[SandraJH]

I have what I would describe as a Yo Yo sleep pattern meaning that I can have a really good night’s sleep followed by a very poor night’s sleep the following night followed by a good night’s sleep etc etc. although I can have 2 or even 3 night’s poor sleep in succession. I rarely get 2 good night ‘s sleep in succession. I am following the advice of sticking to a time window and not sleeping outside of that time window and only falling asleep in bed. My problem is how to function adequately the day after a poor night’s sleep. (I generally feel very low on these days, tired obviously, irritable and I have brain fog. ) How do other people cope who maybe have to drive/work the following day?

[Scott]

Hey SandraJH,

How many hours of sleep are you getting on a “poor” night? What’s your current restricted sleep window and how long have you been implementing it consistently?

Although it can be really tough some days, I encourage you to go about your day as planned. Insomnia is similar to a school bully. The more attention you give a bully, the more problems the bully will give you. If you continue your day as planned – meet friends after work, go to the gym, etc – regardless of how you slept the night before, the less you worry about sleep and in time, insomnia will stop picking fights with you. You’ll also continue to build sleep pressure during the day by staying active and engaged in enjoyable activities.

Scott J

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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.

[Chee2308]

Hi Sandra,
The classic yo-yo sleeping pattern is very common for someone who is recovering from insomnia, I went through it myself and now considered myself cured. The reason you are having “poor” nights after good ones is because you are sleeping too well from your good nights! When you slept well, naturally your sleep drive is less for the following night and you then find it harder to fall asleep. How many hours are you alloting for sleep each night? If it is more than 8 hours, you might be oversleeping on your good nights, and this combined with the anxiety and surprise why the good nights can’t be repeated consistently, often sets you up for a subsequent “poor” night. Try reducing your time in bed and find what works for you. Most people only spend 7 hours in bed and are sleeping for 6, because regular awakenings throughout the night, of which most people won’t even remember, could take up an hour or more of their time in bed. I still find it harder to fall asleep occasionally, this is often when I’ve slept more than 8 hours the previous night, so when I go to bed at my regular time, I’ve been up less than my usual 17 hours to generate that 7 hours of sleep. But I don’t do stimulus control of getting out of bed anymore because I am no longer anxious about not sleeping in bed, I just stay and relax in bed, very often without fail, I would find myself drifting off to sleep. This is now my typical “poor” night. Just taking longer to sleep after sleeping really well the night before! Try it and see it solves your yo-yo sleeping pattern. If you can condition your mind to not get anxious about being awake in bed, then just stay in bed and you may find yourself drifting to sleep like I am.

[SandraJH]

Thankyou Scott and Chee for your replies. I’m new to the sleep training so only been doing it for a week. I allot myself 7 hours for sleep but am currently averaging 5 or less which leaves me feeling zombified. If I manage to get 7 hours at all I feel like a new person the next day, focused and energetic! I’m not getting anxious but did get frustrated last night when I was still awake 3 hours after going to bed. I did try the reverse psychology approach ie. trying to stay awake rather than trying to sleep but it didn’t feel very successful. I will keep persevering and following the sleep training advice. Many thanks

SandraJH

[Chee2308]

Hello Sandra,
I think you are confused between taking longer to fall asleep and not being able to sleep? I also went through that myself, and I blindly followed the CBT-i technique of getting out of bed whenever I couldn’t fall asleep within a certain time and when that happened, I would always get anxious about not sleeping and a poor night would ensue. Now, I just stay in bed no matter how long it takes me to fall asleep, I always fall asleep in the end, but just might take longer and that’s just because of having slept well the night before.

[SandraJH]

Thanks for that Chee Hiung its certainly something to consider

[Scott]

SandraJH,

Thanks for clarifying and great job of exploring these evidence-based techniques. Typically, seeing meaningful improvements after implementing a new sleep restriction window takes more than just a few days. Consistently starting your day at the same time every day builds a strong sleep drive which can make it easier to fall asleep and remain asleep for the duration of the window because it overrides your arousal system. If you’re averaging 5 hours of sleep every night but your current sleep restriction window is 7 hours, this can lead to greater time spent in bed awake and frustrated. You might want to consider modifying that window to better reflect the average number of hours of sleep you’re achieving during the week and adding 30 minutes to that average for your new sleep restricted window. For example, if you average 6 hours of sleep each night for 1-2 weeks, the suggested sleep restriction window is 6:30 hours in bed. Once you’re able to consistently sleep for that duration, you can incrementally add 15-30 minutes to your time in bed every 1-2 weeks. Since you’re already able to achieve 5 hours of sleep, that should be proof that you haven’t lost the ability to sleep!

If we’re unable to sleep and remain in bed frustrated and anxious about getting back to sleep, our mind associate our bed with arousal and poor sleep. Have you tried getting out of bed and doing something more relaxing and only returning to bed when you feel sleepy? This technique assists our mind in creating an association of our bed with sleep instead of being aroused.

Hope that helps,
Scott J

—

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.

[SandraJH]

Thanks for the tips Scott. Yes I have been getting out of bed when I can’t sleep. I’ve now modified my sleep window to 6 hours instead of 7 so will see how I get on over the next few nights.

[Scott]

Great, Sandra! You’ll do fine – remember, consistently implementing these techniques is key. I often relate it to starting a new workout regimen. At first, you don’t notice much improvement in your health and fitness but over time you’ll begin to reap the benefits! Try to remain committed and I believe you’ll see a restoration in your sleep.

Scott J

—

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]

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