CBT-I (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia)
A structured sleep program; Matthew Walker and Andrew Huberman both point people to it
Six or so sessions with a therapist, or a guided digital course, combining sleep restriction, stimulus control and work on the anxious thinking that keeps insomnia running. Head-to-head trials put it ahead of sleeping pills, and the effects persist after the sessions end. It is the one thing sleep researchers consistently point people towards instead of a supplement.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Andrew HubermanRecommends
Neuroscientist · Huberman Lab
Points people with ongoing insomnia towards cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, not towards supplements or sleep aids.
Source: Huberman Lab: Your Top Questions on Sleep, Answered - Matthew WalkerRecommends
Sleep scientist · author of Why We Sleep
CBT-I rather than sleeping pills for chronic insomnia, and he notes it outperforms medication with effects that last after treatment stops.
Source: The Matt Walker Podcast: a practical guide to insomnia“The current recommendation is something called cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBTI. And as you can tell by the term, it works on two things, cognitive things, in other words, your thoughts and your beliefs about sleep and then your behaviors.”
The Tim Ferriss Show #654 transcript (opens in a new tab) · 10 Feb 2023
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under sleep or stress.
- Protocol$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Sauna
Regular heat exposure, often 4 sessions a week at 20 minutes
On record from 17 of 62 tracked people: 11 do it, 3 recommend it, 3 have discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Breathwork
Structured breathing sessions to shift the nervous system up or down
On record from 7 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it, 2 recommend it, 1 has discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Non-sleep deep rest (NSDR)
10-20 minute guided body-scan rest, sometimes called yoga nidra
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 1 has discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
4-7-8 breathing
Inhale for four counts, hold for seven, exhale for eight, repeated a few times
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Grounding (earthing)
Bare skin on grass, sand or soil, or a conductive mat wired to earth
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - Protocol$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
HRV biofeedback training
Paced breathing against a live heart rate variability readout, a few minutes a day
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it
Protocol entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.