Insomnia Treatment
- Insomnia Treatment
You do not have
a sleeping problem.
Your brain has
learned the wrong
thing about sleep.
80%
Of CBT-I patients improve
3–4
Sessions for most patients
NICE
Recommended first-line
Drug-free
No sleeping pills
- What insomnia actually is
Chronic insomnia is
a learned condition.
Insomnia is defined as difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early — on three or more nights per week, for three or more months, causing significant daytime impact. It affects approximately one in three adults in the UK at any given time, and around one in ten has chronic insomnia.
What most people do not understand is that insomnia is rarely caused by what they think it is. The initial trigger — stress, illness, a period of disruption — may have passed months or years ago. What keeps insomnia alive is a set of behaviours, thoughts, and physiological patterns that form in response to poor sleep and then perpetuate it independently of the original cause.
This is called the 3P model: Predisposing factors (who you are), Precipitating factors (what started it), and Perpetuating factors (what keeps it going). CBT-I targets the perpetuating factors — the only ones that are both modifiable and directly responsible for maintaining your insomnia.
Sleeping pills address the symptom. CBT-I addresses the mechanism. That is why CBT-I produces durable, lasting change while sleeping pills often stop working — or require escalating doses — over time.
01
Temporarily restricting time in bed consolidates fragmented sleep and rebuilds a powerful, consistent sleep drive. One of the most effective single techniques in sleep medicine — and counterintuitive for most people.
02
Retraining the association between bed and wakefulness. If you lie awake in bed for long periods, your brain learns that bed is a place for wakefulness — not sleep. Stimulus control reverses this.
03
Identifying and challenging the unhelpful thoughts about sleep that sustain arousal at bedtime. Thoughts like “I must get eight hours” or “I will not cope tomorrow” amplify the very state that prevents sleep.
04
Targeted techniques to reduce the physiological and cognitive hyperarousal that characterises insomnia. Not generic advice — specific, sequenced methods matched to your pattern of sleep disturbance.
05
Sleep hygiene alone rarely cures insomnia. But as one component of a structured programme, addressed in the right sequence and adapted to your specific situation, it has genuine value.
- The evidence
Why CBT-I works when sleeping pills do not.
80%
Approximately 80% of patients who complete a structured CBT-I programme experience clinically significant improvements in sleep onset, sleep maintenance, and total sleep time. In clinical trials, CBT-I outperforms sleeping medication for long-term outcomes.
First
NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) recommends CBT-I as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia — before sleeping pills. Despite this, the majority of patients in the UK are still offered medication first because CBT-I access remains limited.
Lasting
Unlike sleeping medication, the benefits of CBT-I are maintained and often continue to improve after the programme ends. Follow-up studies show sustained gains at 6 and 12 months. Patients do not need to continue treatment indefinitely.
Safe
Sleeping pills carry risks of dependency, tolerance, cognitive side effects, and rebound insomnia on discontinuation. CBT-I carries none of these risks. For patients who are already taking sleeping medication, CBT-I is the recommended approach to support gradual reduction.
- Treatment fees
Choose your
specialist.
All treatment begins with a Clinical Sleep Assessment. Subsequent CBT-I treatment sessions are priced per session — each lasting 40 to 50 minutes. Many people see significant improvements in just 3 to 4 sessions. You are not committing to a fixed number at the outset.
£150
Treatment sessions £110 each
Cognitive Behavioural Therapist
An experienced CBT therapist specialising in sleep and insomnia. An evidence-based, structured starting point — effective for the majority of patients presenting with chronic insomnia.
- Clinical Sleep Assessment — 40–50 minutes
- Two questionnaires and sleep diary completed beforehand
- Full exploration of your sleep difficulty, its development, and contributing factors
- CBT-I treatment sessions — £110 each · 40–50 minutes
- Between-session support by phone or email
- Most patients see significant improvement in 3–4 sessions
£200
Treatment sessions £160 each
Clinical Psychologist
A qualified clinical psychologist with specialist expertise in sleep. Recommended when insomnia co-exists with anxiety, depression, trauma, or other psychological complexity where deeper clinical assessment is a priority.
- Clinical Sleep Assessment — 40–50 minutes
- Two questionnaires and sleep diary completed beforehand
- Full clinical psychology assessment of sleep and mental health
- CBT-I treatment sessions — £160 each · 40–50 minutes
- Between-session support by phone or email
- Most patients see significant improvement in 3–4 sessions
£250
Treatment sessions £190 each
Dr Jim Brown
Consultant-level assessment and CBT-I treatment with Dr Jim Brown. The most comprehensive clinical option — combining specialist sleep medicine expertise with psychological treatment for patients who want the highest level of clinical oversight.
