When it comes to treating insomnia, we're usually told that there are no quick fixes. Although a relatively recent development, the recommended first-line treatment for insomnia is usually cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT-I), a course of treatment which, although highly effective, takes several weeks to complete.

But in the past 10 years, researchers at Flinders University have been researching and testing a novel behavioural therapy for insomnia called Intensive Sleep Retraining which, incredibly, can be administered during a single 24-hour period. 

In this episode we talk to Hannah Scott one of the researchers at Flinders, about the theoretical underpinnings behind Intensive Sleep Retraining (ISR), its administration, and how ISR is beginning to make its way out of the sleep lab and into the hands of consumers.

This episode’s guest:

Hannah Scott is a sleep researcher and PhD  Candidate at Flinders University. She was awarded her Bachelor of Psychology (Honours – First Class) from Flinders University in 2016. Her Honours project tested the accuracy of a smartphone application for estimating sleep onset called Sleep On Cue, the results of which have been recently published in a top sleep journal. Drawing upon her Honours project, Hannah collaborated with her PhD Supervisors, Emeritus Prof Leon Lack and Dr Nicole Lovato, and Re-Time Pty Ltd to develop a new sleep wearable device called THIM.

Resources:

2019 review paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1556407X19300050

Hannah Scott @ Flinders: https://www.flinders.edu.au/people/hannah.scott

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-scott-sleep/

Twitter @1HannahScott: https://twitter.com/1hannahscott

Thim wearable: https://thim.io/

Sleep On Cue App: https://sleeponq.com/

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