Can lack of sleep be cured over the internet?

What is lack of sleep?

Lack of sleep, also called ‘insomnia’, is a condition where an individual feel that their sleep is insufficient. The condition can be caused by multiple types of sleep disorders. These can be difficulties with falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, and/or waking up early. The condition may be acute or chronic. Around a third of the British populations suffers from chronic insomnia, meaning a minimum of three nights a week, over a period of minimum three months.

Treatment of insomnia

In many cases, a lack of sleep leads to an excessive use of sleeping pills (Hypnotics); which makes it more problematic to re-establish a healthy sleep cycle. The treatment of insomnia has refocused from the use of sleeping pills to cognitive therapy. This type of treatment involves a variety of components, including sleep restriction, stimulus control, sleep consolidation, relaxation techniques, and eventually light therapy - and has proven far more effective than sleeping pills. Cognitive therapy works by helping the patient identify and change the thoughts, habits, and actions causing or intensifying their insomnia. Thereby, the patient will be able to confront the underlying causes of their insomnia. By doing so the patient will be able to achieve a good night’s sleep even after treatment has concluded.

What is SHUTi?

The so called SHUTi, is a brand-new method for treating insomnia. SHUTi is founded on valid scientific methods and created based on successful techniques, used in regular cognitive ‘face-to-face’ therapy for insomnia. SHUTi can be used from the comfort of one’s own home. The name is an acronym for Sleep Healthy Using the Internet. The program consists of a structured six-week therapeutic treatment for adults suffering from insomnia, and the whole thing can be done online from one’s own computer. The program is, by all accounts, straightforward and easy to follow.

The program involves different levels. The first is an explanation of how to use the program, then a session where one evaluates one’s problems with sleep and the goal of the treatment. By doing so, the program will adapt to the individual’s sleep pattern, problems, and goal. The program will weekly, over a period of six weeks, introduce a new concept; focussing on different methods to improve the quantity and quality of one’s sleep. A session takes approximately 45-60 minutes to complete, and during the following six days one must attempt to incorporate the new strategies and techniques into one’s daily routine. Every day the patient will have to answer a questionnaire, which takes about 3 minutes to fill out, as a form of sleep journal and the program will adapt based on the answers - and provide the best advice for the individual. Before and after the treatment, the patient will have an appointment with a physician. The first meeting will determine whether the program can be an effective treatment for the patient or not. The second meeting will be a discussion on the programs effectiveness, and how to proceed going forward.

What do tests on SHUTi show?

SHUTi has been tested on a group of volunteers. The group consisted of 45 people, among which 22 followed the SHUTi program, while the other half did not. Those who completed the program reported that they woke less during the night, and the time they remained awake was less than before they completed the program. Those who did not receive the treatment, reported no difference in their sleep cycle. Even six months after having completed the SHUTi program, the 22 test subjects experienced a better sleep cycle than prior to the treatment.

Another study examined 303 people, of which half had either a medical condition or psychiatric disorder, which affected their sleep. After having completed SHUTi, 70 % could report that their sleep was significantly improved, and after a year, more than half did not suffer from insomnia anymore. Furthermore, the program performed better than treatments involving online texts, containing good advice for overcoming sleep disorders. In fact, the advantages of SHUTi were comparable to those of regular ‘face-to-face’ cognitive therapy for insomnia patients.

The program could potentially help a group of patients suffering from insomnia. However, there will still be a need for therapists offering ‘face-to-face’ cognitive therapy. This type of therapy is limited, and by treating some patients over the internet, the time patients must wait to receive ‘face-to-face’ treatment is expected to be less.

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