4200: Say Goodnight to Insomnia

About the Course:

Say Good Night to Insomnia is a self-help guide that combines cognitive behavioral techniques, the relaxation response, and other psychological approaches in the treatment of insomnia. This drug-free program was developed at Harvard Medical School and has been proven effective among thousands of individuals. Jacobs claims that 100% of insomniacs who participated in the program reported some improvement, with 75% of tested insomniacs becoming normal sleepers and 90% of insomniacs able to reduce or eliminate their use of sleeping pills. The book includes self-assessment inventories and schedules that allow the participant to monitor progress, as well as concise, easy-to-understand information about sleep and stress, spread out over a six week treatment period.

Author

Gregg Jacobs, Ph.D.

About the Author:

Gregg D. Jacobs, Ph.D., developed the Behavioral Medicine Insomnia Program at Harvard Medical School’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he is an Insomnia Specialist in the Sleep Disorders Center. Since its inception in 1991, he has taught the program to thousands of individuals, including his patients, employees of major corporations, and health care practitioners. Dr. Jacobs is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Senior Research Scientist at Harvard Medical School’s Mind/Body Medical Institute.

Course Objectives:

1. Describe various types of insomnia and their causes

2. Perform a self-assessment to identify factors that influence insomnia

3. Employ cognitive restructuring, relaxation techniques, lifestyle and environmental modifications, and stress reduction techniques to relieve insomnia and increase general well-being

4. Apply specific guidelines to reduce or eliminate sleeping pill use

5. Apply specific guidelines to deal with shift work, jet lag, and pediatric sleep problems