Behavioral Treatments for Sleep Disorders

In general, Dr. Perlis’s research pertains to insomnia and Behavioral Sleep Medicine. His specific research interests include: Behavior, cognitive, and physiologic factors in Acute and Chronic insomnia, Cortical arousal and conditioned CNS activation as a primary perpetuator of insomnia;  Sensory and information processing and long term memory formation as key features of Insomnia Disorder as a hybrid state between wake and sleep;  Sleep homeostasis effects on the frequency and severity of insomnia (and the patterning of insomnia over time); Insomnia as morbid risk factor for new onset and recurrent depression; The anti-depressant effects of CBT-I; The potential of conditioning and partial reinforcement with placebos (Behavioral; Pharmacotherapeutics) as a means to change how medical maintenance therapy is conducted; The relative efficacy of behavioral and pharmacologic treatments of insomnia.

Part I. BSM Treatment Protocols for Insomia 1. Sleep Restriction Therapy 2. Stimulus Control Therapy 3. Sleep Hygiene 4. Relaxation for Insomnia 5. Sleep Compression 6. Paradoxical Intention Therapy 7. Behavioral Experiments 8. Intervention to Reduce Unhelpful Beliefs about Sleep 9. Intervention to Reduce Misperception 10. Intervention to Reduce Use of Safety Behaviors 11. Cognitive Therapy for Dysfunctional Beliefs about Sleep and Insomnia 12. Cognitive Restructuring: Cognitive Therapy for Catastrophic Sleep Beliefs 13. Intensive Sleep Retraining: Conditioning Treatment for Primary Insomnia 14. Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Insomnia 15. Brief Behavioral Treatment of Insomnia 16. Using Bright Light and Melatonin to Reduce Jet Lag 17. Using Bright Light and Melatonin to Adjust to Night Work

Part II. BSM Protocols for Adherence and Treatment of Intrinsic Sleep Disorders 18. Motivational Enhancement Therapy 19. Exposure Therapy for Claustrophobic Reactions to Continuous Positive Airway Pressure 20. Sleep Apnea Self-Management Program 21. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Increase Adherence to Continuous Positive Airway 22. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Increase Adherence to Continuous Positive Airway 23. The Avoidance of the Supine Posture during Sleep for Patients with Supine-related Sleep Apnea 24. Scheduled Sleep Periods as an Adjuvant Treatment for Narcolepsy

Part III. BSM Protocols for Pediatric Sleep Disorders 25. Brief Parent Consultation to Prevent Infant/Toddler Sleep Disturbance 26. Unmodified Extinction for Childhood Sleep Disturbance 27. Graduated Extinction: Behavioral Treatment for Bedtime Problems and Night Wakings in Young Children 28. Extinction with Parental Presence 29. Bedtime Fading with Response Cost for Children with Multiple Sleep Problems 30. The Bedtime Pass 31. The Excuse-Me Drill: A Behavioral protocol to Promote Independent Sleep Initiation Skills and Reduce Bedtime Problems in Young Children 32. Day Correction of Pediatric Bedtime Problems 33. Graduated Exposure Games to Reduce Children’s Fear of the Dark 34. Scheduled Awakenings: A Behavioral Protocol for Treating Sleepwalking and Sleep Terrors in Children 35. Imagery Rehearsal Therapy for Adolescents 36. Moisture Alarm Therapy for Primary Nocturnal Enuresis 37. Promoting Positive Airway Pressure Adherence in Children Using Escape Extinction within a Multi-Component Behavior Therapy Approach 38. Using Motivational Interviewing to Facilitate Healthier Sleep-Related Behaviors in Adolescents