May 1, 2025
Valley Medical Group’s Center for Sleep Medicine is proud to offer cognitive behavioral therapy for the treatment of insomnia – a sleep disorder categorized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. Insomnia also manifests in daily living experiences, with low energy and irritability at the top of the list.
“Insomnia is literally sleep deprivation,” says Keith Dixon, MD, a sleep medicine specialist with Valley Medical Group. “When you use a strong but accurate term such as sleep deprivation, people really begin to understand the seriousness of the condition.”
“When the condition is chronic, as it is for many people, it can impact health in very negative ways, including a shortened lifespan, an increased risk of early dementia, decreased immunity, and an increased likelihood of contracting an infectious disease,” says Dr. Dixon. “It may even increase the odds of developing specific forms of cancer. Effects of insomnia in the long term can be devastating on an individual’s health, which is why, if you are experiencing insomnia, I strongly encourage an evaluation by a sleep professional, such as the specialists at Valley’s Center for Sleep Medicine.”
A key point of differentiation for Valley’s program is its use of CBT-i, or cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. This treatment starts with a very detailed evaluation followed by specific recommendations, which then improve the ability to sleep by taking advantage of underlying biologic mechanisms and processes.
Most commonly, our intuitive response to insomnia leads to behaviors that paradoxically make it worse, which perpetuates the pattern. Evidence shows that CBT-i directly addresses this negative cycle to begin to fix the root causes of insomnia.
“From my perspective, CBT-i should be the first treatment provided due to its efficacy, absence of side effects, and long-term beneficial results,” says Dr. Dixon. Insomnia often develops from repeated patterns of behavior or thought, and CBT-i can interrupt these routines, leading to more prolonged and improved sleep.
“CBT-i is underused, not because it doesn’t perform well, but because of the time it takes to effectively dismantle insomnia at its root,” says Dr. Dixon. “I am proud to say that the doctors in our center, myself included, have experience and capability and have demonstrated results with CBT-i.”
For more information on Valley’s treatments for insomnia and other sleep conditions, please call the Center for Sleep Medicine at 201-251-3487 or go to ValleyHealth.com/Sleep. To contact Dr. Dixon directly, please call 201-689-3669.