CBT-I is an established insomnia treatment program with proven results – but many are still hesitant to try it. Does this sound like you?
If you’ve been struggling with insomnia for months — or even years — you’ve probably thought about getting help more than once. Maybe you’ve read about CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia), the treatment most sleep doctors recommend. Maybe you’ve even downloaded an app or bookmarked a clinic page.
And yet… you haven’t started.
That hesitation is more common than you’d think. In fact, many people delay treatment for years — not because they don’t want to sleep better, but because of the mental barriers that come with living in a long battle with insomnia.
Let’s talk about what those obstacles really are — and how to gently move past them.
1. “I’ve tried everything. Nothing works for me.”
If you’ve had insomnia for a long time, it’s easy to lose hope. You might feel like you’ve already tried everything — from melatonin to magnesium to mindfulness — and CBT-I sounds like just one more thing that’s bound to disappoint.
Here’s the truth: CBT-I isn’t another quick fix — it’s a complete reset for how your brain and body handle sleep. It doesn’t mask symptoms; it retrains the system that controls sleep itself.
Think of it like physical therapy for your sleep. When you have problems sleeping, your system creates unhelpful habits that make it tough for you to get rest. CBT-I provides the structure and training to retrain your body and mind. It helps your sleep system “remember” what it’s designed to do — and the research shows that over 70–80% of people improve, even when nothing else worked.
2. “I’m afraid it’s going to make my sleep worse.”
This one is understandable — and true, at least in the short term.
CBT-I uses a technique called sleep restriction that temporarily limits your time in bed to rebuild your body’s natural sleep drive. That can make you feel more tired in the first week or two.
But that early fatigue isn’t failure — it’s the reset in motion. It’s your sleep system relearning how to consolidate rest into deeper, more efficient sleep.
If you know that going in, you can see those tough first nights for what they are: progress, not punishment.
3. “I don’t want to give up my coping rituals.”
Insomnia has a way of weaving itself into your life. Late-night TV, scrolling on your phone, herbal teas, white noise, podcasts — they become rituals that make you feel like you’re at least doing something to fight the sleeplessness.
CBT-I often asks you to step back from some of those habits — to leave the bed if you’re awake, or to delay your bedtime — which can feel uncomfortable, even unsafe.
But what CBT-I really does is replace coping with confidence. It helps you move from “trying to sleep” to simply allowing sleep to happen again. Once that shift clicks, you won’t need rituals to prop up your nights — your body will do what it’s built to do.
4. “I’m too anxious to change what little sleep I get.”
When you’re barely functioning on a few hours a night, any change feels risky. You might think, If I mess with my schedule, I’ll get even less sleep — and I can’t handle that right now.
That fear makes sense — it’s survival instinct. But it’s also the same cycle that keeps insomnia locked in place. The more you try to protect sleep, the more anxious you become about losing it.
CBT-I helps you gently break that loop. You don’t have to leap into massive change overnight. You start with small, structured steps — and with each week, you gain more control and confidence.
5. “I can’t imagine life without sleep medication.”
Many people with chronic insomnia have used sleep aids for years. They become a safety blanket — something that promises at least a few hours of rest.
The idea of giving that up feels frightening, especially if you’ve tried before and ended up sleepless again.
CBT-I doesn’t force you to quit cold turkey. In fact, it can be done alongside medication at first. Over time, as your sleep becomes more natural and predictable, most people find they need less — and eventually, none at all.
Think of CBT-I not as taking something away, but as giving you tools and independence — the ability to sleep naturally, whenever you need to, without depending on a pill.
6. “I just don’t have the energy to start something new.”
Insomnia drains more than your sleep — it drains your motivation, patience, and confidence. Even opening an app or booking a first session can feel like climbing a mountain.
If that’s where you are, start smaller. Watch one short video about CBT-I. Read a success story. Write down what your nights are really like right now — not to fix them yet, but to see how much this is costing you. Consider how you want things to be different, and what your life might look like if they were.
Sometimes, the hardest part isn’t doing CBT-I. It’s taking that first tiny action that says, I’m ready to change this.
The Takeaway
Most people who delay CBT-I aren’t lazy or unmotivated — they’re scared. And that’s okay. Chronic insomnia can make anyone feel powerless. But CBT-I isn’t about willpower; it’s about retraining your brain to do what it already knows how to do: sleep.
If you can get through the hesitation — even just enough to start that first week — you’ll discover that progress builds quickly. Your nights get quieter. Your days get brighter. And the fear starts to lift.
“CBT-I works not by forcing sleep, but by restoring your trust that you can sleep.” — Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2021
If you’ve been putting it off, maybe this is your sign. You’ve suffered long enough. And the science — and thousands of success stories — say that better nights really are possible.
Sources:
Ong JC et al., Sleep Med Rev, 2012 — The role of anxiety and maladaptive
beliefs in chronic insomnia
Dr. Geralyn Dexter is a licensed mental health counselor with 15 years of experience providing clinical care. She currently serves as a faculty lead and psychology instructor at Southern New Hampshire University and works as an assistant professor of psychology at Colorado Technical University. Additionally, Dr. Dexter sits on the Medical Expert Board for Verywell Health. Her work has been featured in national media outlets and publications, including Mental Health America, GoodRx, Verywell Health, Sage Publications, and more.
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