with chronic insomnia think and behave differently around sleep, which perpetuates their symptoms. The key to improving symptoms in the long run is addressing thoughts and behaviours around sleep, which is what cognitive behaviour therapy does.
Our study showed that cognitive behaviour therapy reduced the time taken to get to sleep by 20 minutes and reduced the amount of time spent awake after falling asleep by nearly 30 minutes. These effects were maintained out to 12 months after treatment. These reductions in time taken to get to sleep and time spent awake are similar to those reported in clinical trials of hypnotics. (more…)