The best things to do at night to help you sleep when you have chronic insomnia
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2024
- Sleep restriction is a great technique for reducing the amount of time you spend awake during the night. When you implement sleep restriction, you will be observing a regular and appropriate sleep window to ensure that you aren't allotting too much time for sleep. This will help build sleep drive, making it easier to fall asleep at night, and it will lead to more consolidated sleep.
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Many people wonder what they should be doing in the evening before the start of the sleep window. The answer is, anything you find relaxing and enjoyable - because no activity can generate sleepiness or sleep.
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Pursuing something relaxing and enjoyable not only improves the quality of your life (because many people with insomnia actually give up enjoyable activities in the evening for fear that they'll disrupt sleep) but they help distract you from thinking and worrying about sleep and they help you recognize sleepiness cues.
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Another core cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) technique is stimulus control - this is designed to help you "relearn" to associate the bed with sleep and relaxation rather than wakefulness and worry. This is achieved by reserving the bed for nothing but sleep. So, if you are in bed and awake, you get out of bed.
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How the body compensates for lost sleep by itself (and why stimulus control is so effective): • How the body compensat...
Again, people often ask what they should be doing when they get out of bed during the night. My answer is the same as above - anything you find relaxing and enjoyable!
It really doesn't matter too much what you do when you get out of bed since the priority is to remove you from the bed when you are awake - and distract the mind from thinking/worrying about sleep.
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Finally, it's important to recognize that life sometimes gets in the way - and life is more important than sleep! So, try not to rearrange your life around insomnia. If you want to have friends over, have friends over - even if that means missing the start of your sleep window on one night. If the neighborhood is particularly noisy one night and this interrupts sleep, that's OK too - just try to get out of bed by the end of your sleep window in the morning.
Related videos:
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My name is Martin Reed and I am the founder of Insomnia Coach®. I offer sleep coaching services that give people with insomnia all the skills and support they need to enjoy better sleep for the rest of their lives. I also offer a free two-week sleep training course for people with insomnia at insomniacoach....
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All content found on the Insomnia Coach TH-cam channel is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice or medical treatment and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or other licensed healthcare provider. All content is provided as is, and without warranties.
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All content found on the Insomnia Coach TH-cam channel is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
The whole of the NHS hasn't achieved the amount of relaxation and reassurance these videos give me in 5 minutes in an entire year of chronic insomnia.
This comment just made my month - thank you for your kind words! I am so glad to know you have found the channel reassuring and relaxing!
Omg omg soo.true same with.me
What is NHS please?
@@gigi1332 national health service in england
Hi Doc, just wanna say thank you for saving my life. I’ve only watched some of your content but it helps me a lot. Sleep restriction, setting a bed time and doing my routine exercise early in the morning, simple and yet very effective for me. Between the month of Nov-dec I’ve only average 2-3hrs of sleep and sometimes went 2days (60-65hrs) without sleep. I started applying your techniques on December 25, 2022 and in just 5days the fogginess in my brain and noise sensitivity are gone. I am 80% better than I was 2weeks ago, sleep about 5-6hrs/night waking up more relaxed and fresh. Thank you so much and happy new year for you and your family and love ones.
Your words mean a lot to me - thank you! Since I only shared information and you are the person who implemented the changes you mentioned, it sounds as though you saved your own life!
I can’t thank you enough sir, you really save my life. Thank you so much💜
@@kobean_824 You are very welcome!
how are you now? i had 2 days in a row of 2 hours of sleep and now im scared, can you please tell me@@facemask2127
@@facemask2127hi, I saw your reply to a comment on insomnia a few months back. I too, like the gentleman that left the comment. Have horrible Insomnia. I had extremely stressful traumatic events happen to me , Oct-Dec. that totally destroyed me. I had unbelievable stress, that led to insomnia, anxiety.... and depression. It was way too much for me to handle. I wasn't sleeping for 2-3 days in a row,... and for 6 months now,.. im lucky to get 1-3hrs at best. Sometimes no sleep, OTC sleep aids don't always work now,.. and I have to be careful now. Its horrible, and it's made my health much worse. It's so horrible to have those insadents happen, then to get these illnesses. I hope you were able to figure a way to sleep?, if you too suffer from insomnia. Take care. 🙌
Martin Reed you are the best sleep coach online for sure. I’m still working on my problems and hit the F it button after 2 months of restriction and stimulus. Never got to add any time to my short window, even after 9 weeks in. Left job mostly because of sleep recently but other reason as well. 23 years of insomnia is hard to break. Funny like you say it’s all about the worry of not sleeping not, when I don’t have any reason to get up I sleep, sure it’s not always great takes along time to fall and wake a lot but fall back. When working, on vacation or even meeting a friend for coffee I can’t sleep due to sleep pressure anxiety. Will try another round of CBT soon, th ask for the great videos, you help alot of people.
