What does the term sleep therapy mean? Is it a type of therapy that involves sleeping? Actually, experts use this general term to refer to therapy that helps people overcome sleeping disorders. It’s a way to treat issues such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy.
About Sleep Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most common type of sleep therapy. The goal is to tailor CBT to fit the specific needs of the individual. It’s popular because therapists can use it in several different ways. For example, CBT works both in individual and group therapy sessions.
The length of time that people spend in CBT depends greatly on the type and severity of their sleep disorders. With that said, experts love using CBT because it shows results quicker than other forms of therapy. Some people report seeing improvements in at little as five to eight weeks.
How Does CBT Work as Sleep Disorder Treatment?
There are two main aspects of CBT, which are cognitive and behavior therapies. The goal of cognitive therapy is to teach people how to recognize negative thoughts and beliefs. The idea is that these negative thoughts contribute to many sleeping disorders.
Behavior therapy, however, focuses on specific behaviors that people need to avoid. They tend to keep people up at night or keep them from getting restful sleep.
Combining both cognitive and behavior therapy gives people the best of both worlds. For this reason, many sleep therapy programs count on CBT. In fact, most Houston sleep therapy programs include it in some shape or form.
Behavior Techniques
The behavioral side of CBT is more about the physical changes that people can make to sleep better. Part of it involves sleep restriction therapy. It focuses on lifestyle changes that people can make to spend less time lying awake in bed.
In most cases, it consists of avoiding naps and staying awake until bedtime. This form of sleep deprivation is challenging at first but can do wonders to improve sleep quality. Most people don’t notice a change right away. Sleep restriction therapy takes time to produce better sleeping habits.
Next, people have to maintain proper hygiene and exercise routines. Regular exercise releases energy and reduces tension in the body. These are two things that keep people up most often. Studies show that proper hygiene such as showering regularly improves sleep habits as well.
The key is that these changes don’t happen overnight. Many people attempt to make changes for a day and then go right back to their old habits. It’s essential for them to break these habits to achieve proper sleep.
Cognitive Techniques
Unlike behavioral techniques, cognitive techniques require the guidance of a professional. This type of sleep therapy attempts to clear out negative thoughts, including unrealistic beliefs.
For example, some people fixate on the idea that they just want to get a good night of sleep like a normal person. In truth, lots of people struggle with sleeping at night. A sleep-promoting comeback is for people to remind themselves that they can sleep better with practice.
Let PACE Mental Health Houston Help You Get a Good Night of Sleep
Do you suffer from sleep disorders like insomnia? If so, you can count on PACE Mental Health Houston to help you get a good night of sleep. We do a psychiatric consultation to determine the best course of action for you. Our goal is to provide reliable Houston sleep therapy programs.
At PACE Mental Health Houston, we provide more than just Houston sleep therapy. We also offer programs that help people overcome other mental health disorders. Some of these programs include:
- ADHD therapy
- Anger management
- Obsessive compulsive therapy
- Stress management
- Sleep therapy
- Depression therapy
Don’t suffer from poor sleep any longer. Visit PACE Mental Health Houston to learn more about sleep therapy and what it can do for you. Reach out to us at *DM_DirectNumber format=period link=true*.