Yes, the course is still effective for those taking sleeping pills. It’s very useful for us to know if you are taking sleeping pills or not. You can add this information in your sleep diary.
We recommend that you aim to keep medication stable during the course of therapy if possible, so long as your doctor is in agreement. When we abruptly stop sleeping pills we can experience a short period of rebound insomnia (we sleep badly again for a short while).
The course can also be very effective if combined with a plan to come off sleeping pills. If you wish to change or alter your sleeping pills then we would recommend that you consult your doctor to discuss this. Do let us know what you decide.
Yes, our sleep team are here to answer any questions you have and to provide support and guidance along the way. We believe that our personalised support is one of the most important parts of the Sleepstation programme - and key to its success.
Sleep problems can be complicated, which is why we make sure we take the time to learn about your sleep problem. You’ll be supported by real people who care. Please feel free to contact us at any time.
Your therapy sessions are also personalised. These are delivered by video and you can access them via your Dashboard. If you have any questions about your weekly therapy sessions just let us know - we’ll be happy to help.
Unfortunately we cannot offer any medical advice beyond that which is covered by this course. In particular, we cannot offer advice regarding your medication. But, we can signpost you to a medical professional who will be able to provide support.
Unfortunately the answer is no. Nothing has 100% success rate, but all of the research which has been done to evaluate this type of therapy (CBT for insomnia) in a face-to-face environment has consistently shown that it helps 50-70% of people with insomnia significantly improve their sleep and that those improvements tend to be long lasting.
There have been various positive research studies into the effectiveness of an online version of this well established therapy and we have carried out our own research into this looking at the effectiveness of the Sleepstation online insomnia therapy compared to face-to-face alternatives.
Sleepstation was proven to be more effective than it’s face-to-face counterpart, with over 80% of participants showing significant improvement in their sleep.
If it doesn’t work for you, we need to think carefully about whether we have the right sleep disorder and whether you’ve been able to do what we asked. Sometimes there are other things which your doctor might want to try for your sleep.
You can do this by following the instructions on the the password reset page. After completing the form, you’ll receive an email with details of how to reset your password.
If you’re already logged into your Sleepstation account, just click on the “My profile” link in the menu. This will take you to a “change password” form. Complete the form and save.
When people follow the Sleepstation course as directed, over 80% get significantly better as a result. Our threshold for “significant improvement” is a positive change in sleep efficiency scores of more than 20% from baseline. This is usually accompanied by an increase in total sleep time, along with a reduction time taken to fall asleep and anxiety around sleep. Most people also have improved scores on the PSQI questionnaire - a validated measure of sleep quality.
Over 90% of people who have tried Sleepstation get better in some way. They may have an increase in their sleep efficiency scores of 10%-15% for example. This isn’t considered a clinically significant change but it can make a real difference to how those people feel about their sleep, particularly for those who didn’t have far to go when they started - those with only mild insomnia.
This type of treatment is very successful when the course is followed as directed and those people who follow the instructions closely can achieve amazing results, as you can see from the feedback on our website and in the NHS Health Apps Library.
We’ll help you understand what might be keeping you awake. We’ll review your progress each week and provide personalised advice and guidance to help you overcome your sleep problem.
Sleepstation is built around the most effective treatment for insomnia available - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi). CBTi is supported by over 30 years of sleep science and is proven to help people overcome insomnia and sleep better.
You can find out more about how Sleepstation works here.
Most people start to see results after two to three weeks. However, some people (in particular those who have very severe insomnia) make slower progress and it can take eight to twelve weeks before they feel significantly better. There are some people who will not feel better after completing the Sleepstation course. In those cases we need to explore whether the problem is insomnia and whether the person had been able to follow the guidance.
Everyone is different and it’s important that you take the time that you need to ensure that you get the full benefit of the course. Our support team will provide ongoing support via the messaging system to ensure that you get the best out of your insomnia therapy with Sleepstation.
If you’re still not feeling better by the end of the course, we will provide advice and guidance about how to move forward alone. Or, if you feel that you still need our support, you can sign up for enhanced support.
You can do this by following the instructions on the the password reset page. After completing the form, you’ll receive an email with details of how to reset your password.
Remember to choose a secure password - one that is hard to guess and that only you know.
You can send us a message securely via your Sleepstation account, or by email to support@sleepstation.org.uk.
We will respond (electronically) to the complaint within 72 hours of receiving it to confirm receipt and provide you with a copy of our complaints policy.
We will offer to call you to discuss the complaint.
We will attempt to contact you a minimum of 3 times verbally.
All complaints will be recorded.
When NHS patients self-refer to Sleepstation they are opting into an NHS service which allows them to access treatment directly without being referred by a GP or other health professional.
The option to self-refer to Sleepstation is only available in certain parts of England at present. The NHS service is only available to NHS patients, so to qualify for the service the patient will need to provide us with their NHS number, date of birth and home address.
As this is an NHS service, Sleepstation are required to report these referrals to the NHS. Therefore data must be held. The patient has a choice about how this information is reported and to whom.
Sleepstation will not use NHS patient data for marketing purposes or pass information to 3rd parties, other than the NHS, without patient consent.
