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Trouble sleeping? Treatment without medication (CBT-I)
Difficulty falling asleep, lying awake at night or waking too early, and tired and irritable during the day. When this lasts longer than three months, we speak of chronic insomnia. The treatment with the best evidence is not a sleeping pill but cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). Alexander Kudus is trained in CBT-I and offers it in the practice, on its own or combined with treatment of pain complaints.
Why at a physiotherapist?
Poor sleep and pain reinforce each other. Those who sleep badly feel pain more strongly; those in pain sleep worse. At FysioHulp we address both. That is also why we always include sleep in the treatment of chronic pain and headache.
What is CBT-I?
CBT-I is a short, structured treatment of usually four to six sessions. You learn:
• to arrange your sleep rhythm and time in bed so that you sleep through again (sleep restriction and stimulus control);
• to recognise thoughts about sleep that keep you lying awake;
• to adjust habits around the evening, light, caffeine and screens where it really makes a difference;
• to relax in a way that suits you, including your breathing.
During treatment you keep a sleep diary. It is the basis of every session.
Start now: the sleep diary
Before your first appointment, fill in the free online sleep diary every morning for a week (slaapdagboek.b10.life). You immediately see your sleep efficiency — the share of time in bed you actually sleep — and bring the summary with you. Your data stay on your own phone; no account needed.
Practical
• The same rates and reimbursement rules apply to CBT-I as to physiotherapy.
• No referral needed. If you use sleep medication, we consult your GP about tapering; never stop on your own.
• If there are signs of sleep apnoea (snoring, pauses in breathing, extreme daytime sleepiness) we first refer you to your GP for assessment.
• Sessions in English, German or Dutch.