Your Path to Restful Nights

An overview of powerful, evidence-based therapies for overcoming insomnia without medication.

Chronic insomnia affects nearly

30%

of adults, impacting health, mood, and daily function.
Fortunately, effective, drug-free treatments can retrain your brain for sleep.

Three Powerful Approaches to Sleep

CBT-I

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

The "Gold Standard". A structured program that helps you identify and replace thoughts and behaviors that cause or worsen sleep problems.

Focus: Change

ACT-I

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy

Encourages you to accept troubling thoughts and feelings about sleep, rather than fighting them, and commit to actions that align with your values.

Focus: Accept

MBTI

Mindfulness-Based Therapy

Teaches you to bring non-judgmental awareness to your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations, reducing the anxiety that often fuels insomnia.

Focus: Observe

Breaking the Vicious Cycle of Insomnia

Insomnia is often a self-perpetuating cycle. A few bad nights can trigger a chain reaction of worry and unhelpful behaviors that make the problem worse. These therapies are designed to break this cycle.

The Cycle

Sleepless
Night

Conditioned
Arousal

Effort to
Control Sleep

Anxiety &
Frustration

How the Therapies Work: A Practical Flow

CBT-I and ACT-I follow a similar, logical progression to treat insomnia. This process moves from understanding the problem to applying tools and seeing real, lasting changes.

Problem

Difficulty falling asleep
Waking up often
Early awakenings
Feeling unrefreshed

Assessment

Keep a sleep diary
Identify habits, thoughts, and triggers
Detailed History & Questionnaires: A deep dive into sleep history using well-known sleep assessment questionnaires.

CBT-I / ACT-I Tools

Sleep Restriction Therapy: Reset sleep timing to build sleep pressure
Stimulus Control: Train brain to link bed with sleep only
Cognitive Restructuring: Replace unhelpful sleep thoughts with realistic ones
ACT-I Skills: Mindfulness and acceptance to reduce the struggle
Relaxation Practices: Breathing, yoga, meditation

Changes Over Time

Fall asleep faster
Fewer awakenings
Better sleep efficiency
Less anxiety about sleep

Deep Dive: CBT-I

CBT-I is a multi-component treatment that addresses both the mental and behavioral roots of insomnia.
It is highly effective and recommended as the first-line treatment.

Proven Effectiveness

The Core Components of CBT-I

1. Initial Assessment & Sleep Diary

This foundational step involves a thorough assessment and having the patient track their sleep habits. This provides a clear picture of their sleep challenges and sets a baseline to measure progress.

2. Behavioral Interventions

These techniques restructure the patient's sleep environment and habits to strengthen the connection between bed and sleep.

Stimulus Control: Reconnecting the bed and bedroom with sleep and wakefulness by only using it for sleeping.
Sleep Restriction: Carefully restricting time in bed to increase sleep drive and improve sleep efficiency.
Sleep Hygiene Education: Providing guidance on habits like caffeine intake, light exposure, and exercise.

3. Cognitive Interventions

This part addresses the psychological factors, such as worry and racing thoughts, that can perpetuate insomnia.

Cognitive Restructuring: Identifying and challenging unhelpful beliefs about sleep (e.g., "I'll never be able to sleep without a pill").
Worry Management: Creating a structured time to address worries outside of the bedroom.

4. Relapse Prevention

This final component equips the patient with strategies to maintain their gains and manage future setbacks, ensuring long-term success.

Deep Dive: ACT-I

ACT-I helps people stop struggling with their internal experiences.
By increasing psychological flexibility, it frees them to build a rich, meaningful life, which often leads to better sleep as a byproduct.

Improved Sleep Quality

Studies show ACT-I significantly reduces insomnia severity, with lower scores on sleep quality indexes post-treatment.

The Six Core Processes

ACT-I builds psychological flexibility through these interconnected skills.

Deep Dive: MBTI

MBTI applies the principles of mindfulness to the specific problem of sleeplessness.
It reduces sleep-related anxiety and arousal by changing your relationship to nighttime thoughts and sensations.

Reduced Time to Fall Asleep

MBTI helps decrease sleep onset latency by teaching the mind to "let go" of the effort to fall asleep.

Core Mindfulness Practices

Body Scan: Paying close attention to physical sensations throughout the body without judgment.
Mindful Breathing: Focusing on the sensation of the breath to anchor attention in the present moment.
Mindful Movement: Gentle stretching or yoga to reconnect mind and body.
Loving-Kindness Meditation: Cultivating feelings of warmth and care for oneself and others.

How Do They Compare?

Impact on Key Sleep Metrics

All three therapies show positive outcomes. CBT-I often has the most robust effect on sleep metrics, while ACT-I and MBTI also show significant benefits, particularly in reducing sleep-related anxiety.

