[Suzie]

Hi Dr. Reed,

I would like to ask question about Sleep Restriction’ s technique.
It means I should spent less time in bed, right? How to apply this technigue right way, please?

I go to bed at 11:00 pm and I am really tired. Usually I cant asleep, then I go out and try to relax by listening the podcasts. Sometimes it works and I fall asleep, but simetimes not and I have to repeat this proces all the night.
What to do If I fall asleep at 4:30 in the morning? Does it means I should get up at 5:00 because I spend 6 hours in a bed? ( althought I have slept only 30 minutes?).

I probably dont understand this rule right way.
Thanks for your advice and your time.

S.

[Martin Reed]

Thanks for the great question, Suzie (please note that I am NOT a doctor)! When it comes to implementing sleep restriction it can be helpful to think of the start of your sleep window as your earliest possible bedtime — so if the sleep window begins and you don’t feel sleepy enough for sleep, it might be worth not going to bed until you do feel sleepy enough for sleep.

However, regardless of when you go to bed or how the night goes, it’s recommended to stick to that consistent final out of bed time. In your case, that would mean always being out of bed at 5:00 AM. Sometimes this can lead to less sleep in the short-term (for example, you might fall asleep at 4:30 AM) but if you are looking to improve your sleep for the long-term, sometimes it’s worth sacrificing a bit of sleep in the short-term in order to enjoy better sleep for the rest of your life!

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