- Clinical Sleep Assessment — 40–50 minutes
- Two questionnaires and sleep diary completed beforehand
- Consultant-level review of sleep difficulty and all contributing factors
- CBT-I treatment sessions — £190 each · 40–50 minutes
- Between-session support by phone or email
- Most patients see significant improvement in 3–4 sessions
- Extra support when you need it
Support between every session.
CBT-I works between sessions as much as during them. Questions come up, difficult nights happen, and the techniques need reinforcing. Your specialist is there.
Your specialist checks in to understand how things are going with your new techniques — and what might need adjusting before your next session.
Questions about your sleep diary, a difficult night, or how to apply a technique to a specific situation — answered between appointments, not at the next one.
A brief recap of the tools and techniques covered in your last session — so nothing is lost between appointments and momentum is maintained.
Between-session contact is available via phone or email, whichever suits you. Included with every treatment pathway.
- Getting started
From first contact
to first good night.
01
Contact us to discuss your situation. We will help you choose the right specialist for your needs — or answer any questions before you book your Clinical Sleep Assessment.
02
Before your assessment you complete two questionnaires and a sleep diary. This gives your specialist a clear picture of your sleep difficulty before the appointment — so the session gets straight into what matters.
03
A 40–50 minute appointment with your specialist. You will discuss your sleep problem, how it developed, and the factors affecting it now and in the past. This is the foundation of your treatment.
04
CBT-I treatment begins. Sessions are 40–50 minutes each, with between-session support available throughout. Most patients see significant improvement within three to four sessions.
- Common questions
Before you
get in touch.
CBT-I is effective for chronic insomnia — difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or early morning waking, persisting for three or more months. It is also effective for subclinical insomnia and for people whose sleep is poor but who do not meet full diagnostic criteria. It is particularly powerful when insomnia has become self-perpetuating — when the original cause has resolved but sleep remains poor.
For most patients presenting with chronic insomnia, a CBT therapist is an excellent starting point — the techniques are the same regardless of who delivers them. A clinical psychologist is recommended when insomnia is significantly intertwined with anxiety, depression, or other psychological factors. Dr Jim Brown offers consultant-level oversight and is the right choice for complex cases, patients with significant medical comorbidities, or those who want the highest level of specialist involvement. If you are unsure, contact us and we will help you decide.
The number of sessions depends on your individual circumstances. However, many people see significant improvements in their sleep in just three to four sessions. You are not committing to a fixed number at the outset — your specialist will guide you through treatment and you proceed at the pace that is right for you.
Yes — and CBT-I is the recommended approach to support gradual medication reduction. Your therapist will work with your medication as part of the treatment, not in opposition to it. You should not stop sleeping medication abruptly without medical supervision.
Sleep restriction is the most evidence-based and most effective single technique in CBT-I. It is also the most counterintuitive and the hardest part of the programme. By temporarily limiting time in bed, it rapidly consolidates fragmented sleep and rebuilds a strong, consistent sleep drive. Your therapist calculates your individual sleep window from your diary data and adjusts it as you progress. The initial discomfort is real — but typically lasts one to two weeks and is the reason the programme works.
CBT-I is effective even when insomnia co-exists with anxiety or depression — and treating insomnia often produces meaningful improvement in mood symptoms. Your therapist will assess the interaction between your sleep and any other mental health conditions and adapt the programme accordingly. For complex presentations, a clinical psychologist or Dr Jim Brown may be the more appropriate choice.
Yes. All sessions are delivered via video consultation and are available anywhere in the UK and internationally. There is no geographic restriction.
CBT-I addresses the perpetuating factors of insomnia regardless of the original cause. Even when insomnia is associated with a physical condition, the behavioural and cognitive patterns that maintain it are the same — and CBT-I addresses them directly. Your therapist will take a full history and adapt the treatment to your situation. Where a medical cause requires further investigation, we can refer within the Grace Sleep clinical team.
A brief call with our team is all it takes. We will listen to what is happening with your sleep and recommend the right starting point — with no obligation to proceed.
Some patients with insomnia also have undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea. Where this is suspected, we recommend a home sleep study before or alongside CBT-I — treating both conditions together produces better outcomes than treating either alone.
- Start your treatment
Better sleep is not
a prescription away.
It is a programme away.
CBT-I works. The evidence is clear. Most patients begin to sleep meaningfully better within three to four sessions — without medication, without dependency, and with changes that last.
Prefer to speak to someone first? Call 020 3355 6701 or email us