WBLAS Community Services & Recreation

Insomnia affects 20% to 30% of the American population each year, and 10% have chronic insomnia that has lasted several months or even years. Many people find sleep medications and over-the-counter supplements ineffective, but there are effective non-medicinal treatments many people don’t know about. In 2016, The American College of Physicians reviewed all treatments for insomnia and found Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) to be the safest, most effective and durable treatment for insomnia. Sleep is logical, and it follows rules. The problem is that no one teaches us the rules of sleep. This 75-minute presentation and discussion will teach you how sleep works and what you can do to prevent a short bout of insomnia from becoming a chronic problem.

As we get older, sleep often becomes more difficult. Although sleep problems are not uncommon for those aged 65+, they aren’t a normal part of aging. This engaging presentation and discussion will focus on normal sleep in the elderly, and how other sleep disorders, medical, and environmental conditions can disrupt sleep. We will also discuss why sleep medications can be problematic for seniors and how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) combined with medication tapering can improve overall sleep with fewer side effects.