Sleep Restriction Therapy – Sleep restriction (SR) is a technique used in cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I or CBTI). It aims to increase the drive to sleep.
Sleep restriction works by limiting the amount of time spent in bed, thereby inducing mild sleep deprivation. Two things will hopefully happen in the process:
Sleep Restriction Therapy
Many people with insomnia spend a lot of time in bed. Sleep restriction works by narrowing the sleep window, initially allowing only a few hours of sleep during the night. Then, over time, the sleep window gradually increases until a more regular night’s sleep occurs. By severely limiting time spent in bed, treatment must
Insomnia: Will Medication Bring Rest?
For example: If you limit your initial sleep time to four hours in bed and the desired wake-up time is 6:00 AM, you should not go to bed until 2:00 AM. Once in bed, if you don’t fall asleep within 15-20 minutes, you should get out of bed and go to another room and go back to sleep only if you fall asleep. Repeat this as many times as necessary throughout the night until you fall asleep. Napping during the day is prohibited and you don’t need to sleep with your eyes closed until the 2 hour bedtime comes again.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is practically considered the gold standard for treating insomnia. Research suggests that it is up to 80% effective in various populations. (I question this success rate, especially long-term.) Sleep restriction is only one component of CBT-I.
It’s an attractive option because it’s drug-free, makes perfect sense on paper, and for all intents and purposes, should normalize sleep patterns.
I experienced my first bout with sleep restriction in my mid-30s when I saw a psychiatrist who specialized in sleep disorders. Like most insomniacs, I was desperate for sleep. I would if someone with credentials behind their name told me that my brain was completely broken.
Acceptability, Tolerability, And Potential Efficacy Of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Insomnia Disorder Subtypes Defined By Polysomnography: A Retrospective Cohort Study
The doctor describes the sleep restriction process as a kind of “boot camp” for sleep. (If anything deserves the name High Camp, it’s sleep restriction.) This doctor spoke my language… As a young professional ballet dancer, the words “no pain, no gain” have been lived by for most of my existence. .
He came up with a plan, and in my sleep-deprived haze, I enthusiastically agreed to give it my all.
For many chronic insomniacs, sleep restriction backfired on me. It was brutal on my brain and made the insomnia worse. In my opinion, these are the top 5 reasons why sleep restriction doesn’t work for everyone:
1. It increases hyperarousal. Call me crazy but approaching a stressed nervous system with stress therapy doesn’t sound like a good idea. About sleep
What Is Cbti
It calms the mind and body, so sleep naturally ensues. Despite the best intentions, any sleep restriction created even higher levels of anxiety and agitation in my brain. It’s like sleep hygiene on steroids.
The added pressure of trying to cram my sleep into a severely reduced window felt completely unrealistic.
Strict rules about when and how I should sleep created a storm in my brain and it went into high alert. With the added level of excitement, it’s no wonder I’m sleeping even less.
2. It increases feelings of guilt and failure. Before starting the sleep restriction, my doctor asked me (repeatedly), “You
Nonpharmacologic Management Of Chronic Insomnia
What’s up with Sam Hill… Of course I’m ready to do it, insomnia has ruined my life! How else can I explain? Plus, I’ve been a perfectionist since birth, so I’m positive
I slept even less and failed miserably from the start. My drive to succeed at boot camp (not to mention my high hopes for therapy), pushed me past the safe level of sleep deprivation.
After torturing me and sharing concerns about my general safety during sleep restriction my doctors would reply: “
3. It punishes sleep when it should be celebrated: Sleep restriction enforces a strict sleep window. People who don’t sleep most of the window (due to increased arousal) can seem to fall asleep before the alarm goes off, requiring an almost superhuman effort to wake you up. I’m talking about Hercules here.
Improving Daytime Functioning, Work Performance, And Quality Of Life In Postmenopausal Women With Insomnia: Comparing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Insomnia, Sleep Restriction Therapy, And Sleep Hygiene Education
I’ve worked a weird schedule with different start times all my life. Often, I don’t start work until noon. So, after 45 minutes of sleep during the night, I couldn’t get up when the alarm went off. And since I couldn’t be anywhere at that hour, it seemed pointless to stare blankly at the wall. So, sometimes, I sleep for 2 or 3 delicious hours until I wake up feeling human again.
