CBT-I is the structured psychological treatment for chronic insomnia, recognized as first-line by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the European Sleep Research Society. It combines behavioral techniques (sleep restriction, stimulus control) with cognitive ones (modifying dysfunctional beliefs) in 4-8 sessions.
Concept origin
Morin (1993) published the first complete manual. A series of randomized clinical trials in the 1990s and 2000s established its superiority over pharmacotherapy in the long term. Trauer et al.'s (2015) meta-analysis in Annals of Internal Medicine confirmed large and durable effects.
Therapeutic approach
The standard protocol includes: sleep psychoeducation, sleep diary, time-in-bed restriction, stimulus control, sleep hygiene, relaxation techniques, and identification and modification of dysfunctional beliefs (e.g., "I need exactly 8 hours or tomorrow will be a disaster").
Related concepts
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