Personalised Sleep Program — CBT-I
Struggling to fall asleep, waking during the night or worrying about how you’ll sleep without medication?
Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the recommended first-line treatment for chronic insomnia. It goes beyond general sleep hygiene advice, addressing the habits and patterns of thinking that can keep insomnia going.
Together, we’ll work towards better sleep and build skills you can return to when sleep difficulties arise in the future.
Does this sound familiar?
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“I’m exhausted, but my mind won’t switch off.”
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“I’ve tried all the usual sleep tips, but nothing seems to change.”
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“I’d prefer to manage my sleep without relying on medication.”
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“I want to reduce my sleeping tablets, but I’m worried I won’t sleep.”
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“My bed has become a place of frustration rather than rest.”
How I can help
♥ Understand your sleep
Explore your sleep patterns, health, medicines and the factors that may be maintaining your insomnia.
♥ Rebuild the connection between bed and sleep
Help retrain your brain to associate bed with sleep rather than wakefulness and worry.
♥ Develop a personalised sleep schedule
Adjust your time in bed using your sleep diary and review the plan as your sleep changes.
♥ Manage worries about sleep
Work through unhelpful expectations and build practical skills for future sleep challenges.
♥ Support sleeping tablet reduction
Where appropriate, work alongside your prescriber to support your sleep during gradual medication reduction.
Considering reducing sleeping tablets?
Sleeping medicines can have a role in treatment. However, some—including benzodiazepines and certain other sleeping tablets—can lead to tolerance and dependence with ongoing use.
CBT-I can be used while you’re taking medication and alongside a prescriber-guided taper. It helps address ongoing insomnia and provides strategies to manage sleep difficulties during reduction, including temporary worsening of sleep known as rebound insomnia.
You don’t need to stop your medicine before starting CBT-I. Any reduction should be planned with your prescriber, rather than stopping suddenly.
A program we work through together
Sleeping medicines can have a role in treatment. However, some—including benzodiazepines and certain other sleeping tablets—can lead to tolerance and dependence with ongoing use.CBT-I can be used while you’re taking medication and alongside a prescriber-guided taper. It helps address ongoing insomnia and provides strategies to manage sleep difficulties during reduction, including temporary worsening of sleep known as rebound insomnia.You don’t need to stop your medicine before starting CBT-I. Any reduction should be planned with your prescriber, rather than stopping suddenly.
What methods will we use?
Your program combines practical techniques tailored to your sleep patterns and needs.
Sleep Efficiency Training
Also called bedtime restriction therapy, this involves carefully adjusting your time in bed to better match the time you spend asleep. Using your sleep diary, we’ll review and gradually extend your sleep window as sleep becomes more settled. The aim is more consolidated sleep—not permanently sleeping less.
Bed Equals Sleep
Known as stimulus control therapy, this helps retrain your brain to connect bed with sleep, rather than lying awake, worrying or feeling frustrated.
Working through sleep worries
We’ll explore thoughts and expectations that add pressure around sleep and develop more helpful ways to respond to difficult nights.
Building skills for the future
You’ll learn how to recognise changes in your sleep and use your strategies when difficulties return.
This is a guided, personalised process. Adjusting your sleep window can initially increase daytime sleepiness, so we’ll assess suitability and monitor how you’re feeling throughout.
Appointments and Fees
Initial Sleep Assessment · 60 minutes
A personalised assessment of your sleep difficulties, health, medicines and goals. We’ll explore whether CBT-I is suitable for you, introduce a sleep diary and discuss your next steps.
CBT-I Follow-up · 30 minutes
Review your sleep diary and progress, work through challenges and adjust your strategies while developing skills to manage insomnia now and in the future.
Available Australia-wide via telehealth. Pay per appointment.
These are private consultations; Medicare rebates are not available for this pharmacist-led service.