Regular readers of this blog know I am a huge fan of cognitive behavioral therapy as an insomnia treatment - simply because it does away with sleeping pills and is effective over the long term.
Unfortunately, not everyone has access to CBT (often due to availability or expense).
The good news is, self-administered CBT can still improve your sleep.
In 2012, researchers recruited almost 200 insomnia sufferers aged between 55 and 87.
One group was given a booklet each week that outlined an important component of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. This continued for six weeks.
The other group was simply given a sheet of paper that contained basic sleep hygiene tips.
At the end of the study, those who were given the CBT booklets saw significant improvements in the quality of their sleep.
What's more, the improvements were still evident when researchers followed up after 3 months AND after 6 months.
This is particularly reassuring, since my free sleep training is based on self-administered cognitive behavioral therapy!
Source: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Improve your sleep in two weeks: Over 5,000 insomniacs have completed my free insomnia sleep training course and 97% of graduates say they would recommend it to a friend. Learn more here.
Last updated: February 12, 2013