Matching the Therapy to the Patient: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals

Patient Profile	Recommended Therapy	Rationale
Presents with clear sleep hygiene issues and a history of conditioned arousal.	CBT-I	Its structured, behavioral components are highly effective for correcting poor sleep habits and strengthening sleep drive.
Significant sleep-related anxiety and a strong sense of struggle to control sleep.	ACT-I	It directly addresses the struggle by promoting acceptance and defusion from unhelpful thoughts, breaking the cycle of anxiety.
High levels of cognitive or somatic hyperarousal and a racing mind at bedtime.	MBTI	Its mindfulness practices reduce the overall level of physiological and cognitive arousal, promoting a state of calm.
A desire for the most evidence-based, first-line treatment for chronic insomnia.	CBT-I	It has the largest body of evidence supporting its long-term efficacy and is the gold standard of care.

References & Key Studies

Study / Research Title (emphasizing benefit)	Journal / Source	Link
CBT-I Significantly Improves Chronic Insomnia: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis	Annals of Internal Medicine, 2015	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26054060/
Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Reduce Insomnia Severity: Meta-analysis Evidence	Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2018	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28392168/
CBT-I Components and Delivery Formats Found Effective for Chronic Insomnia	JAMA Psychiatry, 2024	https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2814164
Digital CBT-I Demonstrates Strong Benefits for Older Adults with Insomnia (SHUTi OASIS Trial)	npj Digital Medicine, 2025	https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12274496/
Voice-Activated CBT-I Provides Accessible Relief for Cancer Survivors with Insomnia	JAMA Network Open, 2024	https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2823907
Internet-Based CBT-I Produces Long-Lasting Sleep Improvements: Randomized Evidence	Lancet Digital Health, 2020	https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landig/article/PIIS2589-7500(20)30135-7/fulltext
CBT-I Enhances Sleep and Daytime Function: Mechanistic Insights	Sleep, 2025	https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/48/6/zsaf014/7960093
Web-Based CBT-I Proves Effective for Reducing Insomnia Across Diverse Populations	JAMA Psychiatry, 2017	https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2589161
CBT-I Reduces Insomnia Severity in Cancer Survivors: Systematic Review & Meta-analysis	Psycho-Oncology, 2016	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26434673/
Long-Term Benefits of CBT-I on Insomnia Symptoms Confirmed by Meta-analysis	Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2019	https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1087079218301965
CBT-I Improves Quality of Life by Treating Insomnia: Systematic Review	Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2022	https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1087079222000594
Digital CBT-I Eases Sleep Difficulties in Chronic Pain Patients with Insomnia	Trials, 2025	https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-025-09013-3
ACT Reduces Insomnia Symptoms Effectively Compared to CBT-I: Pilot RCT	Nature and Science of Sleep, 2023	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37431325/
ACT Combined with Bedtime Restriction Improves Insomnia Outcomes	Sleep Medicine, 2024	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38417415/
ACT-Based Behavioral Program Successfully Lowers Insomnia Severity: Pilot RCT	Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 2023	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33331495/
Systematic Review Confirms ACT Benefits for Insomnia and Sleep Quality	BMC Neurology, 2020	https://bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12883-020-01883-1
Stand-alone ACT Improves Insomnia Symptoms: RCT Protocol Highlights Promise	Sleep Medicine, 2024	https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589979124000179
ACT Found Effective for Women Veterans Struggling with Insomnia	J Consult Clin Psychol, 2023	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37535521/
ACT Helps Reduce Insomnia and Sleep Anxiety in At-risk Populations	American Journal of Managed Care, 2023	https://www.ajmc.com/view/acceptance-and-commitment-therapy-shown-effective-for-certain-patients-with-insomnia
Online ACT Leads to Sustained Improvements in Insomnia and Sleep Disturbance	Scientific Reports, 2025	https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-87018-3
Mindfulness Meditation Provides Significant Relief from Chronic Insomnia: RCT Evidence	Sleep, 2014	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25142566/
Mindfulness Meditation Enhances Sleep Quality and Daytime Function in Older Adults	JAMA Intern Med, 2015	https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2110998
Mindfulness-Based Therapy Helps Treatment-Resistant Insomnia Patients Sleep Better	Frontiers in Sleep, 2023	https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sleep/articles/10.3389/frsle.2023.1072752/full
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Reduces Insomnia Symptoms in Depression	Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2024	https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10834689/
Digital Mindfulness-Based Program Relieves Prenatal Insomnia Symptoms	JMIR, 2025	https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12089866/

Take the First Step Towards Better Sleep

Insomnia and sleep challenges are treatable. If you're struggling, evaluate whether one of my services is helpful based on your needs, or talk to your treating doctor about CBT-I, ACT-I, or MBTI. To learn more about my offerings, visit this link.