Sleepstation is an online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for insomnia. This type of CBT is commonly referred to as CBTi.
CBTi is a psychological treatment. There is very strong evidence for using psychological treatments in insomnia. This type of treatment has been proven to be effective both in the short-term and in the long-term. This type of treatment is effective for all adults (both male and female). It can effectively treat insomnia that has been present for a short time, or lasted for many years. It’ s also been proven to be effective in treating poor sleep and insomnia associated with medical or psychological conditions.
So, it’ s very powerful and that’s why we’ve chosen to use it as the foundation for Sleepstation.
We know that CBTi is very effective. But, it requires a great deal of commitment – it’s not easy but it works. The approach directly addresses your thoughts, beliefs and behaviours around sleep. There is a tendency for people with poor sleep to over-focus on their sleep. They often tell us that they can’t switch off, or have worrying thoughts running through their mind – what we call “racing thoughts”.
How we think and feel affects our sleep, and through the Sleepstation programme you will have access to tips and techniques which have been clinically proven to help people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
We’ll help you understand any bad habits that might be affecting your sleep, and provide support to help you change those, or replace them with more positive habits and routines.
Sleepstation is the online version of the CBT for insomnia which Dr Kirstie Anderson delivers in her specialist sleep clinic. She has seen and successfully treated thousands of patients with sleep problems and actively researches new techniques to treat sleep problems.All of the components of this online course have been tested to ensure that they are effective.
In the most recent study that we’ve published, over 80% of participants studied saw significant improvement in their sleep as a direct result of this programme.
If you are committed to overcoming your insomnia, and follow the plan that we create for you, we are confident that you can improve your sleep. In addition to our own reviews and research into the effectiveness of this treatment, there are many scientific reviews which outline how effective CBTi is. This method of treatment is endorsed by the NHS and recommended by NICE in the UK and NIH in the USA.
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterised by difficulty falling and/or staying asleep.
People with insomnia have one or more of the following symptoms:
Sleepstation is the drug-free solution to overcoming insomnia. It is an online therapy course which is clinically proven to cure chronic insomnia. Sleepstation is as effective as face-to-face insomnia treatments delivered in sleep clinics but Sleepstation is delivered entirely online.
Our online course is tailored to each individual and helps people fall asleep faster and stay asleep during the night.
The course was co-designed by Dr Kirstie Anderson. Dr Anderson saw a need for an online programme as she was receiving a high level of referrals for her NHS sleep clinic. As one of the few consultant neurologists to specialise in sleep, she works within one of the country’s largest sleep clinics where people with every type of sleep disturbance are seen and successfully treated including those with severe insomnia. She has published papers on a range of sleep disorders and delivers lectures on every aspect of sleep.
Around 87% of people who complete the Sleepstation course get better in some way, and over 80% of are sleeping normally after Sleepstation.
This type of insomnia therapy is very successful when the course is followed as directed and those people who can follow the instructions closely can achieve amazing results, as you can see from our patient stories.
Sleepstation is not available on the NHS everywhere. It is available in some parts of England. It is not currently available on the NHS in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. We can provide funding to help NHS patients living outside of England access our service privately.
Sleepstation is suitable for adults with chronic insomnia. Insomnia is called chronic when a person has insomnia at least three nights a week for a month or longer.
Sleepstation may not be suitable for you if you suffer from Bipolar Disorder, Mania, Epilepsy, Schizoaffective Disorder or Schizophrenia. It should be used with caution if you suffer from severe Migraine or have had a head injury in the past.
If you’re having problems viewing a website or elements of a website (such as the videos on the Sleepstation website) it is important that you check that your browser is up to date as a first port of call. It’s important to keep your browser up to date to ensure enhanced security and performance across the internet.
The majority of problems which people experience are due to out of date browsers. Our system is designed to be compatible with Internet Explorer 11 and up and the latest version of all other browsers (e.g safari, chrome, firefox, opera etc).
Sleepstation delivers interactive mixed media content via the internet, and to experience Sleepstation at it’s best you should ensure that your software is up to date.
You can find out what browser you are using here - What browser am I using?
If you’re not running the latest version an update may solve your problem.
If you’re having trouble with video, and your browser is up to date, then the problem may be with your version of flash. You can check if you have the latest version here - What version of flash do I have?
If all of your software is up to date and you’re still having problems then please contact us by email at technical@sleepstation.org.uk to let us know the problems you’re having. Ideally we’d like you to take a screenshot and attach that to the email.
In your email please give us as much detail as you can about the problem you’re having and let us know which browser (including which version) you’re using as well as the device you are using (PC, Macbook, iPhone, iPad, other tablet device).
No, Sleepstation is an online course so you won’t need to visit us for an appointment. Sleepstation has been clinically proven to be as effective as face-to-face insomnia treatment and the treatment methodology is the same.
There are no waiting lists and many people find it much more convenient to complete the course online than to attend a sleep clinic. However, there are some people who prefer to go through the course in a clinic environment.
If you do want to see someone face to face then please let us know by emailing support@sleepstation.org.uk and we can provide details of relevant sleep services in your area. However, we cannot refer you to these service directly.