Sleep is fundamental to health, and yet sleeplessness is an epidemic. Leaving aside the question of what causes this phenomenon (ranging from individual physiology to global climate change) one key issue is what we can do when insomnia hits us personally.
Sleep support is always a part of my discussions with patients. But we need to take a different approach when insomnia becomes a chronic problem.
treating chronic insomnia
When faced with ongoing sleeplessness, it’s common to think of supplements or drugs as a way to help. But the best starting point for chronic insomnia is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I).
First developed for the US Veterans Administration, CBT-I is supported by rigorous scientific research. It works quickly, druglessly, and has long-lasting benefits. Family doctors and sleep specialists recommend CVT-I as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia.
If you haven’t heard of it, that’s likely because so few providers are trained to deliver it. I’m pleased to offer this evidence-based therapy to Alaskans and Oregonians.
why CBT-I?
Sleep is an automatic function of our bodies — until our minds get in the way.
CBT-I works by changing the thoughts and actions actions that impede your sleep. It offers significant and lasting sleep improvement — even for people with long-standing sleep issues.
Advantages of CBT-I include:
- Requiring no medications, supplements or prescriptions.
- Leveraging your natural sleep drive and circadian clock.
- Improving sleep more than supplements or drugs in both the short and longer terms.
- Helps most patients in just six to eight sessions.
- You can do it on your own, with apps or with a trained provider.
- Affirmed by research as an effective and durable treatment for chronic insomnia.
This is why CBT-I is recommended as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia by the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
how it works
Treatment starts with an intake appointment specifically focused on your sleep. We’ll consider your overall health, discuss the evolution of your insomnia, check for other sleep disorders, and identify contributing issues.
We can do CBT-I alongside almost any other kind of treatment in most cases.
If CBT-I is a good fit for your health goals, the next steps are about gathering data, discussing what you do before bed and if you wake in the night, and giving you new ways to think about sleeplessness that support better rest. You’ll start to sleep between specific hours that we identify together. And overall you’ll train your mind and body to enjoy more regular and easy sleep.
Most people need six to eight focused CBT-I sessions, usually weekly or every other week. This helps you solidify improvements and have tools in place if the insomnia returns.
now available for Alaskans and Oregonians
Historically, one-on-one CBT-I has been difficult to access. That’s partly because so few providers are trained in the therapy, and because many who are qualified may not take insurance.
To help address this need, I completed comprehensive didactic training in CBT-I through the Stanford University Sleep Health and Insomnia Program in September 2025. This program offers the most flexible (and naturopathic) version of CBT-I. I also am participating in provider-support sessions overseen by Stanford faculty through March, 2026.
As of October, 2025 I’m offering CBT-I for patients in Alaska and Oregon. I am in network with or can bill most insurance.
choosing medical or sleep-focused appointments
I offer both general-medical and sleep-focused appointments. Which is right for you?
For general health including sleep, or if you want to strategize which issues to tackle in what order, please start with a full medical appointment. If we proceed with CBT-I, we’ll schedule that in separate sessions.
If you want to focus on sleep, or if you’re already working with me or another provider for overall care, please select the new-patient CBT-I option.
I look forward to working with you!
CBT-I resources:
CBT-I Coach app (free, includes sleep diary).
Fillable PDF sleep diary (Stanford)
Printable analog sleep diary (Stanford)
Sleep diary instruction videos (Stanford)
Learn more about CBT-I here.
read more about CBT-I:
From the US Veterans Administration.
From the Mayo Clinic.
Another from the Mayo Clinic.
From Psychology Today.
From The Sleep Foundation.
Systematic review and meta-analysis from the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I): A Primer. [PMID: 36908717]
Perspectives on increasing the impact and reach of CBT-I, Sleep, Dec. 2023.
Stanford University Sleep Health and Insomnia Program.
more sleep resources:
Sleep matters
Sleep stabilizes blood sugar
Sleep better tonight with this one simple sleep hack
Sleeping cool is self defense
the sleep Rx for weight loss
Sleep and heat (articles and studies)
Books I recommend about sleep.
Sleep is an automatic function of our bodies — until our minds get in the way. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia helps us restore our sleep through changing thoughts and actions.
