FAQs
Sleepstation is suitable for adults who are experiencing sleep problems that have lasted for more than three weeks. Short-term sleep problems don’t usually need treatment. If problems have lasted longer than three weeks then it’s usually a good idea to get some help.
Sleepstation is not recommended for people with epilepsy, a history of seizures, psychosis, bipolar disorder, mania, schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia or a personality disorder. It’s also not recommended for those at high risk of falling or who are currently detoxing from drugs or alcohol.
Sleepstation helps people fall asleep quickly, stay asleep longer and wake up feeling refreshed. If you’ve got a different type of sleep problem (such as nightmares or breathing problems during sleep) then Sleepstation won’t be the right option for you.
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.
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.
Around 87% of people who complete the Sleepstation course get better in some way. 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 success stories.
You can do this by following the instructions on 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.
You can do this by following the instructions on the password reset page 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.
Sleepstation isn’t available on the NHS everywhere. It’s available in some parts of the UK. We can provide funding to help NHS patients living in areas where our NHS service isn’t available. If you live in one of these areas and would like to discuss funding options please call 0333 800 9404 or email funding@sleepstation.org.uk.
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.
Sleepstation is an online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for insomnia. This special type of CBT is called CBTi.
CBTi has been proven to be effective both in the short-term and in the long-term. It’s 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. It requires commitment — it’s not always easy to apply the techniques but, when you do, it really works.
How we think and feel affects our sleep, and through the Sleepstation programme you’ll have access to advice 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 is used in specialist sleep clinics and it was developed with a leading sleep expert — Dr Kirstie Anderson — and based on the approach that she uses in her sleep clinic. 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 the Sleepstation programme.
If you’re committed to overcoming your insomnia, and follow the plan that we create for you, we’re confident that you can improve your sleep. In addition to our own reviews and research into the effectiveness of Sleepstation, there are many scientific reviews which outline how effective CBTi is. CBTi is endorsed by the NHS and recommended by NICE in the UK and NIH in the USA.
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that usually makes it difficult for people to fall and/or stay asleep. People with insomnia have one or more of the following symptoms:
- difficulty falling asleep
- waking up often during the night and having trouble going back to sleep
- waking up too early in the morning
- feeling tired upon waking.
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.
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.
We combine psychology and sleep science with dedicated support to help people get great sleep. We’ll start by helping you to pinpoint the causes of your sleep problem and will provide you with the advice and support needed to overcome it. We’ll review and monitor your progress as you work your way through your personalised sleep improvement plan and your dedicated support team will support and guide you every step of the way. We’ll help you tailor the science to work for you.
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.
Most people start to see results after three to four sessions. 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 our secure and confidential messaging system to ensure that you get the best out of Sleepstation.
If you’re still not feeling better by the end of the course, we’ll provide advice and guidance to help you to move forward alone. Or, if you feel that you still need our support, you can sign up for enhanced support.
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.
All complaints will be recorded.
Understandably, 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 face-to-face and online settings has consistently shown it to be effective for the majority of people.
In face-to-face settings, CBTi typically helps 50-70% of people with insomnia significantly improve their sleep and those improvements tend to be long lasting.
There have been various positive research studies into the effectiveness of online versions 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’s online CBTi programme has been proven to be more effective than its face-to-face counterpart, with over 80% of participants showing significant improvement in their sleep in published research.
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. If Sleepstation doesn’t work for you, there may be other things which your doctor might want to try for your sleep.