Managing insomnia (Just a Thought) course

Managing insomnia is a 4-part course where you will learn how to improve your sleep using simple and effective strategies based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). The 4 parts of the course are:

• Understanding sleep and insomnia: You can learn about the cycle of insomnia and how your thoughts and behaviours can keep maintain problems with sleep. You can also learn how keeping a sleep diary can help you understand your sleep better.
• Retraining your body and mind for sleep:  This section teaches strategies for reducing your sleep effort and how to retrain your brain to associate going to bed with going to sleep.
• Managing thoughts and behaviours that fuel insomnia: In this section you can learn how to use a ‘sleep window' to improve the quality of your sleep and skills to help you manage worries and thoughts that keep you up at night.
• Key points and keeping up your progress: This section has information about how activity can build your sleep drive, and about relaxation techniques to reduce stress and tension. It also has tips on how to tackle your problems in a practical and helpful way and how to make a plan to keep your sleep on track.

Each part of the course is broken down into 3 segments

• Story – reading through the story of a fictional NZ-based character Dave who experiences Insomnia. You will follow his journey towards acknowledgment of his condition and progress through CBT treatment.
• Lesson – working through the information that relates to the chosen part’s topic. This part is interactive and involves thinking about your personal situation and working through the prescribed activities.
• Action Plan – involves reviewing key points and planning activities to practice between lessons.

The course recommends taking a week to complete each part (4 weeks in total), however users are able to go at their own pace and save their progress as they go. Users can also work through the course with the support of a health practitioner who can monitor their progress.

People who are self-motivated (high functioning), have a good level of English literacy, and those who have a relationship with a trusted health practitioner (GP, nurse or other mental health worker) are most likely to benefit from the course.

For the complete course description, go to the course website(external link), or, for a more detailed review, see reviews below.

Clinical review

Reviewer: David Bloore, Clinical Psychologist, David Bloore Psychology Ltd (private practice)
Date of review: October 2023
Platform: No app, website suitable both android/apple
Comments: This is an online 4-part cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) course designed to support people to deal with insomnia and develop better sleep habits/routines.
The information presented is clear and concise and the use of a case study helps to put ideas into a relatable context. The course offers easy to follow interventions (that can be downloaded and printed off) which, if adopted consistently, are proven to be effective.
While users have the option to complete it on their own, it would be worthwhile to work through the programme with the support of an experienced health professional (or even a supportive family member/friend). This will likely help with accountability to keep working through the course and to assist with any queries or concerns about the information presented.
While the content lacks variety (mostly written material with a couple of audio based exercises) it is an easy platform to navigate and a worthwhile treatment option for people suffering from sleep difficulties and another useful sleep hygiene resource for health professionals to use with their clients.
New Zealand relevance: Yes.
Safety concerns: None.