CBT-I for sleep is the gold standard non pharmacological treatment for sleep and recommended by NICE and WHO. It is a great effective intervention for sleep difficulties for athletes and anyone struggling with insomnia.
Sleep has been shown to have an impact on health, learning and performance. As a mental health nurse, I worked alongside colleagues and emergency services whom regularly worked night shifts and long hours. Lack of sleep impacted on their day to day, their wellbeing and their work performance.
There is some research showing how sleep impacts performance on athletes, and there is more research showing how sleep impact health workers and their performance.
Some of the research about sleep shows changes in mood, appetite, concentration, immune system functioning, cognition, and processing of events, among other changes.
Online Sleep Therapy – CBT-I – My practice
I see many times people accessing online therapy, having had many months of disturbed sleep. Following the research and my own clinical experience, a central element of many of the work I do it is an initial intervention to improve sleep. This has been shown to improve therapeutic outcomes. Read more about me and what I do clicking here.
This may look like 1 or 2 sessions, or alongside other work we are doing, as sleep changes may take 1 to 2 weeks to be noticeable.
Usually, when working with sleep disturbances online, whether phone, video conference or text therapy, the intervention lasts 6 to 10 sessions, in intervals of 2 to 3 weeks. However, sometimes these changes based on individual needs.
If you want to know more you can contact me below for a free 15 minutes conversation.
Online Therapy and Support for athletes with sleep problems
There are many things that may impact on sleep problems in athletes, sports professionals and amateurs.
We would need to look at your individual needs and goals, not only regarding about sleep quality but also how this will change your day to day, performance, mood and any other valuable area of your life.
We will come up with your unique formulation, this is a map that will enable us to understand how you got where you are now, what elements continue to circle and maintain your sleep difficulties.
We will then come up with an individualised planned of support for you to be your best self.
This may look like:
Understanding sleep and anxiety.
Identifying behaviours that have short- and long-term impacts on sleep, performance and anxiety.
Implement practical and effective changes, tailormade to your needs, to use in sleep.
Regularly review changes in sleep and performance, as well as mood and other changes in your day to day.
We will ensure we share, learn and support you to be your best self. You can read more on online CBT-I or online sleep therapy here.
How sleep has improved performance in athletes?
Quick research facts:
- Sleep aids athletes in many areas of sport, recovery, concertation and others (Watson 2007)
- Basketball professionals better sleep, extended sleep, improved speed and accuracy (Mah 2011)
- Better sleep in Swimmers improved and gained reaction times among other benefits (Vitale 2019)
- Improving sleep for tennis players improved their serving accuracy (Schwartz)
We do not need to speak about the impact of lack of sleep on athletes, as unfortunately, you may be already aware of it if you are reading this blog.
Regarding the reasons of bad sleep, those are individuals for you. If you are an athlete and looking to improve you sleep, mood and performance, we can have a free online consultation of 15 minutes, to discuss your sleep and how we can support you.
