So many studies show how damaging sleep drugs continue to be. Here’s a brief summary of how CBT-i is a much better option. For those who struggle with the number one sleep disorder, insomnia. “The effect cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia on sedative-hypnotic use: A narrative review.”
Summary
Although cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi) is the recommended ‘first-line’ treatment for insomnia, most patients are initially treated with sedative-hypnotic medications. Given the risk of impaired cognitive and psychomotor performance, serious adverse events, and long-term dependence associated with sedative-hypnotics, guidelines recommend that prescriptions should be limited to short-term use and that patients are provided with support for withdrawal where possible. CBTi is an effective insomnia treatment in the presence of sedative-hypnotic use. Furthermore, guidelines recommended that CBTi techniques are utilised to facilitate withdrawal from sedative-hypnotics. However, there is very little research evaluating the effect of CBTi on reduced medication use. Read more.
Thanks for sharing this @Andrew! I went back
to school this year to become a psychotherapist so this is of particular interest to me. This reminds me of the evidence supporting interventions like CBT or mindfulness for depression. Anti-depressants only work for about 50% of individuals, and even then most patients relapse when they go off the anti-depressant. Therapy has a much higher success rate - conservatively around 70%. Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy is particularly effective for treatment-resistant depression!
My own particular journey with depression and anxiety led me to being prescribed clonazepam. Unfortunately, that is a terrible one to get off of. But as my journey with Dzogchen and the inner yogas evolved, I was able to wean myself off of it (carefully!). It came to a strange moment where I realized my mind really was bigger than the negative thoughts and emotions I was experiencing. With that realization, their power really diminished. These practices work!