CBT-I (CBT for insomnia)

Do you have difficulty falling asleep?

Do you have difficulty staying asleep?

Do you wake up too early in the morning?

If the answer to any of these is yes and it has been going on for more than two weeks, our CBT-I programme might provide the help you need.

NHS North Cumbria Talking Therapies has been working with Professor Jason Ellis and the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research to offer CBT for insomnia to adults across Cumbria. CBT-I is a psychological therapy for adults with insomnia which has been proven to work effectively in a whole range of research trials. There are trained staff across Cumbria who can offer this specialised sleep programme to adults struggling with insomnia. Recent evidence suggests that sleep interventions can also reduce low mood and anxiety alongside improving quality of sleep.To complete the programme, individuals need to be able to complete daily sleep diaries for the duration of the programme in order for both practitioner and patient to have a clear and shared understanding of the individual’s sleep.

People who have used the service told us

Extremely likely – Improving my sleep has had such a positive impact on my daily life, I no longer focus on the negatives it caused in my life.

My therapist understood my worries about sleep. She gave me strategies to adopt and aims to achieve. Although sometimes difficult for me she encouraged me to keep on trying and all were increasingly successful over the 8 weeks.

CBT-I comprises eight sessions, each designed to address different aspects of insomnia

1. Introduction to the sleep diary – by keeping a sleep diary we can help identify both helpful and unhelpful patterns. It will also help us identify the best sleep schedule for you

2. Sleep rescheduling – we aim to look at the best sleep and wake times to try to get you back into a sleep routine whilst reducing unwanted time awake in bed

3. Stimulus Control – this session helps you to manage the worry and frustrations associated with being awake in bed during the night

4. Sleep Hygiene – this session looks at how your daytime and nighttime routines and behaviours, as well as your sleep environment, can impact on the sleep you are getting so we can maximize the opportunities for sleep

5. Cognitive Control – we aim to help manage the racing mind at night by putting the day to bed before you go to bed

6. Distraction Techniques – techniques that you can use if you are in bed and are awake to stop you from having lots of intrusive thoughts

7. Other Cognitive Techniques – this sesssion looks at any additional techniques you might require to help manage the worry, stress and anxiety that builds up during the night if you are awake

8. Review and Relapse Prevention – this session focusses on ways to protect your sleep in the future and how you can best manage your sleep

If you are interested in accessing this programme, please follow the usual referral routes into North Cumbria Talking Therapies such as online self-referral or GP referral detailed on this page.

You will have a telephone assessment where you can discuss the various options with a trained practitioner.