Social networking platform to help insomniacs

London: An expert from Loughborough University in Britain has developed a social network platform called 'Sleepful' to help insomniacs access online a promising "talking therapy". "CBT-I is a 'talking therapy' which offers a range of effective strategies to increase sleepiness in bed, control pre-sleep thoughts and worries, deal practically with periods of night-time wakefulness and appropriately manage fatigue during the day," said Kevin Morgan, director of the Clinical Sleep Research Unit at Loughborough. Treatments involve adjusting sleep habits, learning techniques to reduce worries and increase relaxation at night, general education about 'sleep hygiene', and self-monitoring using daily sleep diaries. The website contains a structured eight-step treatment programme of CBT for insomnia, a mobile phone 'app' which records sleep patterns, a section on frequently asked questions and, crucially, an online social network where people with insomnia can talk to fellow sufferers.