Drinking warm milk and counting sheep are two of the best strategies they say work best for those suffering from insomnia. However, experts say that people with chronic insomnia should be seeking cognitive behavioral therapy, research confirms.
The authors of this new developmental study say that although therapy is effective in most cases, it is not as widely used as the other means to deal with insomnia. For most part, doctors have limited knowledge of it while most patients do not have access to it.
"There is a very effective means to deal with chronic sleep deprivation that does not involve any form of medication. This should be made available through primary health care service. If it is not yet, then it should be," said Dr. Judith Davidson, co-author of the study on the Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for insomnia. She is a researcher from the Queen's University in Ontario, Canada.
Chronic insomnia is characterized by individuals who have dropping or staying asleep at least three nights a week for a longer duration of three months or more. It is thought that about 10 to 15% of all adults suffer from such type of sleeping disorder. The condition is then link to more adverse health conditions like depression and other mental health concerns. Individuals with chronic insomnia have difficulty functioning in society that they sometimes result to unwanted accidents.
Though the most popular form of medication is the ingestion of sleeping pills, experts do not recommend that this be used for a long period of time. Apart from its known side effects, the human body might become immune to the effects of these sleeping pills that in long-term use, they end up dependent on these pills in order to fall asleep.
The new study refocuses the idea of how people should be dealing with their CBT. the program changes the way an individual approaches the idea of sleep. These include an individual staying away from the bed as possible whenever awake, challenging the very attitude of sleep loss and restricting the time spent in bed. The results of their study was published in the British Journal of General Practice.
Davidson and colleagues have reported that they have examined the results of 13 studies concerning the provision of the CBT for insomnia as part of primary health care. In some of the studies, some of the participants were also taking in medication to help them sleep faster and longer. The results should the undergoing CBT was an effective way to getting good sleep at night. The good thing about these positive implications is the fact that they last for months and even longer.
"This needs action and it can be done by first recognizing the value played by CBT in addressing chronic insomnia as a disease. Second, governments around the world need to consider how people are gaining access in the mental health services offered by the government agencies," Davidson added.
