I have been having problems with sleep because I usually fall asleep without any problems but I normally wake up very early. This situation is aggravated by an antidepressant that have been prescribed which one of the side effects is insomnia. I read also that insomnia is also a common symptom of depression.
There is a method for treating insomnia which is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and one of its components is the Sleep Restriction Therapy which consists in (according to Wikipedia):
"Sleep restriction is probably the most controversial step of CBT-I, since (true to its name) it initially involves the restriction of sleep. Although it is counterintuitive, it is a crucial and very effective component of CBT-I. It involves controlling time in bed (TIB) based upon the person's sleep efficiency in order to restore the homeostatic drive to sleep. Sleep Efficiency (SE) is the measure of reported Total Sleep Time (TST), the actual amount of time the patient is usually able to sleep, compared with his or her TIB.
Sleep Efficiency = (Total Sleep Time / Time In Bed) x 100
- First, Time In Bed is restricted to the Total Sleep Time
- Increase or decrease TIB weekly by only 20-30 min
- Increase TIB if SE >90%
- Decrease TIB if SE <80%
This process may take several weeks or months to complete, depending on the person's initial Sleep Efficiency and how effective the treatment is for them individually. Daytime sleepiness is a side-effect during the first week or two of treatment, so those who operate heavy machinery or otherwise cannot safely be sleep deprived should not undergo this process."
I would like to know if someone have knowledge about this therapy and their opinions.
