The British Association for Psychopharmacology (BAP) updated its sleep guidelines in 2019. Its recommendations for managing insomnia lead with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as a first-line treatment for chronic insomnia. CBT for insomnia (CBTi) is also available digitally (dCBTi).4

CBTi can help with the sleep-related behaviours and thought processes that an insomniac may go through, such as the worry of not falling asleep and racing thoughts. There is a substantial evidence base supporting the safety and effectiveness of CBTi, and it being lastingly effective, and dCBTi is now regarded as effective as face-to-face therapy.

As of May 2020, the NHS was including three sleep apps in the NHS apps library. Sleepio (www.sleepio.com) and Sleepstation (www.sleepstation.org.uk) use CBTi/dCBTi to support sleep improvement, while Pzizz (pzizz.com) uses psychoacoustic principles to tailor sounds to different parts of the sleep cycle.