Sleep difficulties

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Do you have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early? Perhaps you find yourself lying awake worrying about sleep or feeling frustrated after another restless night.

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Occasional sleep difficulties are common (remember the frustration of tossing and turning at nights?), but when sleep problems occur at least three nights per week for three months or longer, they may meet the criteria for Insomnia Disorder. 

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If this sounds familiar, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) may help.

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Many people initially seek advice from their GP or search online for ways to improve their sleep. While sleep hygiene strategies and sleep medications are commonly recommended, CBT-I is recognised as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia by clinical guidelines.

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Unlike sleep medications, which primarily reduce symptoms in the short term, CBT-I addresses the underlying psychological and behavioural factors that maintain insomnia. It has been shown to produce long-lasting improvements with minimal side effects.

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What is CBT-I?

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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is a structured, evidence-based treatment that typically ​involves 4-8 sessions, delivered weekly or fortnightly depending on your needs.

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CBT-I combines several evidence-based strategies, including:

• Sleep education - Understanding how sleep works and what contributes to insomnia.

• Behavioural change - Changing habits and behaviours that interfere with healthy sleep. 

• Cognitive restructuring - Changing thoughts that affect sleep.

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For example, many people believe that a healthy sleep pattern includes a single unbroken period of 'deep' sleep that lasts for about 8 hours, without any awakenings. Strongly held beliefs like this is unhelpful and needs correcting with scientific evidence about sleep.

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​At Soar Clinical Psychology, evidence-based CBT-I is available for individuals experiencing chronic insomnia and ongoing sleep difficulties.