Instead of being grateful and encouraged for the wonderful sleep I had achieved, I felt frustrated and defeated because I had exceeded my sleep window, I had “fit in”, and now I faced the serious possibility that I would never sleep again. the night . (Here comes the stress.)
4. It contributes to anxiety and depression about the situation. I have high hopes for sleep control therapy. I thought it would work perfectly. After all the things I’ve tried (which is pretty cool) I thought this would finally be the thing to overcome the insomnia. Plus, such madness is a reward for suffering
My inability to stay on schedule and improve my sleep created a deep sense of helplessness about my situation. If the gold standard doesn’t work either, how can anything else? I was defeated, crushed, and scared that the insomnia would never go away.
Pdf) Sleep Restriction Therapy For Insomnia: An Exploratory Assessment Of Sleep And Physiological Markers Of Arousal In Response To Treatment
5. Sleep restriction becomes a crutch. One of the biggest downsides of sleep restriction is the tendency to believe that sleep is caused by something outside of yourself. (If you’re one of the lucky ones to get results, that is.)
Many people experience success with sleep restriction, but how do we know if it’s a cure or a cure?
In treatment? When we surrender our power and place our faith in something outside of ourselves, we lose faith in our own ability to sleep. Without faith in our own sleep ability, without a true understanding or trust in our own sleep physiology we always rely on “something else” or something “out there”.
If insomnia returns, we must again implement sleep restriction or the mind believes that it is responsible for the sleep that actually occurs.
How Sleep Restriction Therapy Can Help You Deal With Insomnia
Ultimately, it’s our own thoughts, beliefs, and responses that create insomnia, and until you get to the root of that structure, you’re always at risk of insomnia returning.
A certified CBTI therapist, and as previously mentioned, there are other components of CBTI that work in conjunction with sleep restriction. I think SR has a valuable place in insomnia treatment and is a powerful tool for re-energizing people with their sleep.
Implementing sleep restriction therapy. For some people, the thought of further restricting their ability to sleep creates a fear of not getting more sleep. A good CBTI trainer can assess the state of the nervous system, demonstrate sleep restriction in a way that does not threaten the individual, and guide the sleep schedule accordingly.
Although my previous experiences with sleep restriction weren’t great, I think I’d be a perfect candidate for now! My sleep times are a bit erratic, so I think implementing a sleep window changes my sleep a lot. My nervous system is in a better place and I no longer fear losing sleep. The sleep window gives my brain some relief and structure.
Stimulus Control Therapy
Do you have any sleep restriction experiences to share? Drop me a note, I’d like to know.
Send any ideas or questions my way, I’d love to hear from you! Or, check out The Holistic Sleep Coach Facebook page where I share tons of sleep tips and neuroplasticity love.
The information and other content provided on this blog or any linked materials are not intended and should not be considered medical advice, nor is the information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment.
I take a mind-body approach to helping people sleep better. Most of what I share relates to other aspects of life beyond good closure! So, look around and stay tuned for future blogs on sleep, stress and all things neuroplastic.
Treating Chronic Insomnia In Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Insomnia, Sleep Restriction Therapy, And Sleep Hygiene Education.
I appreciate your time and your inbox! Therefore, I only send information that will add real value to your sleep and your life. Sleep restriction therapy (SRT) is a component of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) protocol, a type of therapy used to treat chronic insomnia lasting three months or longer. (1) Developed by psychologist and sleep specialist Arthur Spielman in the early 1980s, SRT helps consolidate sleep by reducing time spent in bed. (2)
Sleep regulation therapy is natural,
Sleep restriction therapy schedule, sleep restriction therapy first week, sleep restriction therapy anxiety, sleep restriction therapy insomnia, what is sleep restriction therapy, sleep restriction therapy reddit, sleep restriction therapy reviews, sleep restriction therapy success stories, sleep restriction therapy success, sleep restriction therapy instructions, sleep restriction therapy steps, sleep restriction therapy not working
