Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia
The first step in treating insomnia with CBT-I is to identify the underlying causes of the insomnia. People with insomnia should evaluate or have their sleep patterns evaluated and take into account all possible factors that may be affecting the person's ability to sleep. This would involve keeping a sleep diary or journal for a couple weeks. The journal will help to identify patterns of thoughts or behaviors, stressors, etc. that could be contributing to the person's insomnia.
Major depressive episode
Nearly every day, the person may sleep excessively, known as hypersomnia, or not enough, known as insomnia. Insomnia is the most common type of sleep disturbance for people who are clinically depressed. Symptoms of insomnia include trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, or waking up too early in the morning. Hypersomnia is a less common type of sleep disturbance. It may include sleeping for prolonged periods at night or increased sleeping during the daytime. The sleep may not be restful, and the person may feel sluggish despite many hours of sleep, which may amplify their depressive symptoms and interfere with other aspects of their lives. Hypersomnia is often associated with an atypical depression, as well as seasonal affective disorder.