Insomnia/Sleep Problems Treatment

We have all had those mornings where we say “I didn’t get a good night’s sleep” or feel that we have been tossing and turning all night. Occasionally, experiencing some difficulties with sleep is normal and temporary. Particularly, in today’s society we are facing busy schedules, have long work hours, feel rushed to complete tasks and have less time to relax and unwind. As a result, sleep disturbance is a common problem and for some people it leads to insomnia.

What is Insomnia?

Insomnia is characterized by a persistent complaint of dissatisfaction with quantity or quality of sleep one is getting. It is associated with sleep difficulties such as:

• Falling asleep
• Maintaining sleep (e.g., frequently waking up or prolonged periods of staying awake at night)
• Early morning awakenings with an inability to fall back asleep.

Also, a common complaint of sleep difficulties is nonresotorative sleep or not feeling rested upon waking up despite sleep for adequate hours.

Poor sleep has been found to cause significant distress and can negatively impact a person’s functioning in their daily activities, work, school, family and social relations. Some common consequences of sleep difficulties include:

• Fatigue or extreme tiredness
• Low energy
• Lack of motivation
• Increased errors while completing tasks
• Daytime sleepiness
• Concentration or attention issues
• Irritability
• Tension headaches
• Ongoing worries about sleep
• Poor performance at work or school

Insomnia can also occur in the context of other difficulties as well, such as anxiety, worry, low mood, or while facing stressful life circumstances.

Research suggests that sleep plays an essential role in managing emotions, regulating stress, memory consolidation, cognitive performance, pain management, and having a healthy immune system. Therefore, it is important to recognize the importance of sleep and seek appropriate help to manage and resolve sleep difficulties.

Treatment for Sleep Difficulties

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is an empirically supported treatment for sleep difficulties. It has been found to be effective in providing people struggling with sleep issues with tools and strategies to develop and maintain healthy sleep habits.

Using, CBT-I, Dr. Ahmed & associates provide personalized sessions for clients that are customized based on their sleep difficulties. The sessions are focused on but not limited to areas such as, learning about your sleep patterns, targeting factors that are contributing and maintaining sleep issues, optimizing your sleep drive, modifying common worries associated with sleep, identifying the impact of lifestyle on sleep, reducing sleep interfering behaviours, and relaxation training.

Dr. Ahmed & associate’s approach to psychological interventions is grounded in scientific-based approaches such a CBT, however they often integrates elements from other therapeutic modalities (e.g., mindfulness, motivational interviewing, schema focused therapy and client focused therapy) based on their clients’ needs and preferences. Dr. Ahmed & associates provide their clients with services that are designed based on the goals they are hoping to achieve.

Dr. Ahmed & associates provide a supportive, collaborative, and non-judgmental environment so that you can feel comfortable expressing your concerns.

Contact Dr. Ahmed & associates for a consultation and inquire further about the process.