Insomnia

Cognitive behavioural therapy has recently begun to be used in the treatment of insomnia, especially in North America and the United Kingdom. It has proven so effective that the American College of Physicians recommends it as the first line of treatment for insomnia.
Therapy involves behavioural, cognitive, sleep restriction and sleep hygiene education:

❶ changing the negative association of sleep with wakefulness as a result, spending time in the bedroom only when you’re asleep; – if you don’t fall asleep when you go to bed, get out of bed after 20 minutes and go to another room;

❷ keep a sleep diary in which you note the time you went to bed, how long it took to fall asleep and when you woke up, so that you can establish an optimal bedtime and sleep requirement, as there are individual variations for these values;

❸ wake up every morning at the same time, including weekends.

Relaxation techniques are useful in reducing muscle tension and thoughts that can affect sleep onset. Studies show that people who practice them sleep longer and fall asleep faster. There are several relaxation techniques that can be practised in bed in the evening:

❶ Progressive muscle relaxation: the technique involves tensing all muscle groups in turn, and then consciously relaxing.

❷ Autogenic training, derived from hypnosis, in which you cultivate a sense of weight and warmth in the body through verbal and visual techniques;

❸ Visualisations are the most common form of relaxation, in which we imagine peaceful, pleasant scenes that induce a state of calmness, leading to a lower pulse and breathing rate. The counting of sheeps may be classified in this category. All the types of relaxation listed involve more complicated techniques, which can be learnt in dedicated courses.