If you struggle to sleep and are starting to get fed up of tossing and turning, a one hour therapy session could be the answer to your sweet dreams.
A new study has shown that a one-hour therapy session improves the sleeping patterns of people suffering from acute insomnia.
Researchers at Northumbria University found that one session of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) ‘cured’ acute insomnia in 73 per cent of participants in their sleep study.
A group of 40 participants suffering from acute insomnia (those with difficulty sleeping between two weeks and three months), were split into two groups for the study.
While none of the participants were on medication for their sleeping problems, nobody was seen to have chronic insomnia (where it lasts longer than three months).
The group were split into two groups for the project, with one group receiving an hour long CBT session and a pamphlet explaining the techniques. The second group received no treatment until after the research study was complete.
So how helpful was one hour of therapy?
While 60 per cent of participants reported improvements in their sleep in just one month after the therapy, 72 per cent of people noticed they were enjoying a deeper slumber within three months.
For those who didn’t receive the therapy, 85 per cent of those in the controlled group went on to develop chronic insomnia.
Speaking about the results in health journal SLEEP, Professor Ellis analysed the results of the study, saying:
“The results of our study clearly showed that a single therapy session had successful results, with an improvement in sleep quality for some 60 per cent of those with acute insomnia within one month. The longer-term benefits were even better with almost three quarters of those who received the intervention not developing chronic insomnia.”
