What to expect when working with an Austin sleep specialist on your insomnia
I was interviewed as a sleep specialist in Austin on a podcast called Warrior Forward. The podcast focuses on women’s health and self-care. The host has herself dealt with insomnia for over a decade and shares a little of her experience. I give a session-by-session overview of what CBT-I with me looks like.
Treating your insomnia with a sleep specialist in Austin is a structured and step-by-step process. I’ve guided many through tackling their insomnia and achieving great sleep! Reach out today to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation with a sleep specialist in Austin.
Here are some highlights:
CBT-I stands for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in general is about changing thoughts and/or behaviors that interfere with your life and keep problems in place. There are many forms of CBT that have been formulated to treat different things (CBT for depression, CBT for anxiety, CBT for chronic pain, etc.) and CBT-I is the one for insomnia.
CBT-I with me is 6-8 sessions. It’s practical and effective. We get in there and fix it. Most people have little to no insomnia when we finish.
CBT-I targets both behaviors and thoughts that interfere with sleep. In about the second session, I outline the three causes of chronic insomnia and specific thoughts and behaviors that keep insomnia in place.
CBT-I is not sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene is good preventive care and can keep a good sleeper from becoming an insomnia. But if you’ve got insomnia, sleep hygiene ain’t gonna cut it. You need a stronger intervention. Once your insomnia is under control, we can implement some sleep hygeine to keep you on the right track.
First session is an intake where I assess and diagnose your sleep issue. I formally diagnose insomnia and make recommendations for any other sleep issues that appear to be present. I start making the distinction between tired and sleepy. Sleepy = high likelihood of falling asleep. You are sleepy when your eyelids are heavy and your head keeps nodding forward. Tired = fatigued, dragging, cranky low energy. You can be tired without being sleepy. Insomnia = tired but wired.
I talk a little about sleep apnea and how it’s possible to have both insomnia and sleep apnea. We call it COMISA in the field (Co-Morbid Insomnia and Sleep Apnea.) They are two different disorders which require two different treatments. CPAP is a breathing treatment, not a sleep treatment, so if you have insomnia alongside your sleep apnea the CPAP isn’t likely to improve your sleep.
I walk through the remaining sessions and give some detail about what each one looks like. These are the sessions where are implementing changes. The final session discusses how to maintain your progress and what to do if it comes back.
I give guidance on naps. It’s an oversimplification to just say “naps are bad.” I walk through a good naps vs. a bad nap and who should and shouldn’t take naps.
I discuss the role of sleep medications. Sleep medications have a role to play and can be very effective in the short-term. But many don’t want to take them long term or their doctor doesn’t want to continue prescribing.
If you are struggling with insomnia and would like some help getting your sleep on track, go here to learn more about how I work with insomnia and here to start the process of scheduling a free consult with a sleep specialist in Austin.