Millions of Americans have a hard time getting a good night’s sleep. Insomnia is associated with significant negative health consequences, including high blood pressure, daytime drowsiness and depression. New research suggests that a technique called cognitive behavioral therapy works well to banish insomnia. Canadian scientists compared the effects of this psychological counseling technique with and without the prescription sleeping pill Ambien.
Both treatments helped approximately 60 percent of the insomniacs after the initial six weeks of treatment. Follow-up with additional cognitive behavioral therapy after the combined treatment had the best long-term results at 6 months, with more than two-thirds of patients sleeping well without medication. Cognitive behavioral therapy offers chronic insomniacs one long-term solution to a vexing problem. No single solution will work for everyone.
[Journal of the American Medical Association, May 20, 2009]
