[Jworbhsd]

I have to be up at 5:30 and I sleep about 5 hours nightly so applying the 5.5 hour rule I should go to be at 12. But I have difficulty staying awake until then and feel so sleepy by 9:30, which means I’m awake at 2:30am. How can I move the sleep window later?

[Scott]

Hi @jworbhsd!

Welcome to the forum! It’s great to read that you’ve been implementing some CBT-I techniques recently.

Staying awake until your sleep window starts was the most difficult challenges I faced when I was implementing those techniques. I found that standing while watching tv or taking a walk inside my home during commercials helped me stay awake. You can’t sleep standing! 😉 You could also color, craft, prepare lunch for the next day – any activity that is relaxing and engaging but not over-stimulating. Do you think either of those ideas might allow you to stay awake until your sleep window starts?

If those suggestions aren’t helpful, you can move your sleep restriction window to begin 30/60 minutes earlier so having a start time of 11:30/11pm might be a solution for you. The key is starting your day at the same time every day, including weekends, to help build a strong sleep drive during the day.

Hope that helps,
Scott J

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[Jworbhsd]

It’s interesting because my main goal was to get off the Ambien. Solved that about 16 months ago and only take it 2-3 times a month instead of nightly. I did great for a while after suffering from insomnia for 16 years and relying on more and more sleeping pills then studying all the CBTI materials. Now I can fall asleep (whereas that was quite difficult before) but awaken after 5 hours.

[Chee2308]

Hello!
5.5 hours is too short, 6 hours should be the minimum. And waking up after 5 hours is normal, most people get up to use the toilet then go back to bed to sleep after that. How many hours do you usually sleep after taking ambien? Do you know the average sleep duration don’t vary much whether you take meds or not, because it isn’t meds that cause you to sleep, it’s your own body and it’s always been your body that made you sleep all this while. Sleepiness works based on the amount of time spent awake (16-18 hours are normal) and nothing else. I would go for the amount of time you slept when you took ambien, and then just always go to bed at regular times.

[Author]

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