Online 'Pill-Free' Solution to Poor Sleep Could Help Millions Stuck on Sleeping Pills

Sept. 12, 2012 - PRLog -- 15 million Brits suffering from poor sleep[1] now have a ‘pill-free alternative’ at the click of a button with Sleepio, the world’s first online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) course for poor sleep that has been clinically proven to the highest standards.
Findings from The Great British Sleep Survey[2] - the largest ever of its kind, surveying over 20,000 UK adults - reveal that 42 per cent of those taking sleeping pills have had poor sleep for over a decade.  This suggests two critical things: a) that sleeping pills are not working in solving long term sleep problems and b) that the NHS is prescribing sleeping pills against its own guidelines, which state that sleeping pills should be prescribed for short periods only.[3]
Until now the general public have had no evidence-based alternative to sleeping pills. However Sleepio has been clinically proven to help 75 per cent of even long-term poor sleepers retrain their mind and body to achieve healthy sleep - in just six weeks and without the need for sleeping pills.
Launching today in over 100 Boots stores nationwide, Sleepio brings Harley Street CBT to the High Street. Priced at only £49.99, Sleepio is not only affordable but clinically proven to be comparable in effectiveness to a £600 face-to-face CBT course from a private clinic.
Professor Colin Espie, world sleep expert and co-Founder of Sleepio comments: “Finally there is light at the end of the tunnel for the hidden millions who have no option aside from sleeping pills. With the lack of evidence supporting the practice of giving sufferers pills time and time again – and the additional damage that practice may have on health in general – we are incredibly excited by the clinical trial data that demonstrate the significant long-term improvements possible with the Sleepio programme.”
“We have been aware for decades that CBT is far and away the most effective treatment for long-term poor sleep. But up until now the general public have simply not been able to get access to it – either on the NHS or, with a course of private CBT costing up to £600, as an affordable solution.”
As reported in peer reviewed scientific journal SLEEP[4] (June 2012) in just 6 weeks Sleepio can help long-term poor sleepers:
•   Double sleep quality (115 per cent average self-rated increase)
•   Fall asleep faster (54 per cent less time to fall asleep on average)
•   Stay asleep though the night (62 per cent less time spent awake at night on average)
•   Boost daytime energy, mood and concentration (58 per cent self-rated increase on average)
•   Achieve a more reliable sleep pattern

Sleepio’s sleep improvement programme is available from selected Boots stores, via www.boots.com or from www.sleepio.com. 12 weeks unlimited access, including the 6 week course and up to 12 weeks supports costs £49.99.
ENDS
Available media resources:
•   Sleepio pack shots
•   Access to interviews with Peter Hames and Professor Colin Espie, co-founders of Sleepio
•   Survey results from The Great British Sleep Survey and Professor Colin Espie’s research on the effectiveness of Sleepio
•   Customer reviews and feedback on the Sleepio product, including video material

Notes to editors
How does Sleepio work?
•   Over six weekly online sessions, each lasting about 20min, you receive the latest cognitive and behavioural techniques, automatically personalised to your problems and progress.
•   But it isn’t a chore. You are guided through the course by 'The Prof', your animated virtual sleep expert, and supported by an online community of other users.
•   Each week there is a live group session with a real sleep expert, email reminders help you stick to the course, and there is a library of 100+ expert articles for those who want to look 'under the bonnet'.

Sleepio Supporters
Commentary published by The Lancet praised Sleepio as “a valuable attempt to provide high quality research on a proven intervention for sleep disorders using the internet…maybe we can look forward to a future where patients can look online for a good night’s sleep: from www to zzz”.
Dr Andrew McCulloch, Chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, has campaigned for the NHS to urgently highlight the importance of sleep: “We welcome these findings. Alternatives to sleeping pills such as Sleepio are urgently needed in primary care settings to provide more adequate treatment to the public”.
The Great British Sleep Survey
With 20,814 people surveyed from March 2010 – June 2012 the Great British Sleep Survey is the broadest and deepest ever assessment of how the UK is sleeping. As well as telling us about the pattern and quality of our sleep, the survey gives us a unique insight into what is keeping Britain awake at night, and about how such factors vary with age and geography. Highlights include:

•   82 per cent of Brits are kept awake by worries about work and the next day – the ‘racing mind’.
•   Those taking sleeping pills are 85% more likely to feel helpless than those who do not.
•   Women are on average worse sleepers than men with a 10 per cent lower ‘sleep score’.
•   We sleep best in our twenties.