[AnnaB23]

Hi there,

I have been working on sleep restriction for 5 weeks with some progress — in some areas more than others. One piece I’m struggling with is waking before my alarm: despite only getting ~4.5 hours of sleep on average, I’m waking up before my 7:30 am alarm most days (30-45 minutes before). I’ll toss and turn in a very light conscious sleep until my alarm eventually goes off. Since I’m still very tired I hope that I might drift back off naturally during this time, though that rarely happens… Would it be best to just get up instead? I’m wary of pushing my alarm time even earlier because I don’t tend to feel true sleepiness/drowsiness until late (it’s currently set at 1:30 am for my sleep restriction).

Thanks for the help!

[Martin Reed]

Are you checking the clock when you wake during the night? If so, it can be very helpful to avoid doing this since it only usually serves to activate the arousal system and make falling back to sleep more difficult.

When you wake during the night, it can be helpful to remind yourself that waking during the night is completely normal. If you feel calm and relaxed then it’s perfectly fine to stay in bed since conditions are right for sleep. If you find yourself “trying” to sleep, tossing and turning, feeling worried, anxious, or frustrated, or being in bed just no longer feels pleasant, then it’s a good idea to get out of bed and do something you find relaxing and enjoyable until you feel calm and relaxed, then return to bed and see what happens.

I hope this helps! Glad to hear you are implementing sleep restriction and that you are noticing results!

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