Insomnia Treatment: Unpacking the Basics, No Filter

Posted: December 1, 2025

Tired of being tired? Do you spend your nights tossing and turning, staring at the clock, watching the minutes tick by, calculating how much sleep you will get if you fall asleep “right now”? Does your mind start racing as bedtime approaches and get louder when you get into bed? Then keep reading, because this blog may be for you.

Main points, no filter:

Insomnia is more than bad sleep — it’s a pattern that tanks your mood, focus, and daily functioning.

Your sleep habits matter — stress, irregular schedules, stimulants, and lifestyle choices all fuel insomnia.

Untreated insomnia hits hard — slower reactions, mood issues, relationship strain, and long-term health risks.

CBT-I works — evidence-based strategies like sleep restriction, stimulus control, and fixing unhelpful thoughts.

You don’t have to suffer — insomnia is treatable, and small changes + support can completely reset your sleep.

What is insomnia?

o Poor sleep that has been ongoing for a period of time

o Difficulty falling asleep

o Difficulty staying asleep (waking often throughout the night or waking earlier than planned)

o Daytime fatigue, poor concentration, irritability

You may have been struggling with insomnia for years, or it may be something that rears its ugly head during stressful periods in your life. Either way, insomnia isn’t just a few “bad nights of sleep”, but rather a pattern that has a significant negative impact on your daily functioning.

What fuels insomnia?

o Irregular sleep schedule

o Medical conditions or illnesses

o Mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, or PTSD

o Ongoing stress

o Reliance on alcohol or medication for sleep

Daytime behaviors that impact sleep

o Use of stimulants (including medication, caffeine, alcohol, drugs, and nicotine)

o Napping (naps can disrupt our circadian rhythm)

o Activity levels (too little activity in general or too much activity close to bedtime can disrupt sleep)

o Meals (heavy meals too close to bed can keep us awake)

Is insomnia treatable?

Yes! Insomnia is a medical condition that has treatment options. When you understand the cause of insomnia you are armed with the knowledge to inform your treatment approach. The Cleveland Clinic has more information about insomnia here. Treatment options vary and it is important to discuss these with your medical provider.

If I was bettin’ gal, I would say that when you talk with your medical provider, they will suggest that you also take care of your mental health. Regardless of the cause of insomnia, taking care of yourself and navigating stress in a healthy way is a key component to finally getting some sleep.

The good news is that there are several options to navigate insomnia. If you aren’t satisfied with your current approach there is more that you can do.

Why bother treating insomnia? Sleep is overrated.

Insomnia is more than just feeling tired. There are serious long and short term effects of not getting enough sleep.

Lack of sleep slows your response time. You aren’t as mentally or physically quick as you would like. This can prove to be dangerous behind the wheel. You may find yourself making “silly” mistakes at work or being more forgetful than usual.

Your mood may be impacted as well. There is only so many times your co-workers and loved ones will let you get away with being grumpy before your relationships start taking a hit. Being irritable on a regular basis can wear on you and on your loved ones.

The enduring impact on your mood shows up when the lack of sleep starts to impact your performance and ability to engage in a meaningful way. When you struggle to complete tasks, focus, and meet deadlines or obligations you may start to get anxious, overwhelmed, or depressed. This may be exacerbated by the lack of connection you experience as others distance themselves from you and your grumpiness.

Your physical health is impacted as well. Chronic insomnia can cause other health conditions such as hypertension, heart attack, stroke, or diabetes. When your body is depleted from the lack of sleep your other body systems struggle to operate efficiently. It’s like trying to row a boat when one of the rowers is just dragging their oar in the water. The other rowers have to work extra hard to compensate for sluggish Sally who can’t get her act together because she hasn’t gotten her rest.

This graphic shows the impact of insomnia in your day to day life.

How do you treat insomnia?

There are specialists that will address the physical aspects of insomnia. The first thing they will suggest is mental health support and lifestyle changes. That is where Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) shines.

What is CBT-I?

o An evidence-based (research supported) treatment for insomnia

o Individual 50-minute sessions (in person or virtual)

o One session per week for about 5-6 sessions

What are the elements of CBT-I

Behavioral elements of CBT-I

o Stimulus control (Eating, scrolling on your phone, answering emails, and watching TV in your bed can all negatively impact sleep)

o Sleep restriction (Limiting time awake in bed and sticking to a regular sleep schedule)

Cognitive elements of CBT-I

o Changing unhelpful thoughts (especially those about sleep)

o Scheduling worry time

What do you mean by sleep restriction?

Isn’t that the opposite of what you need when you have insomnia? Not quite. Sleep restriction allows you to reset your sleep clock and get your sleep cycle back on track! Folks use a similar approach when adjust to time zone changes. If you fly across the country (or the world), it’s best to stay awake longer and follow the new time zone instead of going to sleep when your old time zone says so. Your body will adjust better.

Is it okay to worry?

Scheduling worry time?? That’s right! It is normal to have worries, and by scheduling specific time for this, our worries don’t follow us to bed. Our instinct is to shove our worries to the back of our brain. Use will power to muscle through the day. You know what happens then right? All the worries that you have pushed off or been distracted from during the day have a rave with glow sticks while you are trying to sleep.

When you allow yourself to worry, it almost feels empowering. You set a timer and worry until your little heart’s content. When the timer goes off, ask yourself “does this topic need more of my attention right now?” If it does, give yourself 5 more minutes. If it doesn’t, you’ll be back again tomorrow, same time, same place to worry some more.

What do CBT-I sessions include?

o An assessment of sleep patterns and behaviors

o A detailed history of your sleep and discussion of what has been helpful and not helpful for your insomnia

o Discussion of sleep cycles and their impact on sleep and insomnia

o Relaxation training (techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided imagery can all help to relax your mind and body, helping to improve sleep and decrease insomnia

o Sleep diaries (Tracking your sleep allows us to know how much sleep you are getting and identify patterns that may be impacting your insomnia)

o Support in learning healthy sleep hygiene

CBT-I may be for you if…

o You struggle to maintain healthy sleep routines

o You struggle to fall asleep and you wake often through the night or earlier than planned

o You feel groggy and unrested throughout the day

o You are taking medication for poor sleep or insomnia but prefer a different solution

o You are tired of being a midnight mathematician and watching the clock at all hours of the night

Want to learn more? Try out this app (here for Google) Insomnia Coach - Apps on Google Play (or here for Apple) Insomnia Coach on the App Store to see if insomnia treatment is right for you! Ready to jump right in and improve your sleep? Schedule a consult today!