Insomnia is one of the maximum not unusualplace sleep disorders. Psychotropic drugs are often the first way to address it from primary care or our family doctor. But what if we don’t want to take medication to be able to sleep? Are we condemned to not having a restful sleep? The answer would be: no. We can get our sleep patterns back through psychological therapy for insomnia.
What are sleep disorders?
Sleep disorders are any difficulties we encounter in falling asleep or staying asleep, problems staying awake, problems maintaining a regular sleep schedule, or unusual behaviors during sleep.
Sleep has a restorative function and helps our body recover from daily energy expenditure. Around 32% of people say they wake up feeling like they have had a bad night’s sleep and 35% end the day feeling very tired.
Can therapy improve my sleep?
Through psychotherapy, internal resources are activated to overcome one’s limitations, achieving goals and thus achieving a higher quality of life.
Specifically, cognitive-behavioral therapy has demonstrated through numerous scientific studies the high evidence in sleep disorders. It helps us to identify dysfunctional thoughts that appear at night and do not allow us to fall asleep or appear when we wake up. These thoughts are replaced by more functional ones, thus achieving the desired effect.
It should also be said that when a sleep disorder appears, our personality structure is also telling us something. Generally, these profiles may be more worried, anxious, or demanding. The main causes of sleep disorders are:
Psychiatric disorders: anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, etc.
Medical disorders: cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, gastrointestinal, urological, cancer, rheumatological, etc.
Sleep disorders: obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA), restless legs syndrome, circadian rhythm disorder, parasomnias.
Consequences of poor sleep quality
Sleep disorders are not a pathology in themselves, but they have serious consequences in daily life. Insomnia is associated with various physical and mental health disorders, where the following are affected:
Intentional sustained attention: attention becomes variable and unstable and errors of omission and commission increase.
Cognitive slowing.
Reaction time is prolonged.
Short-term and working memory decreases.
It affects the acquisition of cognitive tasks (learning).
Taking riskier decisions.
Initial task performance is good at first but deteriorates with longer-duration tasks.
Impaired judgment.
Decreased cognitive flexibility.
Mood changes: irritability, anger.
It reduces self-monitoring and self-criticism.
Excessive fatigue and presence of involuntary microsleeps.
Most common sleep disorders:
Sleep apnea: Abnormal patterns of breathing during the dream stage, interrupting deep sleep.
Insomnia: difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
Parasomnias: nightmares or night terrors.
Narcolepsy: extreme sleepiness or chronic daytime sleep disorder.
Restless legs syndrome or Willis-Ekbom disease: the urge to move the legs when trying to sleep, as well as sensations of tingling, burning, and itching.
REM sleep behavior disorder.
Psychological treatment for sleep disorders
Psychological therapy, when addressing sleep disorders, encourages a change and development of an attitude or lifestyle, carrying out a personalized evaluation and treatment that is beneficial for any individual.
Psychotropic drugs are recommended for short-term use to help people sleep. However, there are no pathologies that require them and they can be appropriate. However, there is currently a clear tendency towards immediate relief and this is where drugs are abused to help people sleep.
If you have long-term sleep problems, the most appropriate treatment is cognitive-behavioral therapy, as it treats the underlying causes that may have developed this disorder and helps us establish healthier patterns through:
Psychoeducation on sleep hygiene, physiology, and function.
Stimulus control and sleep restriction.
Breathing control and application of techniques for progressive muscle relaxation.
Cognitive restructuring and paradoxical intention.
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