Thanks for sharing! It sounds as though you've found that the more you try to sleep, the more difficult it becomes. Perhaps, then, moving away from trying to control sleep and shifting your focus toward doing things that matter to you - independently of sleep - might be an alternative (and more helpful) approach?
@@InsomniaCoach I agree, less focus would help I think. Thanks so much for replying, will continue to watch you Channel !!
@@Jdrummer77 You're welcome - glad this was helpful!
Martin, thank you very much for the informative, supportive and useful information. Having listened to your videos as well as to many testimonials , I am convinced that If I follow your advice, I can regain my natural -sleep again and enjoy it for the rest of my life.
In addition, you have answered most of my questions about chronic insomnia.
Martin, thank you again! Keep up with with your good job & God bless you for the rest of your life.
Bernard Shipahu: Namibia.
if i think i may not sleep tonight instead of getting anxious i say ok if i cant sleep then i am quite happy to do sotmething else instead even if i do this all night i may feel a bit groggy tomorrow thats ok i can catch up on sleep when my body wants to
That's sounds like a more workable response compared to engaging in a struggle, trying to get rid of anxiety or trying to make sleep happen!
Why hasn’t this got a million likes
Excellent advice!
Glad you found this helpful - thank you for the kind words!
Hello Martin , I’m really frustrated about my sleep , when i wake up I don’t feel at all that i sleep , even my face there is no trace of sleep on my face, I don’t know how to explain this situation , and Also my sleep very little and can’t back to sleep , currently i just want to feel when i wake up that i was sleep , really i miss this feeling, sorry for my bad English
Enjoying or even tolerating getting out of bed and doing anything is impossible. It's torture. Literal torture.
If getting out of bed feels like torture compared to staying in bed, then I'd suggest staying in bed!
Good video. But what about tv and smart phones? Does the light simulate sunlight and cause awakening and thus more difficulty falling asleep? I've read this. But you seem to be dismissive of this as a concern.
I think if that was a problem, insomnia prevalence in the Western world would be close to 100%! I think the whole "blue light" thing is massively overblown - and if someone has chronic insomnia, avoiding blue light at night isn't going to change anything because blue light isn't responsible for the thought processes and behaviors that can perpetuate sleep disruption.
Hi there, thanks so much for the content. Just wondering, is it okay to be productive with the time (reading non-fiction)? Is flux sufficient enough to stop the circadian rhythm from being disrupted?
Sure! I think our only goal is to do things that we personally find relaxing and enjoyable. I don't think the light that is emitted from electronic devices is going to be massively disruptive to sleep - if it was a major problem then avoiding artificial light would cure all chronic insomnia!
Yeah! And those who don't avoid artificial light would have had insomnia..
While implementing stimulus control is there any activity that can alter the anchor on body clock?
Thanks
You're welcome!
I'm trying to cut down and eventually quit ambien. I've been on this for five years and considering spending the money on your sleep couching, but i know it will be money wasted. My brain just doesn't know how to sleep. Next thing I know, i have to go to work or start the day, and i just wait and not sleep.. help?
Your brain knows how to sleep - because you are still generating sleep, just not the amount or type you'd like to be getting. What makes sleep more difficult are all our understandable attempts to get involved in the process and make it happen!
Everything about cbti seems so counterproductive 😭
Edit;m: what if I’m sleepy throughout the day but at night I’m not tired anymore, obviously due to conditioned arousal
You can either go to bed and allow yourself to rest (and give yourself the opportunity to experience wakefulness when in bed with less struggle) or you can continue to do other things while out of bed until sleepiness arrives and then go to bed.
I like the videos, but "sleep window" concept is torturous and is just not practical for many people with jobs, families, any human obligations. Are there people who had insomnia consistently for many years and then did some sleep coaching and then slept normally? I've never met one.
I'd love to know more about why you feel a sleep window isn't practical for people with jobs, families, or human obligations since the sleep window is always longer than someone's average nightly sleep duration. You can find many examples of people who had insomnia for decades and now sleep well over on the podcast: th-cam.com/play/PLzlNKjoB23Ll7PSEJHquZjx4QSbZAtQy9.html
@@InsomniaCoach - What I meant was: If someone sleeps poorly or not at all during the assigned sleep window, they have to wait until the next one, no naps or anything, which might render the the patient unable to function, whereas a midday nap (if possible) might make the misery less so. Thank you for the link, I will check out the videos. And thanks for your work and for responding to the comment.
@@voggvogg I appreciate the ongoing engagement because your concerns are completely understandable! I don't think a short 20-minute nap, taken early in the day, would be a big problem - but compensating for difficult nights is exactly how we get trapped into behaviors that perpetuate sleep disruption. How likely do you feel it is that a night of poor sleep (or no sleep) would make someone completely unable to function? Is that thought (which is understandable and quite common) completely accurate, or might we still be able to function - at least to some degree - even after a night of no sleep?
