Cognitive behavioral therapy is a newly approved method for treating insomnia without the use of prescription drugs. Many people are not yet aware of this kind of natural sleep treatment. Most of us only know how to cure sleep disorders with prescription sleeping pills, but they are only intended to treat short term insomnia symptoms. If you are looking for a natural alternative to cure your restlessness, then this may be the answer.
For the vast majority, this therapy works better than prescription pills, with no side effects. CBT for insomnia is a way to change your sleeping habits and schedule factors. Standard treatment consists of about 4 to 8 thirty minute therapy sessions with a trained sleep therapist. He or she will give you a series of evaluations, complete a sleep diary and work with you to change the way you sleep. This will assist you in determining how much shut eye you actually need and learn to plan for it.
CBT is not a fast, effortless process as it takes much discipline and patience. Doctors suggest not taking naps during the day and avoid going to bed very early in the evening. It is also ideal to sleep in a cool, dark room and avoid caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco close to bedtime. If you wake up for some reason and cannot get back to sleep, get out of bed and do something relaxing like reading that will make you want to go back to bed. I know it may be difficult, but try to avoid clock watching at all costs. Constantly checking your cell phone or clock will only cause anxiety by thinking about when you have to wake up.
If you spend countless hours in your room watching TV, surfing the net, and engaging in other stimulating activities you will learn to associate your bedroom with wakefulness. Some of us have no choice but to set up our home offices in our bedrooms, but if you can steer clear of that, you will be ahead of the game. Research has shown that when patients stopped working at least an hour before bedtime and started focusing on relaxing, they were more successful in curing their insomnia. Cognitive behavioral therapy is not available everywhere, you may need to do some research online to find a sleep therapist.
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