Chronic from page 11 The European Sleep Research Society also has published guidelines on the positive outcomes of using CBT-I for the treatment of insomnia. So what is it, and why isn’t it a more well-known form of treatment? “I fear patients hear cognitive behavior therapy and assume it is a lengthy psychoanalytical process that can take years to work through, but it is not,” says Dr. Morin. “CBT-I is generally a 4-, 6- or 8-week process that puts the patient in the driver seat of the entire process. The healthcare professional is merely the coach encouraging the patient along the way. And when the program is followed, patients will likely see results because—as I want to reiterate—when dealing with a learned behavior, we can teach patients to unlearn it.” The general idea of Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia is that personal feelings and attitudes affect everyday behavior. CBT-I teaches patients coping strategies and methods for dealing with life stressors. Dr. Morin adds, “However, if the insomnia is not yet chronic, or is triggered by one of those life stressors I mentioned, then one option is prescription medication. While medication should be seen as a temporary solution, I do want patients to be aware of all options, and know solutions are out there.” TAKE ACTION World Sleep Society has found that most sleep disorders are preventable or treatable, yet less than one-third of sufferers seek professional help. For patients ready to be proactive about sleep health, the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine offers an online directory of providers who treat sleep disorders, including insomnia.
Patient Organization Highlight
The Snooze Button
T
he Snooze Button—That’s the name of the podcast, the working title of the book and various other projects connected to the book. The man behind the button is Neil Hedley. Hedley explains, “I’m the host, producer, webmaster, social media guy, chief shoe polisher.” According to Hedley, The Snooze Button is his attempt to fix a lifelong battle with insomnia in such a way that it also offers help to others with sleep issues by “helping them avoid all the horrible information that’s being shoved out onto the internet.” Hedley accomplishes this by talking to sleep experts and neuroscientists from around the world. But it’s way more than that. Hedley clarifies, “We’re also talking to celebrities and high achievers who have sleep challenges baked in to their everyday experience. How do you fall asleep when you’re on a concert tour that has you and your toddler sleeping in a different hotel every night for seven months? How do you fall asleep on the International Space Station? How do you fall asleep the night before “the big game” when you’re the starting quarterback tomorrow? When I get a sleep tip from those folks, I’ll try it out for two weeks myself, and share the actual data from my sleep tracker to determine which things worked and which things didn’t.” The Snooze Button podcast series began with Hedley’s visit to a sleep lab in Toronto where he learned “just how little” he and his primary care doctor knew about one of the most basic yet critical processes of the human body. So what does Hedley hope to gain from his podcast? A good night’s sleep. Or maybe several. Hedley states, “Sleep is at the heart of virtually everything our bodies do. There isn’t a single process in your body that can’t be improved by getting better sleep, but because sleep is something that eventually happens without much effort to everybody on the planet to one degree or another, we don’t pay it nearly enough attention.” —thesnoozebutton.com
11 | healthiersleepmag.com
