The PsychCentral Newsroom had a nice piece on brief behavioral therapy for insomnia. Innability to sleep is the most common sleep complaint and one of the most common psychological symptoms reported overall. It can be related to many other significant problems like depression and anxiety, and there are a variety of treatment methods. Many folks turn to medication but others go for psychotherapy since it can help a person better understand the problem and work toward a sustainable solution. The current article says,

“These preliminary findings are consistent with previous studies that have shown that brief behavioral insomnia interventions can be efficacious and remain efficacious in older adults who present with the typical psychiatric and medical comorbidities associated with aging,” the authors wrote.”

One of the most oft cited people in sleep discussions on the web is Dr. Kripke, who has a behavioral method of solving a variety of sleep problems. It’s simple: wake up at the same time every day no matter what, and only go to sleep when you are tired (plus a series of other steps like avoiding caffeine). The other key in my opinion is understanding whatever underlying problems also exist that manifest as insomnia.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 2 Oct 2006
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.