Sleep Therapy

Sleep therapy helps you understand why you have trouble sleeping so you can tackle the cause. Anne Bartolucci, PhD, CBSM, and the team at Atlanta Insomnia and Behavioral Health Services, PC, in Decatur, Georgia, use sleep therapy to help patients manage various sleep disorders. Techniques like cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) identify and correct unhelpful thinking, promote healthy sleep habits, treat mental health issues, and reduce medication dependence for a long-lasting solution. Call Atlanta Insomnia and Behavioral Health Services, PC, to learn more about sleep therapy, or book a consultation online today.

What is sleep therapy?

Sleep therapy helps you manage and overcome problems affecting sleep quantity and quality.

By the time patients visit a sleep disorder center or sleep medicine specialist like Atlanta Insomnia and Behavioral Health Services, PC, they have often tried several interventions without success.

Common examples include sleeping in a different room than their spouse or partner, listening to music or audiobooks, and spending thousands of dollars on expensive mattresses and pillows. Sometimes, these approaches work for a while, but if you don’t get help with the underlying cause of your sleep disorder, the problem will likely return.

What disorders does sleep therapy treat?

Sleep therapy helps with several disorders, including:

• Insomnia
• Hypersomnia
• Restless legs syndrome
• Sleep apnea
• Narcolepsy
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Bipolar disorder
• Substance use disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

The most common sleep therapy is cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I).

CBT-I is the gold standard evidence-based treatment for many sleep disorders. It helps you identify unhealthy sleep-related thoughts and behaviors and substitute them with healthier ones. Therapists specializing in CBT-I may recommend various techniques to improve your sleep after completing a detailed assessment to discover the condition’s cause.

What techniques does sleep therapy use?

Sleep therapy techniques include:

Sleep hygiene

Sleep hygiene builds healthy habits and bedtime routines. Examples include not drinking alcohol or caffeine in the evenings or before bed, quitting smoking, and exercising more. The Atlanta Insomnia and Behavioral Health Services, PC, team also helps you design a regular sleep-wake schedule.

Sleep environment optimization

Changing your sleeping environment ensures it’s comfortable and promotes unbroken sleep. Keeping your bedroom cool, quiet, and dark often helps.

Stimulus control

Many people watch TV or use their mobile devices in bed, which can lead to your brain associating bedtime with stimulating activities. Stimulus control ensures you only use your bed for sleep. Your therapist might advise you to get up if you can’t sleep within 20 minutes, returning only when you become drowsy again.

Paradoxical intention

CBT-I uses the paradoxical intention technique that involves staying awake. It works because you stop worrying about your inability to sleep. Reducing anxiety often makes it easier to fall asleep.

Call Atlanta Insomnia and Behavioral Health Services, PC, to learn more about sleep therapy, or use the online booking feature to schedule a consultation today.