Does behavioral therapy wean sleeping pills?
updated the 13 August 2015 à 18:13To avoid taking sleeping pills or dispose them, behavioral therapy is the method recommended by health authorities.
Behavioral therapy is a method recommended by the Health Authority as the first line of treatment for insomnia. It should therefore be attempted before resorting to sleeping pills. “The problem is that there are few psychologists trained in this area, as doctors are not always well informed and unlike sleeping pills, these therapies are not reimbursed,” says Séverine Brune. Even if you are already on treatment, it’s worth a consultation.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
“We don’t touch the drugs initially but it helps the patient get rid of false beliefs that interfere with sleep; to manage his anxiety and cultivate better habits that actually correspond to his needs for rest,” says the psychologist. We learn to break the cycle of thoughts such as “I need to sleep,” or “If I do not sleep now, I’ll be tired tomorrow,” that are totally counter-productive and prevent one from falling asleep. Some are not necessarily more tired when they go to bed after midnight, so there is no need to go to bed if one is not ready. Some in the evenings, others in the morning. And not everyone needs 8 hours of sleep. There are short and long sleepers. The important thing is to identify one’s rhythm and systematically put the time to reset their biological clock.
To try getting rid of insomnia, we adopt the right behaviors: associate the bed to only for sleep and sex (and we don’t mean being in bed for hours, so no keeping of handy tablets!) and rise as soon as you wake up and remain quiet – no work, TV or household chores. Clearly, there is positive reinforcement for one not to associate the place where one sleeps with ruminations and anxieties. Finally, behavioral therapy provides an opportunity to learn about the methods that lower the state of arousal such as relaxation, meditation or relaxation therapy.
“The need for sleep increases until 4am, when cortisol is low, as well as the body temperature. If one learns to relax, you can count on the physiology of the body to fall into the arms of Morpheus,” insists the Dr Coste. In general, three sessions are enough to assimilate and apply these principles.
Maureen Diament and Nur Syazana H.
