New guideline encourages use of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in adults
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine's guideline update addresses use of multicomponent brief therapies for insomnia, as well as single therapies such as stimulus control and relaxation therapy.
An updated guideline includes one strong recommendation for the use of multicomponent cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I).
CBT-I combines cognitive therapies with education about sleep regulation plus behavioral strategies such as stimulus control instructions and sleep restriction therapy. Treatment typically involves four to eight sessions. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) published the guideline in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
Five other conditional recommendations for the treatment of chronic insomnia disorder in adults include the following:
- Use multicomponent brief therapies for insomnia;
- Use stimulus control as a single-component therapy;
- Use sleep-restriction therapy as a single-component therapy;
- Use relaxation therapy as a single-component therapy; and
- Do not use sleep hygiene as a single-component therapy.
The guideline updates the AASM's 2006 practice parameters. It was developed by an expert task force and approved by the AASM board of directors after a systematic literature review, meta-analyses, and assessment of the evidence using the GRADE methodology. A draft of the guideline was made available for public comment.
ACP's Clinical Practice Guideline on management of chronic insomnia disorder in adults was published in Annals of Internal Medicine on May 23, 2016.