@@InsomniaCoach Thank you. Agreed it is not 100% dysfunction but it is signficant, degrading the memory and physical coordination, and significantly increasing likelihood of making errors and significantly decreasing ability and efficiency.
@@voggvogg If these consequences were so significant, how is it possible for people to live with insomnia for years, if not decades? I've seen people ace intense job interviews after a long period of poor sleep and even place on the podium in athletic events after long periods of poor sleep. Are you speaking from your own experience of daytime dysfunction after poor sleep or is your opinion based on information sourced elsewhere?
When I wake up in the middle of the night, I play some relaxing talk down meditations, and stay in bed, instead of getting out of bed, and going into the living room to read a book. Bad idea ?
I think that depends on how workable your approach is proving to be! You are the expert on you and we are all different :)
@@InsomniaCoach You are a wonderful person, helping out so many people ! Thank you ! 👍👍
@@AdamSolt59 I appreciate your kind words! Thank you!
I’ve literally been awake 5 days and nights not a second of sleep soon as I’m in bed I’m wide awake but I feel dreadful now the doctor won’t give me any thing to help except hey fever tablets will I sleep eventually ?
The answer is yes, you will sleep - as I expect you have experienced for yourself, since you originally posted your comment!
@@InsomniaCoach yes I have but only with zopiclone without them- impossible !
@@ste1384 Hypothetically speaking, if you didn't take any medication, could you go 30 days straight (720 hours) with not even one minute of sleep?
@@InsomniaCoach 8 days is the longest without blinking
So far
What to do if ur soo tired and sleepy but can't get into deep sleep some days
Well, first of all, I would ask how you know you aren't getting into deep sleep! Then, I would suggest that since we have no control over sleep stages (or sleep itself, for that matter!) perhaps it might be more helpful to focus attention on things we can control - such as creating good conditions for sleep to occur and living the kind of life we want to live, regardless of how we sleep!
How r you now plz reply
When waking .bran races .any tips please
Have you tried allowing your mind to do what it wants to do and to simply observe it - without judgement - instead of trying to control it? This is easier said than done and often requires a lot of practice but it might help you move away from an endless and exhausting battle with your mind!
How best to contact you
You can contact me using this email address: hello@insomniacoach.com
My problem is that I get an average weekly sleep of about 0 hours 😩😩
I'm not sure I understand, Jarod. It would be virtually impossible to go seven days without an hour of sleep. Sleep drive would take over before then and force you to sleep. Can you clarify?
@@InsomniaCoachI am being dramatic and I'm sorry I came off as sincere. The problem is that I might get 20-25 hours if it's a very good week. I will typically miss a night of sleep weekly and get one good 6 hour night. Then I might get 3-4 afterwards until I get 5 hours on weekends.
Sometimes it feels as if I don't sleep for days on end if I don't experience restful sleep, but the lighter stage one Rem sleep
@@lesdeuxanes6203 Those ups and downs are very common - especially if you aren't observing a regular and appropriate sleep window. If you have a high level of sleep-related worry/anxiety, you need a lot of sleep drive to overcome that obstacle so sleep can happen - and high sleep drive is generated after long periods of wakefulness.
If you restrict sleep to a pre-determined (and appropriate) sleep window, that is when you will start to sleep - because sleep drive builds with every minute of wakefulness. It's a process, and it takes time - and sleep restriction is just one element of CBT-I (it's unlikely to resolve all your sleep anxiety by itself).
You might find this video helpful:
Even if you have chronic insomnia, sleep drive always wins - you can sleep and you will sleep! th-cam.com/video/88YtI4WeNsQ/w-d-xo.html
@@lesdeuxanes6203 how are u now plz rply
@@lesdeuxanes6203 i know exactly what you are talking about. it happens to me if i have a full week. Then i have 5 nights of very bad sleep. On saturday i will be the whole day with zero energy. And only on sunday i feel almost normal. And on monday it starts again. But i will try sleep restriction for such situations 👍
Martin, I get sleep fears when I go on a trip with a boyfriend or a friend as our sleeping patterns are different. I freak out
What's more important to you and what might have more of an influence over whether you live a rich and meaningful life, Vivi? Directing all your attention and using all your energy in an attempt to fight or avoid fear and wakefulness, or going on a trip with your boyfriend even in the presence of fear and wakefulness?
What if you find nothing relaxing or enjoyable ?
ha he said a good terrifying horror movie. like those exist anymore
Nothing since the original Blair Witch Project was released, at least!
@@InsomniaCoach come on, blair witch project wasn't so terrifying! I watched already several other great horror movies which where 1000times better than blair witch project (i mean horror movies after 2010)
@@coco-cabanak.7160 To this day, The Blair Witch Project is the only horror movie that truly scared me! I think it was definitely a movie of its time and probably doesn't have the same effect if viewed much past its original release date.
Best thing you should do is see an actual medical expert if you have chronic insomnia
All medical advice should be obtained from a licensed healthcare provider.