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.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- 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.
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