Sleepstation is a
commissioned service
NHS referrals to Sleepstation
COVID-19 advice and information
- The coronavirus pandemic has, understandably, disrupted sleep for many and we’ve seen an increase in referrals to our digitally delivered sleep service.
- Our insomnia service has always been delivered online and our team remains fully operational.
- We have adequate resource to meet demand for insomnia referrals. We have no waiting lists.
- We’ve produced a self-help sleep guide for NHS workers and are also offering NHS staff free access to sleep advice and support from our sleep team, without a referral.
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It’s easy to refer a patient to us, simply download a form, and email it to
tnu-tr.sleepstation@nhs.net we’ll handle the rest.
Dr Neil Stanley
Director of Sleep Science
Good sleep is vital for good mental, physical and emotional health. It helps us deal with stress, improves resilience and optimises our immune system. We must prioritise our sleep during this pandemic. Sleepstation is clinically proven and can resolve insomnia within four sessions.
Digitally delivered, fully supported NHS sleep service
We combine psychology and sleep science with dedicated support to improve sleep for patients with all forms of insomnia. Our expert sleep team deliver remote care with a personal touch.
Sleepstation is a digitally delivered cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia - CBTi. NICE recommends CBTi as the first-line approach for chronic insomnia.
Sleepstation resolves insomnia symptoms and improves quality of life for over 80% of patients who engage with the programme. Our expertise in engagement is what makes Sleepstation so powerful. A recent study has shown Sleepstation to be three times more engaging than unsupported sleep improvement apps. Over 75% of patients fully engage with the Sleepstation programme.
Sleepstation is an effective solution for insomnia
- Clinically validated
- Proven efficacy
- Few contraindications
- Benign side-effect profile
- Evidence based
- Delivered entirely online
- Gold-standard approach
- Fully supported
- Highly engaging
- Personalised care
Dr Moulin
GP at Amersham Vale Practice
I am grateful for your service. Especially for patients who are suffering from mild and moderate depression. Most of them have sleeping issues but waiting time for therapy is now between 4 and 6 months. Referring to Sleepstation helps them wait. This gives me an extra option to make patients feel less abandoned.
It takes two minutes to refer
- Download and complete the form below
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Email the form to
tnu-tr.sleepstation@nhs.net
We’ll handle everything else
Version 14: effective from July 2020
Sleepstation can effectively address all forms of insomnia
In published research, Sleepstation’s CBTi programme produced large improvements across measures of sleep quality. The benefits associated with CBTi persist on completion of treatment, unlike those associated with medication. 1 2
CBTi is widely recommended in clinical guidelines as the first-line treatment for insomnia based on extensive evidence of effectiveness for sleep improvement and associated improvements in mental health, wellbeing and quality of life. 3 4 5 6 7
CBTi has been shown to be superior to pharmacotherapy in both short and long-term management of insomnia in adults of all ages. 3 4
Patients prefer CBTi to medication
Studies examining patients’ acceptance of psychological and pharmacological therapies for insomnia have concluded that patients perceive CBTi as healthier and preferable to taking medications for managing insomnia over the long-term. 8 9 10 11
Interestingly, in circumstances where clinicians think CBTi would be helpful, they still mistakenly believe that patients would be reluctant to engage with the programme and would, in fact, prefer a quick medication fix. 12
Professor Joe McDonald
Medical Director, Consultant Psychiatrist
As a consultant psychiatrist for 30 years it is always tempting to prescribe hypnotics when you are seeing a patient complaining of insomnia but with all the attendant risks of dependence, hangover, road traffic accidents etc. it is usually a mistake. Sleepstation offers an effective and safe alternative to prescribing which has now been used in over half of England’s General Practices.
Sleepstation’s CBTi programme includes all relevant modules plus dedicated human support:
- Stimulus control therapy
- Sleep restriction therapy
- Cognitive therapy
- Relaxation training
- Sleep hygiene advice
- Human support
Sleepstation delivers remote care with a personal touch
- Reduced risk (compared to prescribing hypnotics)
- No evidence of hangover
- No evidence of tolerance
- No evidence of dependency
- No daytime sedation
- No negative effect on memory or psychomotor function
- Easy to access
- No waiting lists
- Outcome focussed
- Long-lasting effects
- Resolves all types of insomnia (sleep onset, middle of the night and early waking)
- Proven efficacy in secondary insomnia
- Preferred by patients
Sleepstation is an effective adjunct to sleeping pill withdrawal
Some GPs inherit patients who’ve been taking sleeping pills for years. Many use Sleepstation as an adjunct to a gradual withdrawal of long-standing, ineffective sleeping pills.
