Sleepless Nights and Brain Health: What You Need to Know About Insomnia and CBT-I
Anyone who’s ever had a newborn at home or experienced a few rough nights of sleep knows how quickly sleep deprivation can impact your mood. But what about your cognitive health—your memory, attention, or even your long-term brain function?
What happens when a few restless nights turn into months, or even years, of poor-quality sleep?
What Is Insomnia?
Insomnia isn’t just about tossing and turning—it’s a chronic condition where you have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early, despite having the time and opportunity to sleep. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, it affects about 12% of Americans.
The Cleveland Clinic breaks insomnia down into three main types:
Initial insomnia: Trouble falling asleep
Maintenance insomnia: Waking up throughout the night
Early waking insomnia: Waking up too early and not being able to go back to sleep
Insomnia can seriously disrupt your life—causing fatigue, irritability, low motivation, and difficulties with work, relationships, and concentration.
🧠 How Sleep Affects Brain Health
We often talk about sleep as a way to “rest,” but it’s actually an active process that’s critical for your brain.
Chronic insomnia and sleep deprivation can impair cognitive functioning and increase the risk for neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. Poor sleep affects many different jobs the brain is responsible for impacting our day to day lives, including our ability to pay attention and decreases our ability to complete tasks efficiently, our working memory or the ability to hold on to information in our mind and use it in the moment, learning and memory, our motivation, the ability to express our own emotions and appreciate the emotions of others, and even impacts the neurochemicals that impact our ability to experience pleasure and joy. Needless to say, good quality sleep is critical for cognitive efficiency; and when you’re not getting it you can tell.
💡 The Search for Sleep Solutions
If you search for insomnia help online, you’ll find everything from sleep apps and herbal supplements to high-tech pillows and prescription meds. But one research-backed, highly effective approach stands out:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I).
What Is CBT-I?
CBT-I is a structured, evidence-based treatment that helps people change thoughts and behaviors that interfere with sleep. It’s often more effective than sleep medications in the long term, has no side effects, is minimally invasive and cost effective.
The treatment is typically ypically delivered in hour long weekly sessions over 6 to 12 weeks, CBT-I includes these key components:
1. Sleep Education
Learn how sleep works and how your thoughts and behaviors influence it.
2. Sleep Restriction Therapy
Reduce your time in bed to match how much you actually sleep—then gradually increase it to improve sleep efficiency.
3. Stimulus Control
Rebuild a strong, positive connection between your bed and sleep by avoiding wakeful activities like scrolling or watching TV in bed.
4. Cognitive Restructuring
Challenge unhelpful beliefs like “If I don’t get 8 hours, tomorrow will be a disaster.”
5. Relaxation Training
Use tools like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or mindfulness to calm your mind and body.
6. Sleep Hygiene
Establish healthy habits like avoiding caffeine late in the day, limiting naps, and creating a soothing bedtime routine.
🩺 Can a Single Session Help?
While traditional CBT-I takes several weeks, that can be limiting to participation and patients struggle to maintain the treatment and lose motivation. However, new research suggests that even a single session can lead to meaningful improvements.
In a recent study presented at a national sleep conference, just one session of CBT-I reduced the time people were awake at night by an average of 58 minutes, and improved sleep efficiency by over 10% a month later.
Even better? When this brief CBT-I session was offered during a regular primary care visit, where patients often come for help when they have insomnia, participants gained an additional 45 minutes of sleep per night on average.
This means there’s real potential for making CBT-I more accessible in places like your doctor’s office—with minimal cost, time, or barriers.
If you struggle with poor sleep, you might consider reaching out to your medical doctor or a psychologist to explore healthy sustainable options for improved sleep; but, here are some common sleep hygiene tips to get you started:
Sleep Hygiene Tips:
If you’re struggling with insomnia, try these evidence-based sleep hygiene strategies:
🛏️ Sleep Environment
Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet.
Use your bed only for sleep and sex—no screens or work!
Invest in a comfortable mattress and bedding.
🕒 Sleep Schedule
Stick to a consistent sleep/wake time, even on weekends.
Avoid naps, especially in the late afternoon.
Get up at the same time no matter how you slept the night before.
🌙 Evening Routine
Create a wind-down routine: read, stretch, journal, or listen to calming music.
Avoid screens 30–60 minutes before bed—the blue light can delay melatonin.
Skip intense conversations or stressful emails before bed.
☕ Diet & Substances
No caffeine 6–8 hours before bed.
Limit alcohol—it disrupts sleep architecture.
Avoid heavy meals late at night.
💡 Daytime Habits
Get natural sunlight early in the day to reset your internal clock.
Exercise regularly, but not too close to bedtime.
Reduce overall screen time if it affects your sleep rhythm.
🛌 Final Thoughts
If insomnia is affecting your life, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to keep struggling. Whether it’s a full CBT-I program or even a single-session option through your primary care provider, evidence shows these interventions can make a real difference.
Talk to your doctor or a psychologist trained in CBT-I to explore options that work for you.
✨ Better sleep is possible—and your brain will thank you.