[Hannah Vanderpool]

So far, I have seen marked improvement in my sleep using the methods in Martin’s course. I have more consolidated sleep, better sleep efficiency, etc. I’m on week 5 of the course, now, and at the beginning of the week, I attempted to bump my bedtime earlier by 1/2 hour instead of 15 minutes because I’m so tired in the evening. However, for the last two nights, I’ve relapsed and experienced two of the worst nights I’ve endured in quite some time. My sleep anxiety is heightened, and I’m very disappointed at what feels like a setback. Has anyone else experienced the two-steps-forward-one-step-back pattern as their sleep improves? Should I move my bedtime back to only 15 minutes earlier? How do you deal with (what may be) inevitable bad nights when you’ve been making progress? Any help in dealing with this is greatly appreciated.

[Martin Reed]

As we’ve discussed privately, these ups and downs are quite common! It can sometimes be helpful to recognize that since even great sleepers don’t enjoy great sleep every single night, then it’s understandable that there will be difficult nights and difficult stretches from time to time. However, sleep drive ALWAYS wins in the end!

“Tired” in the evening can sometimes be a bit deceptive — because being tired can be different to being sleepy. When we are sleepy, we are finding it hard to stay awake and this makes sleep more likely. When we are tired, we are feeling worn out/exhausted/fatigued — and that doesn’t make sleep more likely.

Sometimes when we make a change to our sleep schedule (or anything else, for that matter), the mind stays slightly more alert over the short-term to monitor for the effect of that change — and this can lead to some temporary sleep disruption.

As long as we can avoid perpetuating that temporary sleep disruption by abandoning all the techniques that help build sleep drive, strengthen the body clock, and lower arousal, sleep will soon get right back on track all by itself!

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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.

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