Building Better Sleep Habits

Many of my clients struggle with sleep difficulties at some point their life. Oftentimes, it coincides with other stressors, difficulties, and mental health symptoms. Having a basic understanding of beneficial sleep practices can help address sleep issues before they disrupt your life further. Please note that the following guide is not meant to replace treatment and anyone experiencing severe sleep disruptions should seek professional care.

1. Follow a consistent schedule. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday, yes even on the weekends. Consistent sleep schedule will begin to train your brain, through repetition, when to begin preparing for sleep.

2. Track your sleep for a week by journaling each morning, determine how much sleep you are averaging and schedule your time in bed to match what you are already averaging. This is called sleep consolidation. Simply put, by reducing the amount time you spend in bed awake you will increase the time in higher quality sleep. Once you have established a consistent pattern, increase this number by 15 minutes every week until you are at the amount of hours that leaves you feeling rested (average is between 6-8 hours/night).

   • NOTE: If you are sleeping less than six hours consistently, please consult with a professional before using this intervention.

3. The bed is a place for sleep. Avoid using your bed for activities other than sleep (or sex). This will help you reset your cognitive associations with your bed and your bedroom and decrease the connection with wakefulness.

4. Engage in relaxing activities (preferably screen-free) 30-60 minutes before bed. Incorporate relaxation techniques (e.g., meditation, breathwork, stretching, yoga) and relaxing activities (e.g., caffeine-free tea, comfortable robe/pajamas) into a regular, pre-bedtime routine to let your brain know that it’s time to wind down.

Trouble shooting:-

1. Waking during the night:

   1. Get out of bed if you’re unable to fall back asleep after 15-20 minutes. Engage in a relaxing activity in another room, such as reading, watching a calm television show, knitting, etc.

   2. Return to bed when you feel sleep and repeat until you are able to fall asleep.

   3. Use relaxation techniques described below to return to a state of relaxation.

2. Difficulty Falling Asleep:

   1. Utilize progressive muscle relaxation to reduce tension and increase relaxation in your body.

   2. Listen to sleep meditations, sleep sounds, or sleepcasts from apps such as Headspace, Aura, or Calm to distract your mind and encourage focused relaxation. Additionally, free meditation and sleepcasts can be found on Youtube and other streaming services.

   3. Adopt a non-judgmental attitude towards difficulties with sleep. Remember that it’s common and normal to experience difficulty sleeping at times. You can’t force sleep to happen but you can choose your mental approach to yourself and the process.

   4. If worrying is a main reason for laying awake at night, schedule a worry time for the following day and tell yourself that you can consider those concerns at that time. This can be done in your mind or via a written list.

   5. Picture a relaxing place that you have been or would like to visit. Spend time imagining what it would look like, smell like, and feel like to be in that place.

References

Peters, B. R. (2020). Sleep through insomnia : end the anxiety and discover sleep relief with guided cbt-i therapy : from verywell’s expert on sleep.

Jacobs, G. D. (2013). Say goodnight to insomnia : the 6-week program proven more effective than sleeping pills. Rodale.