Insomnia Treatment
Millions suffer from insomnia, a disorder characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep, or waking up too early and being unable to fall back asleep. It can become chronic and lead to significant problems functioning in everyday life. It can occur at any age, and may develop for a number of reasons. For many people, it starts during a period of stress, trauma, a life event, schedule change, etc. It can also be a part of another mental or physical health condition.
So, what's the deal? Why isn't anything helping?
There are many reasons why popular remedies, conventional wisdom, or even prescriptions haven't helped. More often than not, what is maintaining it now is more complicated than what started it. When we develop insomnia, it is natural to try things that we believe will help, or things that seem to have helped before. Perfectly reasonable. However, when it becomes more chronic or severe, we often fall into thoughts, habits, and routines, some of which may feel natural, but are actually promoting insomnia rather than fixing it.
What kinds of thoughts, habits, or routines?
Here's one example. Let's say night after night someone spends 3 hours awake tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep, checking the clock every so often. There are several things we can identify here. First, sleep should not feel effortful. When it starts to feel like you're fighting with yourself to fall asleep, we know it's time for a new strategy. Second, night after night they're spending that 3 hours awake in bed. Over time, the bed or bedroom itself has become psychologically associated with wakefulness and frustration instead of sleep. Third, checking the clock may feel natural, but it only creates a stream of anxious thoughts that end up keeping you awake and already frustrated about tomorrow.
These kinds of issues are what make insomnia so complex, but they are exactly what we can address with CBT-I.
What is CBT-I?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is a brief (~6 session) evidence-based treatment for insomnia.
You and Dr. Kelemen work together to understand and address the actual root causes of your insomnia.
Like any other therapy, the process starts with a thorough evaluation so that Dr. Kelemen can really understand your sleep concerns and confirm whether or not you have insomnia.
Treatment itself involves ongoing sleep tracking with a very simple and easy-to-use diary to gather real data showing what is actually going on from one night to the next.
Your sleep data and your clinical history informs your treatment. Dr. Kelemen provides you with education, helps you identify and address the underlying factors maintaining insomnia, and carefully guides you in making necessary adjustments to the specific timing of your sleep so that your sleep becomes consolidated and you are no longer spending significant time awake in bed.
Benefits of Treatment
Sleep Quality & Duration
Tools That Last
Safe and Effective
CBT-I can significantly improve the overall quality and duration of your sleep. It helps to reduce time spent falling asleep, consolidates fragmented sleep caused by nighttime awakenings, and results in less time awake in bed.
CBT-I helps repair dysfunctional sleep patterns, and leaves you with knowledge and skills you can depend on for life.
CBT-I has been shown to be just as effective as, or more effective than, medications used to treat insomnia.
From the greater Boston area to remote regions of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, we've got you covered.
All therapy and psychological assessment services are offered online via telehealth for your convenience.