SleepCharge by Nox Health launches Restful Mind, a cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) program that features expert-led videos and personalized programming specific to patients’ needs.
“Insomnia affects 25% to 30% of adults on an occasional basis, and up to 10% of adults suffer from chronic insomnia as a sleep disorder,” says Jeffrey Durmer, MD, PhD, chief medical officer for Nox Health and co-founder of SleepCharge, in a release. “Restful Mind is a comprehensive solution for insomnia that includes online CBT-I, psychological and behavioral support, and medical and sleep therapy coordination. Research has shown that exclusively digital CBT-I programs have a lower long-term adherence rate than those with human intervention. Like all SleepCharge programs, Restful Mind was designed to be a people-centered solution. It’s based on a virtual physician consultation before treatment, with continuous care and medical management throughout the program. This allows us to provide the best possible care for each unique participant.”
The Restful Mind program was designed by Durmer—a sleep and circadian neurologist, neuroscientist—and Erla Bjornsdottir, PhD, a clinical psychologist and sleep researcher. The program educates patients on insomnia and its effects, provides tools to manage factors affecting sleep (exercise, diet, lifestyle, and stress) and helps sleep and wakefulness return to their natural rhythms.
The Restful Mind program measures sleep improvement using metrics such as sleep efficiency, the percentage of time spent asleep while in bed; sleep latency, the amount of time it takes to fall asleep; and WASO, the amount of wake experienced during the night after initially falling asleep.
The six-week online CBT-I program features a core of cognitive behavioral therapy video sessions, as well as supplemental content and an automated sleep diary analysis with medical management throughout. Though designed to be completed within six weeks, the Restful Mind program is self-paced and available to patients for 12 months to allow for re-review of past content as needed. Patients also have access to a live behavioral sleep medicine coach to assist with any specific needs, questions, or symptoms that might require additional professional evaluation.
[RELATED: Video-Conference CBT-I May Be an Accessible Solution for Your Insomnia Patients]
“Studies indicate that patients who suffer from chronic insomnia incur two to three times higher healthcare costs, are twice as likely to have a workplace accident and incur two to three times the amount of sick leave and disability when compared to other employees,” Durmer says. “By treating insomnia and other sleep disorders, not only do employers reduce direct and indirect employee expenses, they also gain the benefits associated with a more well rested, healthier and higher performing workforce.”
The Restful Mind CBT-I program is available to patients through SleepCharge, a population sleep health platform offered through employer-sponsored health plans and health systems.
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