Alleviate Insomnia with Simple Relaxation Techniques

Do you have insomnia? Three out of four people have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Recent studies show that Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), which is a combination of behavior modification and education in relaxation techniques, is more effective than sleeping pills in improving duration and quality of sleep. As published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, insomniacs who learned CBT spent 52% less time tossing and turning after six weeks. Those participants who took sleeping pills only reduced their time awake by 4%. Six months later, those who learned the CBT sleep-inducing strategies reported continued improvement in sleep efficiency, defined as time spent in bed asleep. The authors also noted that participants in the CBT group spent more time in deep sleep stages and less time awake during the night. Findings from this recent study were consistent with a separate study conducted in 2004.

Sleep loss drains the body's natural energy reserves, and forces it to divert resources to maintain basic functions, thereby impairing immune function. Sleep loss also impairs memory, concentration, mental processing of complex information, and decision making skills. Physical skills are also impaired as evidenced by studies of graveyard shift workers, which show an increase in accidents and a reduction in performance.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy helps the insomniac modify habits that may contribute to sleeplessness by combining relaxation techniques and basic sleep education, both of which can help quiet the mind and body. During this 1-hour workshop, you will learn and practice simple techniques to help quiet your mind, as well as physically relax your body. Come and gain InSights on how to sleep better and longer.

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