Off into dream land

Off into dream land

By Anne Craig

October 30, 2014

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Canadian sleep researcher and clinical psychologist Judith Davidson (Psychology) has taken a method for treating insomnia and introduced it into primary care. The treatment takes a drug-free approach to a condition that reduces quality of life and can cause mental and physical health issues.

鈥淚 am introducing this insomnia treatment program to family doctors and other primary care providers because people need access to this treatment right away,鈥 says Dr. Davidson, who works with the Kingston Family Health Team. 鈥淲ith people suffering from chronic insomnia, pharmaceuticals don鈥檛 work in the long term.鈥

Queen's professor Judith Davidson has won a Bright Lights Award.

Despite being considered the preferred treatment for chronic insomnia, cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is rarely available in Canada. It is a therapy that health-care professionals can learn, and 90 per cent of the first 58 patients in Dr. Davidson鈥檚 program no longer reported insomnia after 5 weeks.

鈥淕etting a good night鈥檚 sleep doesn鈥檛 just relieve stress and make us more productive; it may help prevent medical and mental conditions that can result from long-term insomnia,鈥 explains Dr. Davidson, who recently released a book titled .

Dr. Davidson adds that while more and more practitioners are interested in learning CBT-I, there is still a perception that insomnia is not as important as other sleep disorders and other health conditions. 鈥淲e hear a lot about sleep apnea, and treatment for that is covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. While it鈥檚 also a serious problem, more attention needs to be paid to insomnia, which is the most common sleep disorder, affecting 15 per cent of the population."

For her work in bringing insomnia treatment to primary care, Dr. Davidson was recently honoured by the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario with a Bright Lights Award for . The Bright Lights Awards recognize 12 individuals or groups for their efforts to improve the patient experience and health outcomes, and reduce health-care costs.

Along with Dr. Davidson, the Queen鈥檚 Family Health Team also earned the Bright Lights Award for the unique make up of its board of directors. Community members occupy a majority of the seats on the board, which ensures the patients鈥 voices are heard.

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