CBT for Insomnia Somryst

CBT for Insomnia Reduces Depression – Somryst

Peter ForsterBest Practices, Insomnia, Insomnia Treatment

An online sleep program using CBT for insomnia (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia – CBTi) has been shown to reduce depression in a study published in the April 2016 edition of Lancet Psychiatry.

CBT for Insomnia

CBTi is the most effective program for treating chronic insomnia and chronic insomnia is a major risk factor for developing depression.

Unfortunately, CBTi is not available in many areas. And individual CBTi is expensive.

The online CBTi that was studied in the Lancet article is now known as Somryst™ and is one that we have used successfully in many patients with chronic insomnia in the clinic.

The study found that depression, suicidal ideation, and anxiety symptoms can be reduced in people at risk for depression by using the Somryst program.

The study is particularly timely since the program was recently overhauled and improved to make it more interactive and effective and is now available as a digital therapeutic (a prescribed app) called Somryst.

All of our patients who have used the app report is is helpful and feel that they have long term benefits from it.

Somryst® – Important Safety Information

Indication for Use

Somryst® is a prescription-only digital therapeutic intended to provide a neurobehavioral intervention (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia – CBT-I) to patients 22 years of age and older with chronic insomnia. Somryst treats patients with chronic insomnia by improving a patient’s insomnia symptoms.

Who Should Not Use Somryst® (Contraindications)

Somryst uses sleep restriction and consolidation, limiting the time a patient spends in bed to match the amount of time they sleep. This treatment technique can increase risks to some patients whose pathophysiology may be worsened. Because of this, it is not appropriate for everyone. Patients with the following conditions or disorders should not use Somryst:

• Any disorder exacerbated by sleep restriction

• Untreated obstructive sleep apnea

• Parasomnias

• Epilepsy

• Individuals at high risk of falls

• Individuals who are pregnant

• Individuals who have any other unstable or degenerative illness judged to be worsened by sleep restriction delivered as part of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia

Important Safety Information

Somryst® is not for everyone. Please consult your Health Care Provider to determine whether Somryst is right for you.

• Somryst is not for emergency use. Please dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency room in the event of a medical emergency.

• Do not use Somryst to communicate severe, critical, or urgent information to your Health Care Provider.

• Somryst is not meant to be used as treatment without supervision of a Health Care Provider.

• Somryst is not meant to be a substitution for any treatment medication.

• Somryst contains sensitive medical information. Please protect your information by pass word-protecting their smartphone and tablet, and ensuring no one else may access your device.

Sleep Restriction (and Consolidation) within Somryst can cause sleepiness, especially in the early stages of using the PDT. Somryst should not be used if you need to be alert or cautious to avoid serious accidents in your job or daily life. Examples include: – Long-haul truck drivers – Long distance bus drivers – Air traffic controllers – Operators of heavy machinery – Some assembly line jobs

• The usage data collected in therapy lessons by Somryst are not intended to be used as a standalone assessment of treatment progress.

Note: In the early stages of treatment, increased daytime sleepiness may be expected, but is usually temporary. Please consult with your HCP if these experiences do not go away over a few weeks, as it may indicate that they have another sleep disorder or medical condition other than insomnia. If you have trouble staying awake while performing potentially dangerous tasks (like driving) at any point in the treatment, avoid these dangerous tasks or stop following the sleep restriction component of the therapy. Please read and follow the instructions provided in each module, and stay with the therapy until the end to achieve the best results with Somryst. It is important to give honest and accurate answers when reporting sleep results.

Please see the Clinician Brief Summary Instructions for Somryst for more information.

History

Timeline of Somryst™ (formerly SHUTi)

For More Information

Chronic Insomnia Best Treatments

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi)

Resources

Insomnia Overview

New Insomnia Guidelines

References

  1. Christensen H, Batterham PJ, Gosling JA, Ritterband LM, Griffiths KM, Thorndike FP, Glozier N, O’Dea B, Hickie IB, Mackinnon AJ. Effectiveness of an online insomnia program (SHUTi) for prevention of depressive episodes (the GoodNight Study): a randomised controlled trial. Lancet Psychiatry. 2016 Apr;3(4):333-41. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00536-2. Epub 2016 Jan 28. PubMed PMID: 26827250.
  2. Somryst clinician information: brief summary instructions. Pear Therapeutics, Inc. 2019. 
  3. Somryst clinician directions for use. Pear Therapeutics, Inc. 2020.