Understanding The Science of Sleep Therapy
Sleep is crucial to our health, and problems falling asleep can be challenging to resolve. While sleep medications may be a tempting quick fix, other solutions, like Sleep Therapy, can deliver superior and long-lasting results.
What Is Sleep Therapy?
Sleep Therapy is an overarching reference to any process focusing on resolving your sleep issues and improving the quality of your rest. It can provide insights into your habits and help you adjust and optimize your behaviors for more restful sleep.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Therapy helps you identify and alter negative cognitions contributing to your sleep challenges. Behavioral Therapy shows you how to avoid those thoughts and behaviors that prevent sleep.
A first-line therapy for treating insomnia, CBT can help you change behaviors and thought patterns that are keeping you awake. It can help you improve relaxation skills and alter the lifestyle habits affecting your sleep patterns.
CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) is a particular form of therapy crafted for those individuals who are consistently unable to gain adequate rest due to insomnia.
The American College of Physicians indicates CBT-I as the primary treatment for insomnia.
Examining your anxieties and perceptions towards insomnia to lessen their impact is the essence of this therapy. There are three essential components of CBT-I:
Discerning Your Negative Beliefs
One example is believing that you cannot fall asleep without sleep medication.
Challenging Those Negative Thoughts
Contemplating the proof of your beliefs and analyzing your damaging thought patterns will help you verify the reality of your negative perceptions.
Adopting Realistic Thoughts and Perceptions
By identifying the unhealthy aspects of your beliefs, you can objectively counter them by adopting new positive and helpful thoughts and perceptions.
Other Therapies
While CBT-I is the core therapy for insomnia, it works best when in combination with other treatments.
Sleep Hygiene Education (SHE)
This therapy can shed light on how to change behaviors that prevent sleep, like limiting alcohol and caffeine intake, minimizing your use of devices, avoiding naps, and other habits that threaten your rest.
Sleep Restriction Therapy (SRT)
The concept is that you can achieve better sleep with your focus on a particular sleep time and not remain in bed while you are struggling to fall asleep.
Stimulus Control Therapy (SCT)
Like SHE, Stimulus Control Therapy identifies things that make falling asleep difficult, like using tablets, smartphones, and other devices or eating in the bedroom. This therapy also recommends that you only go to bed if you are tired and get up if you are not.
Relaxation Therapy
Deep breathing, meditation, yoga, visualizations, progressive muscle relaxation, and other relaxation techniques will help you wind down, can aid in improving your sleep, and help manage anxiety.
Biofeedback
Biological indicators like heart rate, muscle tension, and others can provide crucial information through this method. You may require an in-home device to monitor these elements and capture your daily sleep patterns.
Dynamic Sleep Recalibrating (DSR)
A system that permanently eliminates chronic insomnia by reprograming conditioned hyperarousal patterns through awareness exercises and nervous system destimulation techniques while increasing sleep drive.
The Comprehensive Approach
Ideally, your sleep therapy will take a personalized approach that addresses the root causes with an integrative and holistic approach by employing expert one-on-one coaching and group support. Even better is such a program that guarantees results.
An objective review of available programs will lead you to one conclusion; the Sleep Science Academy approach utilizing Dynamic Sleep Recalibrating System (DSRS) goes far beyond mere CBT-I therapy or sleep hygiene education.
Sleep Science Academy draws from multiple evidence-based research modalities, including, Sleep Physiology Strategies, Acceptance Therapy Techniques, and more. This program is the world’s most comprehensive and will guide you in making tremendous changes providing a lifetime of restful sleep.
Every person is different, and every person has other sleep habits and challenges. Your personal sleep Coach will empower you to take control of your sleep nemesis and banish those sleepless nights.
Final Thoughts
Achieving consistent and restorative sleep is essential for your physical and mental health. Medications can only address the physical aspect of falling asleep. They cannot help with the mental, lifestyle, anxieties, and other challenging issues plaguing your rest.
CBT-I and other proven therapies can be exceedingly helpful and successful with proper guidance and follow-up.
The Sleep Science Academy personalized coaching program is the most comprehensive and successful sleep solution available. Contact us today to schedule your free evaluation and take that first step toward perfect rest.