Onebright delighted by new research that supports CBT treatment for insomnia.
Leading CBT provider, Onebright has responded to new research published in The British Journal of General Practice that reveals that CBT is an effective way to tackle chronic insomnia.
The study, co-authored by Dr Judith Davidson of Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, included four randomised control trails of between 66 and 201 participants varying in age.
Results from the trials showed that participants of the study fell asleep approximately nine to 30 minutes sooner after completing a course of CBT for insomnia. These candidates also experienced a reduction of broken sleep, between 22 and 36 minutes, in the amount of time spent awake, after going to sleep.
In contrast, the control group were instead put on a waiting list or given standard treatment (treatment as usual) for insomnia. These participants only experienced up to four minutes improvement in the time it took them to fall asleep and a maximum of eight minutes’ improvement in time spent awake after going to sleep.
Davidson’s research found that at least four to eight sessions of CBT were needed for participants to experience this improvement as there was little to no benefit experienced by those who were only offered two CBT sessions.
Onebright was delighted by these findings as it supports their core message that CBT is an evidence-based solution that offers sustainable results for common issues.
Interestingly, the study also highlighted that although CBT is effective for chronic insomnia, the treatment is not being offered enough as doctors have limited knowledge, and patients are often not aware of where they can access the treatment.
This is something that Onebright are keen to change and are now urging the NHS to make CBT the first treatment recommendation of choice as opposed to sleeping pills, which are not recommended for long-term use.
Discussing the results of the research and how Onebright use CBT to help patients, the organisation’s Clinical Director, Lee Grant said “The treatment protocols have been evolving and building up the CBT evidence base of insomnia for decades. Numerous studies are pulled together, and this analysis provides a robust evidence base. Traditional face to face therapy is fast and effective but can be difficult for some to take the time out to arrange and then attend. Online and remote options are accessible cost effective. Online CBT for sleep is designed with specific modules providing those tools and techniques that are tailored for sleep, that are accessible anytime with support from a CBT therapist. These are also tried and tested delivery options that are equally effective.”
Published in the press on Lee Grant’s treatment of insomnia, you can read about two clients experience here in the Daily Mail and The Telegraph.
Chronic insomnia causes sufferers to experience disrupted sleep for at least three nights a week. It can cause great anguish and is linked to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Approximately 10-15 percent of UK adults suffer from chronic insomnia, and Onebright believe that adopting some key CBT interventions that can help drastically reduce this figure.