Heather
72, from Cambridge
I think it’s an excellent programme. I had taken strong sleeping pills for about 15 years before starting on the programme. It’s also an excellent example of how the NHS can use new technologies to offer support to people in what I think is a cost effective way. I am a total fan!
Before Sleepstation
After four sessions
Read more about our results on our patient stories page.
Information for referrers PDF
A PDF document providing more information about our service and the patient pathway is available for download and free to share with NHS colleagues.
Sleep medicine training
Our team also provide sleep medicine training for NHS referrers. This training is delivered at no charge to the practice/organisation providing a minimum of five people attend. Training is currently being delivered via webinar. An outline of the training programme is provided below. To register, email training@sleepstation.org.uk
How to recognise and treat sleep problems
- What is sleep?
- Why it is important
- Taking a quick sleep history
- Common sleep problems and what to do about them
- Pharmacological treatments for insomnia
- Non-pharmacological treatments for insomnia
FAQs
How does Sleepstation work for patients?
Is there a charge for patients?
Is Sleepstation commissioned in my area?
How do I refer to Sleepstation?
Why should I consider referring to Sleepstation?
Won't my patients want pills?
What evidence is there for Sleepstation?
Isn't all insomnia secondary to some other medical condition?
Try it yourself
If you work for the NHS and you’re struggling with your sleep, you can try Sleepstation for yourself. A specially adapted version of the Sleepstation programme has been made available free of charge to all NHS staff in response to COVID-19.
References
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Morin CM, Colecchi C, Stone J, Sood R, Brink D. Behavioral and pharmacological therapies for late-life insomnia: a randomized controlled trial. Jama. 1999 Mar 17;281(11):991-9.\
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Omvik S, Pallesen S, Havik OE, Kvale G, Nordhus IH. Cognitive behavioral therapy vs zopiclone for treatment of chronic primary insomnia in older adults: a randomized controlled trial. Jama. 2006 Jun 28;295(24):2851-8.\
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Alberta Medical Association (2015) Assessment to management of adult insomnia. Clinical practice guideline.\
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Sateia MJ, Buysse DJ, Krystal AD, Neubauer DN, Heald JL (2017) Clinical Practice Guideline for the Pharmacologic Treatment of Chronic Insomnia in Adults: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline. J Clin Sleep Med 13(2), 307-349.\
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Ree M, Junge M, Cunnington D (2017) Australasian Sleep Association position statement regarding the use of psychological/behavioral treatments in the management of insomnia in adults. Sleep Med Suppl 1, S43-S47.
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Qaseem A, Kansagara D, Forciea MA, Cooke M, Denberg TD; Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians. (2016) Management of Chronic Insomnia Disorder in Adults: A Clinical Practice Guideline. Ann Intern Med. 165(2), 125-33.
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Wilson S, Anderson K, Baldwin D, Dijk DJ, Espie A, Espie C, Gringras P, Krystal A, Nutt D, Selsick H, Sharpley A (2019) British Association for Psychopharmacology consensus statement on evidence-based treatment of insomnia, parasomnias and circadian rhythm disorders: An update. J Psychopharmacol 33(8), 923-947.
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Morin C, Gaulier B, Barry T, Kowatch R.A, Patients' Acceptance of Psychological and Pharmacological Therapies for Insomnia, Sleep, Volume 15, Issue 4, July 1992, Pages 302–305.\
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Vincent N, Lionberg C. Treatment preference and patient satisfaction in chronic insomnia. Sleep. 2001;24(4):411–417.
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Azad N, Byszewski A, Sarazin FF, McLean W, Koziarz P. Hospitalized patients’ preference in the treatment of insomnia: pharmacological versus non-pharmacological. Can J Clin Pharmacol. 2003;10(2):89–92.
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Siriwardena AN, Qureshi MZ, Dyas JV, Middleton H, Orner R. Magic bullets for insomnia? Patients’ use and experiences of newer (Z drugs) versus older (benzodiazepine) hypnotics for sleep problems in primary care. Br J Gen Pract. 2008;58(551):417–422.
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Ulmer CS, Bosworth HB, Beckham JC, et al. Veterans affairs primary care provider perceptions of insomnia treatment. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13(8):991–999.
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