Describe the psychological treatments that are generally used for the treatment of insomnia disorder, listing at least five "sleep hygiene" behaviors that are associated with improved sleep.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Sample Answer: Research shows that some psychological treatments for insomnia may be more effective than others. For adult sleep problems, stimulus control may be recommended. People are instructed to use the bedroom only for sleeping and for sex and not for work or other anxiety-provoking activities (e.g., watching the news on television). Progressive relaxation or sleep hygiene (changing daily habits that may interfere with sleep) alone may not be as effective as stimulus control alone for some people (Means & Edinger, 2006). Because sleep problems are so widespread, there is a growing interest in developing Internet-based treatments to determine if certain sufferers can help themselves with appropriate guidance. One study, for example, randomly assigned adults to a control group or an Internet-based education group (Ritterband et al., 2009). The Internet group received online instruction on the proper use of several of the psychological treatments (e.g., sleep restriction, stimulus control, sleep hygiene, cognitive restructuring, and relapse prevention). The findings were striking, suggesting that not only could the treatment be delivered over the Internet but also that sleep improved in this group even six months later. Under certain circumstances, people are able to use evidence-based instruction (education on the use of a treatment that has empirical support) to improve a variety of psychological problems. For young children, some cognitive treatments may not be possible. Instead, treatment often includes setting up bedtime routines such as a bath, followed by a parent's reading a story, to help children go to sleep at night. Graduated extinction has been used with some success for bedtime problems, as well as for waking up at night