Two studies show cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention can reduce insomnia in women, reports Healio.

“Cognitive-behavioral therapy for menopausal insomnia (CBTMI) combines CBT interventions for insomnia and hot flashes,” presenter Sara Nowakowski, PhD, assistant professor in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, told Endocrine Today. “The intervention led to clinically meaningful improvements in sleep with added benefit of improving mood for midlife women and is equally beneficial to women experiencing more-severe depressive symptoms.”

In a pilot study of the CBTMI intervention, Nowakowski and colleagues randomly assigned 40 perimenopausal or postmenopausal women (mean age, 55 years) reporting at least one hot flash per night who met diagnostic criteria for insomnia disorder to CBTMI or a control group receiving menopause education.