Virtual expert at hand to improve sleep

During these difficult and unusual times, changes in the way we all live, learn and work impacts both our physical and mental health, which includes affecting our sleep. Be kind to yourself by prioritising your sleep to protect your mental health.  

Residents in Oxfordshire can have free access until September 2020 to Sleepio, a digital programme designed to alleviate poor sleep. The six-week program is designed by sleep experts and based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT.)

It is available via the web and a mobile app. Users interact with ‘The Prof’, a virtual sleep expert, who teaches techniques to improve sleep via six 20-minute video sessions.  

Over the course of the program, you’ll be taken through a number of cognitive and behavioural techniques that you can practice any time poor sleep occurs. The techniques include: 

• Sleep restriction – a powerful way to increase your sleep drive and reset your sleep schedule
• Stimulus control – rebuild a healthy association between your bed and sleep  
• Cognitive tools – manage the worries and thoughts that make it difficult to sleep
• Sleep hygiene review – optimise your environment and habits for better sleep.

You can keep tabs on your progress and notice patterns by using the Sleep Diary tool and make a plan to take concrete steps to optimise your day for good sleep in the night. 

The app is available at www.sleepio.com/nhs