[Bob924]

Hi guys, greetings from New Zealand!

 

Over the past month or so I have developed some form of insomnia, it will come in go in patches where I will sleep well for 3-4 days and think that I may go back to sleeping like a rock as I used to, but then it will return for the next 3-4 days. It is the single most frustrating aspect of my life right now, as being a law student and being heavily involved in rugby and the gym, I live a busy and very active lifestyle and my body needs its 7-9 hours, but for some reason refuses to shut down at nights.

 

I came across the idea of sleep restriction therapy for insomnia and have been interested in giving it a shot as I am reluctant to try sleeping pills. I understand how it works and over the next two weeks I’ll keep a sleep log to work out how many hours I get per night on average, and then go into implementing the therapy.

 

I just have a question in regards to SRT, as I am currently at university and also playing rugby, social occasions present themselves often whether it be flat parties or a rugby event. I can try and kid myself that I will not go to these and not drink alcohol, but the reality is is that I enjoy these events occasionally (every 1-2 weeks or so) and believe that its healthy to maintain a good balance of working hard and enjoying yourself, and that if you go too far either way of the work hard/play hard spectrum, it can be unhealthy for you. My question is, has anyone tried to implement this therapy when they have a night out every couple of weeks? And does it impact the effectiveness of it? Even if you did stay out a bit later one night, was it still easy to return to your allotted sleep/wake times?

 

Love to hear everyone’s thoughts

Tai.

[delv-x]

To answer your question is yes.

1. Your body will compensate for loss sleep by providing deeper sleep.

2. The anchor you want to set is your rise time. So if you go to bed at 11:30 most nights and wake up at 7:00, the night you go to bed at 1:00, be sure to wake up at 7:00.

Most importantly with bouts of insomnia is to continue to live your live and not let insomnia dictate your life. It’s difficult but better than staying at home on the couch drowsy/fatigued and unable to sleep.

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forum, Bob — and I am glad to hear you have decided to address your insomnia sooner rather than later.

I really don’t have much to add to what delv-x suggested. You already know that alcohol will disrupt sleep — so expect your sleep to be disrupted on nights when you attend social events. If at all possible, you want to try your hardest to get out of bed by the same time even on nights when you go out.

I hope this helps — let us know how you get on!

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