[sleepykieran]

Hi All

As a seasoned insomniac with 2.5 years experience I have finally built the courage to try Sleep Restriction. One week in and I’ve been a diligent student, and am all the more exhausted for it. Six hours is my time slot, and as my problem has always been waking up too early (getting to sleep is rarely an issue) my sleepy-time is 9:30-3:30.
However! In my fist week I have managed to sleep until the prescribed wake up time only once, all other nights have seen me wake around 3 (with a couple of short stops), so while my sleep efficiency is over 85%, I feel like I’m ‘failing’ in a way.
I’m going to follow the rules and treat myself to an extra 15 minutes from this week, although I’m wondering if I continue to wake around 3, will I be able to return to sleep?
If anyone has any experiences similar to mine I’d love to hear 🙂

[Martin Reed]

If your average nightly sleep efficiency, measured over at least a week, is over 85% this suggests that you might benefit from extending your sleep window by 15 minutes or so.

If you are naturally waking within around half-hour of the end of your sleep window, this is remarkably close to your goal — in fact, it’s downright impressive! Your body, all by itself, has been given six hours in which to sleep, and it managed to wake you up, quite naturally, within half an hour of the end of your sleep window.

It’s quite amazing that, after living with insomnia for a while, we see this as such a negative, rather than quite a remarkable positive! Sometimes we can be exceedingly hard on ourselves in pursuit of sleep perfection — and this frustration and effort typically makes it harder for us to improve our sleep.

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post 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.

[Author]

Posts