Insomnia and Its Effective Non-pharmacologic Treatment

Emerging data underscores the public health and economic burden of insomnia evidenced by increased health risks; increased health care utilization; and work domain deficits (absenteeism and reduced productivity). Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi) is a brief and effective non-pharmacologic treatment for insomnia that is grounded in the science of sleep medicine and the science of behavior change and psychological theory, and in direct comparisons with sleep medication in randomized control trials that demonstrate that CBTi has comparable efficacy with more durable long-term maintenance of gains after treatment discontinuation. The high level of empirical support for CBTi has led the National Institutes of Health Consensus and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Practice Parameters to make the recommendation that CBTi be considered standard treatment. The aim of this report is to increase awareness and understanding of health care providers of this effective treatment option.