Cancer patients are more likely to benefit from cognitive behavior therapy in the treatment of insomnia

Cognitive behavior therapy has been found to be an effective method of treatment for severe and persistent insomnia in cancer patients, according to a research abstract that will be presented at the 20th anniversary SLEEP meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) at Salt Lake City’s Salt Palace Convention Center from June 17-22.

The study, conducted by C.A. Espie of the University of Glasgow, UK, also found that the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy does not diminish due to the existence of physical symptoms such as pain or treatment side effects.

Insomnia is a classification of sleep disorders in which a person has trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up too early. These disorders may also be defined by an overall poor quality of sleep. Insomnia is a condition that is suffered by thirty percent of the U.S. population. Some medical conditions cause insomnia, or it may be a side effect of a medication. A person with insomnia may feel tired during the day, have trouble concentrating at work or fall asleep during the day. For most people, insomnia lasts only a few days and goes away without treatment, but stress or depression can cause a higher level of insomnia that may last for several weeks. This kind of insomnia may not go away on its own.

Cognitive behavior therapy is a combination of two kinds of psychotherapy: cognitive therapy and behavior therapy. It is used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, phobias, and other forms of mental disorder. Cognitive behavior therapy involves recognizing unhelpful patterns of thinking and reacting, then modifying or replacing these with more realistic or helpful ones.

The annual SLEEP meeting brings together an international body of 5,000 leading researchers and clinicians in the field of sleep medicine to present and discuss new findings and medical developments related to sleep and sleep disorders.

More than 1,000 research abstracts will be presented during the meeting, which is a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society (SRS). This will bring to light new findings that enhance the understanding of the processes of sleep and aid the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders such as insomnia, narcolepsy and sleep apnea.

Source: US Newswire