Instant Genius Better Sleep: How psychology can help you beat insomnia
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Jun 22, 2025 Kathryn Pinkham, founder of The Insomnia Clinic and a specialist in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), discusses the critical role of sleep for our health. She explains the importance of quality sleep versus quantity and how anxiety can disrupt it, particularly highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kathryn shares effective CBT techniques to overcome insomnia, addresses sleep aids and rituals, and offers insights on the impact of sleep trackers, shedding light on their potential to cause more anxiety than relief.
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Health Impacts of Poor Sleep
- Poor sleep harms both mental and physical health, compromising immunity and increasing risks.
- Insomnia and anxiety/depression have a cyclical relationship, improving one can help the other.
Defining a Good Night's Sleep
- Waking briefly at night is normal and unproblematic if one quickly falls back asleep.
- Quality and continuity matter more than total hours of sleep for feeling refreshed.
How CBT Treats Insomnia
- CBT for insomnia targets catastrophic thoughts and unhealthy behaviors perpetuating poor sleep.
- It aims to reset your body clock and change negative sleep-related thoughts.