Treating Insomnia

Insomnia is one of the most common sleep conditions worldwide. Its core symptoms include difficulty falling asleep, waking up too early but not being able to go back to sleep again and/or trouble staying asleep. Because of this abnormal sleep pattern, you’ll feel tired and unrested upon waking up. Aside from zapping your mood and energy levels, insomnia could likewise wreak havoc on your work performance, daily activities, quality of life, and overall health.

If insomnia is making your daily life difficult visit us here at the Sleep Manatee in Bradenton and Sarasota, FL. Our doctor Dr. Jeremy McConnell can help figure out what’s causing your insomnia and determine the most appropriate treatment options for you.

How is Insomnia Treated?

Modifying your sleeping habits and resolving problems that may be contributing to your symptoms including stress, medications, or health issues can help restore restorative sleep for most individuals. If these conservative treatments fail, your doctor might prescribe medications and cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT for insomnia.

CBT for Insomnia

Also called CBT-I, this therapy can help you get rid of or control the negative actions of thoughts that are stopping you from sleeping properly. It can teach you how to identify, control, and modify beliefs and worries that are impeding on your sleep. CBT-I may likewise entail eradicating the harmful cycle that could develop where you’re plagued with anxiety about trying to sleep but can’t fall asleep. CBT-I therapy also helps you develop proper sleeping habits and avoid negative behaviors that prevent you from sleeping through behavioral strategies including the following:

• Relaxation Techniques: These include progressive muscle relaxation, breathing exercises, and biofeedback to help minimize anxiousness during bedtime.
• Stimulus Control: This therapy aids in eliminating causes that make you resist sleep.
• Sleep Restriction: This strategy will help in reducing the time you spend hanging out in your bedroom and in avoiding naps during the daytime to make you partially sleep-deprived so that you’ll be tired come bedtime.
• Light Therapy: This therapy utilizes light for adjusting your internal clock if you wake up or fall asleep too early.
• Staying Passively Awake: This will help you control your anxiety about difficulty falling asleep by relaxing in your bed and attempting to keep yourself awake instead of forcing yourself to sleep.

Get Your Insomnia Under Control Now

Call today to arrange a consultation with Dr. Jeremy McConnell, MD, here at the Sleep Manatee in Bradenton, FL, at (941) 792-8383 and in Sarasota, FL, at (941) 827-0701.