HealthPartners review confirms effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy to treat chronic insomnia

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — May 11, 2015 — A review of patients at HealthPartners Sleep Health Center adds to research that cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia can be effective at increasing the quantity and quality of sleep for patients with chronic insomnia.

While it is normal for people to sometimes experience a few nights of poor sleep, an estimated 10 percent of people experience chronic insomnia which is a serious medical disorder. Chronic insomnia is defined as losing at least 30 minutes of sleep for three nights or more per week for at least a month. In addition, this loss of sleep must interfere with health, productivity and/or quality of life.

Over-the-counter and prescription sleep medications may provide temporary relief, but they do not cure chronic insomnia and frequently lead to increased reliance on them and overuse. Untreated insomnia is associated with increased risk for medical problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and depression. In addition, a 2014 study in The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that a person with insomnia has an average of $2,000 more in health care costs annually compared to those without insomnia.

HealthPartners Sleep Health Center, a department of Regions Hospital, began providing Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia (CBT-I) in 2011. Treatment involves a personalized program of eight sessions occurring over two to three months.

HealthPartners found the following results among adult patients with chronic insomnia who completed the program:

• The average time awake fell about 67 percent; from more than two hours per night to about 40 minutes.
• The average time asleep increased 6 percent from about six and a half hours to nearly seven hours.
• Sleep efficiency increased. Patients were able to increase sleep time while decreasing the length of time in bed by an average of one hour per night.

“Our results add to the data-base that CBT-I can provide long-term relief without the use of medication for patients with chronic insomnia,” said James Davig, PhD, Sleep Behavioral Psychologist at HealthPartners Sleep Health Center.

More information can be found on healthpartners.com.