Talking Yourself to Sleep

Talking Yourself to Sleep

"Talking Yourself to Sleep
Behavioral Therapies Teach Insomniacs to Snooze Without Relying on Drugs
By JENNIFER CORBETT DOOREN, DOW JONES NEWSWIRES, March 29, 2005; Page D1

Amid new evidence about the health benefits of a good night's sleep, and growing concern about drug side effects, a number of nondrug approaches to treating insomnia are gaining traction.

Nearly half of adults have experienced insomnia -- the inability to fall asleep and stay asleep most nights -- at some point in their lives, and an estimated 10% to 15% of the population suffers from chronic insomnia, according to the National Institutes of Health.

With complaints on the rise, the medical profession is stepping up its focus on the treatment of sleep disorders. Earlier this month the American Board of Medical Specialties recognized sleep medicine as an official subspecialty for physicians in a number of areas, including internal medicine and neurology. Specialists are finding success with a range of behavior-based therapies that offer long-term solutions to insomnia. With these methods, doctors say they can teach patients to alter their thoughts and actions and break the cycle of sleeplessness, with little or no reliance on drugs.

Insomnia is an age-old problem, for which medicine has had few solutions. Patients have been given sleeping pills or low-dose antidepressants, which have side effects and -- because of the risk of addiction -- provided only temporary solutions. Newer, safer sleeping pills are still only useful in the short term because they lose their effectiveness over time. Even sleep experts concede that advice to cut out caffeine and sleep in a dark room has done little to help.

One of the most-promising treatments is a form of talk therapy used in many areas of mental health known as cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. The goal is to change negative thought patterns that keep insomniacs awake. Instead of counting sheep and thinking, 'I won't be able to function tomorrow,' patients are told to practice thinking more positive thoughts like, 'I'm probably getting more sleep than I think.'"

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