Our sleep might feel like a luxury but in reality, it is a necessity. In fact, one can live without food for a couple of days but not sleep. Our sleep is that crucial.
Recommended hours of sleep differ for people belonging to different age groups. For most adults 7 hours of sleep is ideal. The irony is that 1 in every 3 American adults, which is 33%, have complained about inadequate sleep.
Sleep and sleeping patterns have a direct correlation to our overall health. In some cases, inadequate sleep and its quality become an open invitation to fatal diseases including heart attack, Type-2 Diabetes and Obesity.
Two Common Conditions Hurting Sleep and Sleep Patterns
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Sleep Apnea
Many people have breathing issues when they lay down to sleep. This condition is coined sleep apnea. While sleeping the air that passes through our nostrils gets blocked causing shortness of breath. Your body is suddenly put in a state of shock with this sudden drop in oxygen levels.
Undoubtedly, the sufferer is unable to get quality sleep given the condition.
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Insomnia
This term doesn’t need any explanation. Our thriving lifestyles and the desire to always achieve more have put us on an irreversible path of health sabotage.
Chronic insomnia is very wide and it might include everything from hours of sleep to its quality. The issues with insomnia affect close to 10 to 15 per cent of Americans – which is quite startling.
Over the years experts have put in man-hours to find a solution to this lucid yet complicated issue faced by mankind. The easiest way to deal with insomnia at hand is sleeping peels. Not to forget that it has its own wide range of side effects. The other preferred option is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia which also goes by the name CBT-I.
Knowing the basics of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia
CBT-I is a well-planned and structured treatment which aims at identifying and then dealing with the thoughts keeping the person awake or mind alert.
Researchers recommend CBT-I as the first line of treatment given the results it delivers. The issue with this line of treatment is that there is a limited number of experts who can provide the said treatment.
One good thing that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic was the rampant spread of telemedicine. This gave impetus to providing the CBT-I as well through telemedicine. According to Harvard Health – “There is some evidence that CBT-I delivered by telemedicine works, and the expected response is not reduced compared to CBT-I delivered in person – which is good news.
How does Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia work?
Depending upon the nature and severity of your condition, your therapist may recommend one or combination of more than or of these solutions:
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Sleep Restriction:
We often fall for the habit of just lying in bed. This habit is very common in us and also an extremely basic cause that leads to poor sleep. The time you spend in bed has to be limited. In this method, you are asked to leave your bed within minutes after you wake up and not spend any further time even during the day in bed.
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Sleep Hygiene
Here you are asked to change your lifestyle as a whole and especially around your bedtime. A few instances are no caffeine or alcohol later in the day, following a routine of basic exercise and so on.
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Sleeping Environment
This is more to do with your physical environment. In this method, you can keep your bed neat and clean, keep the room dark and not have any source of entertainment such as a TV or laptop or mobile in your vicinity and so on.
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Relaxation Training
Meditation, yoga, massage, muscle relaxation, etc. are a part of this method.
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Biofeedback
In this method, there is a medical device used by the expert to monitor biological signs such as muscle tension and heart rate. Your daily sleep patterns are recorded and monitored which can give an idea to your doctor. Your patterns are clearly demarcated and the basis that the most appropriate solution is then provided.
To know more about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia, book an appointment today with TrueHealth for yourself and your loved ones. For more details visit our website or call on (631) 581-0737 or send us an email at scheduler@truehealthdocs.com.