TREATING INSOMNIA WITH A SELF-ADMINISTERED MUSCLE-RELAXATION TRAINING-PROGRAM - A FOLLOW-UP

22 subjects seeking psychological help for problems of insomnia were trained to use a self-administered treatment package which contained a booklet explaining the problem and outlining the training program in detail and a tape with three versions of progressive relaxation training. A follow-up study one year later indicated that 90% of the subjects had trained according to the instructions and that 82% experienced a positive effect on sleep both with respect to falling asleep, staying asleep, and consumption of sleeping pills. It was concluded that self-administered relaxation training seems a cheap, convenient, and effective means of treating insomnia.