Insomnia Can Be Addressed via Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

In the developed world, insomnia has a higher incidence in the general population than anxiety, pain or depression. Doctors usually resort to medication in order to help patients, but a new study suggests that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) may be an effective approach as well.

In the long term, CBT may actually be more effective than commonly-used drugs. Researchers in the United Kingdom say that sleep medication is oftentimes addictive, and that it can lead to side-effects. In addition, the efficacy of such chemicals tends to wear off over time.

“Until now major barriers to delivering CBT have included a shortage of trained therapists and the absence of an appropriate clinical service through which to deliver treatments,” Loughborough University expert Kevin Morgan, PhD, says.

Addressing insomnia in the general public could result in increased productivity at the workplace, as well as in increased levels of overall happiness, PsychCentral reports.