Insomnia Therapy in Chicago & Northbrook IL

Poor sleep affects everything. Your mood, your concentration, your ability to regulate emotions, your health, your relationships, and your capacity to function at work. When insomnia has gone on for weeks or months, the exhaustion and frustration can take on a life of their own, and the anxiety about not sleeping can become part of what is keeping you awake.

Most people with chronic insomnia have tried some combination of sleep hygiene advice, melatonin, and possibly prescription sleep aids. Those approaches help some people. For many others, the underlying patterns driving insomnia have not been addressed. That is where therapy comes in.

What Is Insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by persistent difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early despite adequate opportunity to sleep, resulting in daytime impairment. Chronic insomnia is defined as occurring at least three nights per week for at least three months. It frequently co-occurs with anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.

What Insomnia Looks Like

Lying awake for long periods after getting into bed
Waking in the middle of the night and being unable to return to sleep
Waking significantly earlier than intended
Racing mind at bedtime or during nighttime waking
Dreading bedtime because of the anticipated struggle
Fatigue and low energy during the day despite spending adequate time in bed
Difficulty concentrating, irritability, or low mood related to poor sleep

“Struggling with sleep can feel exhausting and discouraging. It may seem like the harder you try to conquer insomnia, the worse it gets. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) can really help people change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors around sleep. I believe in CBT-I because I have seen it help clients find relief from insomnia and experience real, lasting improvements in their sleep.”
– Colleen Vitt, LCSW, Midwest Counseling & Diagnostics

CBT-I: The Evidence-Based Treatment for Insomnia

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is the gold-standard, first-line treatment for chronic insomnia, recommended over sleep medication by the American College of Physicians. CBT-I addresses the thoughts, behaviors, and physiological patterns that perpetuate insomnia rather than just masking symptoms.

CBT-I components typically include sleep restriction therapy to build stronger sleep drive, stimulus control to rebuild the bed-sleep association, cognitive restructuring for sleep-related anxiety, and individualized sleep hygiene guidance. CBT-I typically produces significant improvement within 6 to 8 sessions and is more effective than sleep medication in the long term without risks of dependence or rebound insomnia.

Insomnia Therapy in Chicago, Northbrook, via Telehealth

We offer CBT-I and insomnia-focused therapy for adults in Chicago and Northbrook, and via telehealth. Call (312) 291-9570 or book a consultation online.

Frequently Asked Questions About Insomnia Therapy

What is CBT-I and how is it different from regular CBT?
CBT-I is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy specifically adapted for insomnia. While standard CBT addresses thoughts and behaviors broadly, CBT-I uses specific protocols including sleep restriction, stimulus control, and sleep-specific cognitive restructuring that target the mechanisms maintaining chronic insomnia.

Is CBT-I better than sleep medication?
Research consistently shows that CBT-I produces comparable or superior results to sleep medication in the short term and significantly better outcomes long term. Unlike medication, CBT-I addresses the underlying patterns maintaining insomnia and produces durable improvements without risk of dependence or rebound insomnia.

How quickly does insomnia therapy work?
Many people begin to see improvement within the first two to three weeks of CBT-I, though some components, particularly sleep restriction, can feel harder before they feel better. Significant improvement typically occurs within 6 to 8 sessions.

Can insomnia therapy help if my insomnia is caused by anxiety or depression?
Yes. CBT-I is effective even when insomnia co-occurs with anxiety or depression. In some cases, treating the insomnia directly also produces improvement in mood and anxiety.

Is insomnia therapy available via telehealth?
Yes. CBT-I is highly effective via telehealth and has been specifically validated in that format. Midwest Counseling offers insomnia therapy via telehealth across Illinois and many other states.

Reach out to start
your healing journey today.

(312) 291-9570

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