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Managing insomnia (Just a Thought) course

An online course for people who have ongoing problems with sleep (insomnia).

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Managing insomnia course	By Just A Thought
	Features Information sheets (PDF) that can be downloaded and printed. Progress that can be monitored. Save as you go option which allows the user flexibility to choose how long they engage in the programme at any one time.
Country of origin	New Zealand
Clinical review	Read a clinical review of this course below.
Security and privacy	Does the app: Collect medical information? Yes (users have the option to complete mental health screens which are saved and can be sent through to health support person) Require a login? Yes Have password protection? Yes Have a privacy policy? Yes Require internet access to use? Yes Read more about safety and security when using apps. Brochures: Tips to improve your privacy and security [PDF, 65 KB] Healthify He Puna Waiora, NZ Staying safe online(external link) Netsafe, NZ
Cost	Free
Advertisements	This app contains no ads.
How to access the course	(external link)

Managing insomnia is a 4-part course where you will learn how to improve your sleep using simple and effective strategies based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). The 4 parts of the course are:

Understanding sleep and insomnia: You can learn about the cycle of insomnia and how your thoughts and behaviours can keep maintain problems with sleep. You can also learn how keeping a sleep diary can help you understand your sleep better.
Retraining your body and mind for sleep: This section teaches strategies for reducing your sleep effort and how to retrain your brain to associate going to bed with going to sleep.
Managing thoughts and behaviours that fuel insomnia: In this section you can learn how to use a ‘sleep window' to improve the quality of your sleep and skills to help you manage worries and thoughts that keep you up at night.
Key points and keeping up your progress: This section has information about how activity can build your sleep drive, and about relaxation techniques to reduce stress and tension. It also has tips on how to tackle your problems in a practical and helpful way and how to make a plan to keep your sleep on track.

Each part of the course is broken down into 3 segments

Story – reading through the story of a fictional NZ-based character Dave who experiences Insomnia. You will follow his journey towards acknowledgment of his condition and progress through CBT treatment.
Lesson – working through the information that relates to the chosen part’s topic. This part is interactive and involves thinking about your personal situation and working through the prescribed activities.
Action Plan – involves reviewing key points and planning activities to practice between lessons.

The course recommends taking a week to complete each part (4 weeks in total), however users are able to go at their own pace and save their progress as they go. Users can also work through the course with the support of a health practitioner who can monitor their progress.

People who are self-motivated (high functioning), have a good level of English literacy, and those who have a relationship with a trusted health practitioner (GP, nurse or other mental health worker) are most likely to benefit from the course.

For the complete course description, go to the course website(external link), or, for a more detailed review, see reviews below.

PROS	CONS
✔ Good source of accurate information about sleep and how it becomes disrupted. ✔ Clear treatment process to follow to help the user identify the areas of difficulty they are experiencing with sleep and step-by-step interventions to help deal with the problems causing insomnia and to develop better sleep habits. ✔ Encourages the setting of goals and outlines clear actionable tasks to elicit behavioural change. ✔ Clear definitions and easy to understand language. ✔ Interactive exercises which encourage users to enter personal information which is then saved and summarised at the end of each part. ✔ Effective graphics. ✔ New Zealand based case for users to follow. ✔ Able to complete with the support of a health practitioner and have them directly monitor progress. ✔ Reference to online support groups. ✔ Free.	✘ There's a lot of reading content (clicking through the many slides of the story can feel quite tedious), which may be hard for people who struggle with self-motivation, or have difficulty concentrating for longer periods of time. ✘ Content may feel overwhelming without a health support person to oversee progress and process questions and concerns.

PROS

CONS

✔ Good source of accurate information about sleep and how it becomes disrupted.

✔ Clear treatment process to follow to help the user identify the areas of difficulty they are experiencing with sleep and step-by-step interventions to help deal with the problems causing insomnia and to develop better sleep habits.

✔ Encourages the setting of goals and outlines clear actionable tasks to elicit behavioural change.

✔ Clear definitions and easy to understand language.

✔ Interactive exercises which encourage users to enter personal information which is then saved and summarised at the end of each part.

✔ Effective graphics.

✔ New Zealand based case for users to follow.

✔ Able to complete with the support of a health practitioner and have them directly monitor progress.

✔ Reference to online support groups.

✔ Free.

✘ There's a lot of reading content (clicking through the many slides of the story can feel quite tedious), which may be hard for people who struggle with self-motivation, or have difficulty concentrating for longer periods of time.

✘ Content may feel overwhelming without a health support person to oversee progress and process questions and concerns.

Clinical review

Reviewer: David Bloore, Clinical Psychologist, David Bloore Psychology Ltd (private practice)
Date of review: October 2023
Platform: No app, website suitable both android/apple
Comments: This is an online 4-part cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) course designed to support people to deal with insomnia and develop better sleep habits/routines.
The information presented is clear and concise and the use of a case study helps to put ideas into a relatable context. The course offers easy to follow interventions (that can be downloaded and printed off) which, if adopted consistently, are proven to be effective.
While users have the option to complete it on their own, it would be worthwhile to work through the programme with the support of an experienced health professional (or even a supportive family member/friend). This will likely help with accountability to keep working through the course and to assist with any queries or concerns about the information presented.
While the content lacks variety (mostly written material with a couple of audio based exercises) it is an easy platform to navigate and a worthwhile treatment option for people suffering from sleep difficulties and another useful sleep hygiene resource for health professionals to use with their clients.
New Zealand relevance: Yes.
Safety concerns: None.

Sleep apps
CBT apps
Te Kete Haerenga sleep toolkit
Just a Thought courses
NZ Health App Library
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Clinicians guide: how to choose a health app

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