Lydia MacDonald

Chronic insomnia is very debilitating. During bouts of disrupted sleep, it can feel like your sleep system is broken and it will never work again. When you haven’t slept well in many weeks, it becomes difficult to think of anything else except “how can I or when will I sleep again?”
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Unfortunately, during these periods of poor sleep we tend to engage in behaviors that may feel good in the short term (napping, spending excessive time in bed, going to bed very early, resting a lot, conserving energy, delaying living) but these coping behaviors actually perpetuate insomnia.
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During CBTi, I will ask you to complete daily sleep diaries so I can get a very clear understanding of how you are currently sleeping and I want to know your “sleep story” – how your insomnia began, and what thoughts and behaviors may be contributing to continued problems. I will explain, in depth, how and why certain behaviors and activities contribute to broken sleep and which behaviors and activities will lead to more consolidated and restful sleep. Your daily diary data will help me individualize the treatment to you and track progress.
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We will also work on sleep anxiety— anxious thinking related to being exhausted and the fears around not sleeping at night or when we want to—and how to handle this.
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We can work together to restore healthy sleep patterns. Treatment takes about 4-6 weeks to complete, but often people are sleeping better sooner than that and continue to improve throughout the treatment and after.

I am a board certified psychiatric nurse practitioner. Prior to opening my Clear Midnight Therapy I provided CBTI in a sleep clinic in for six years. Feel free to contact me through my website or by phone. I offer a free 20 minute phone consultation to provide more information about CBTI and my approach and I can answer any questions.
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