[finbop12]

Just wondering as I’m really struggling to stay awake in the few hours before my sleep window of 12. If I watch t.v I always end up dozing for a few minutes several times which I worry affects my sleep drive. However I’m so tired I don’t feel like doing anything. Also has anyone moved their sleep window to start and finish earlier and slept better? I’m so tired from 9-11pm but then seem to wake up and be less sleepy by bed time! Anyone else find this?

[Steve]

Hi finbop12. Oh yeah. I complain about this all the time. I am sleepy all day and then a couple hours before my SW of 11:45, I start to lose the sleepiness and don’t really feel it anymore at bedtime. This is a common complaint of people doing SR on here and other sites. Martin says it’s a classic conditioned response to the bed and tossing and turning in it. Where did you take your CBT-i lessons? Online or with someone in person?

As for what you can do to keep awake until your SW opens, here is a list Martin put up recently.

* Choose clothes that you can wear the next day
* Make your lunch
* Marinate or start to prepare food for dinner the following day and store it in the refrigerator
* Gather old bills and statements and shred them
* Organize collections: photos, old letters, wine, books, or other items
* Catch up on laundry or folding clothes
* Polish your shoes
* Iron or mend clothing
* Do some stretches
* Go for a walk
* Give yourself a pedicure, manicure, or facial
* Sweep or mop the kitchen floor while no one else is there to walk on it!
* Sort out junk mail
* Play solitaire (with cards)
* Call friends who live in other time zones
* Clean out the refrigerator
* Make a grocery shopping list for the week
* Create a detailed menu for dinners
* De-clutter your coffee table, dining room table, kitchen countertops or desk
* Create a list of activities that you’d enjoy doing on weekends and vacations
* Work on photo albums or scrapbooks
* Choose one or two drawers to clean out (in your desk, kitchen, bathroom)
* Organize collections of CDs or DVDs and choose some to donate or sell if you no longer enjoy them

[finbop12]

Hi Steve, it’s the most frustrating thing isn’t it to spend all day waiting for your sleep window only to wake up and not be able to sleep! I found out about cbt i by searching the internet and came across this site. I’ve started after watching Martin’s videos and doing his free course so I’m a real beginner. I’ve been doing SR and SC (trying) for 2 weeks and feel more tired since and I seem to see a small improvement then regress a few steps again but after reading other posts that seems normal and I realise I need to be patient and it’s going to take some time. Thanks for the list I’ll give some of them a go! I think I need to stay more active than watching TV all evening!

[Steve]

I also took Martin’s free course and I am near the end of my third week. However, I realized I had questions and was going to need some hand holding so I signed up for his paid course. I just started that last Friday evening. Yes, SR and SC are hard, no doubt about it. Last night I tried to read in bed as Martin suggested we could. It’s not as good as getting out of bed but sometimes I feel like a human yo-yo  so I wanted to give it a try. I ended getting up out of bed because I couldn’t find a good position to read in. Also, a lot of people say that they get less sleep after starting SR than before. That goes for me as well. However, I have to remember that while I was getting 5 and 6 hours of sleep before I started SR, it was all fragmented sleep so wasn’t much good. I have read that it can take up to 6 weeks for some people to start getting more sleep while doing SR than they got before. And some people may have to do it for 6 to 8 months before they see some improvement in their sleep. Still, there really isn’t any other alternative. How long have you had insomnia? I have had mine since October of last year.

[finbop12]

I’ve only had it since February this year but it feels like longer! it started after I had the flu and couldn’t sleep for a few nights. Before that I’d always slept fine! I find the SC particularly hard and I know I stay in bed longer than I should! I usually go and read on the sofa so I might try reading in bed tonight as I might do better at that than having to get out! When I first started I thought I’d see results in a week or two but now I’m coming to terms with the fact it might be a longer road and as you say what’s the alternative! Hopefully Martin’s course helps you, I may consider it in a few weeks if there’s no improvement

[Martin Reed]

Struggling to stay awake in the few hours before your sleep window then feeling awake when the sleep window arrives is a classic symptom of conditioned arousal. In other words, because of repeated negative experiences when in bed, you have learned that the bed is a place for wakefulness and worry rather than sleep and relaxation.

Here’s a short video I recorded about this: Why you feel so sleepy before the sleep window begins, but feel wide awake as it gets closer.

I hope this helps!

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