Thoughts about sleep
Some thoughts about sleep make nights harder than they need to be. They’re common, and they make sense after weeks of poor sleep. Open one that sounds familiar to see another way to look at it.
What your diary shows comes from the nights in the sleep diary on this site, saved in this browser. Nothing is sent to us.
“Anything under eight hours isn’t enough for me.”
Another way to see it
Sleep need varies from person to person, and plenty of people do well on less than eight hours. Your diary shows what you’re getting now, which is a better guide than a round number.
A question to ask yourself
On a day after a short night, what did you still manage to do?
“A bad night means tomorrow is ruined.”
Another way to see it
A short night can make the next day harder. It rarely ruins it. Days after poor sleep often go better than expected, and expecting the worst can make a day feel worse than it is.
A question to ask yourself
Can you remember a day after a poor night that went better than you feared?
“If I don’t fall asleep soon, I’ll be up all night.”
Another way to see it
Sleep often comes after a stretch of being awake, even on hard nights. Your diary probably shows nights that started slowly and still held hours of sleep.
A question to ask yourself
What does your diary say about nights that started slowly?
“Even if I can’t sleep, lying in bed is good rest.”
Another way to see it
Lying awake in bed keeps the bed tied to being awake. Getting up and coming back when sleepy is meant to make it a place for sleep again.
A question to ask yourself
How do you usually feel after a long stretch of lying awake?
“I have to make up for the sleep I lost.”
Another way to see it
Sleeping in lowers sleep drive and shifts the body clock, and going to bed early adds time lying awake. Both can make the next night harder. A steady wake time does more over a week than catching up does in one night.
A question to ask yourself
What happened the last time you slept in to catch up?
“If I try harder, I’ll fall asleep.”
Another way to see it
Sleep is one of the few things effort makes harder. CBT-I treats it as something you make room for, which is why it uses a wind-down and getting up when you can’t sleep instead of lying there willing it.
A question to ask yourself
What happens when you stop trying to sleep and just rest your attention on something calm?
“My sleep is completely out of my control.”
Another way to see it
Some causes of poor sleep aren’t in your hands. The habits that keep insomnia going often are, and those are what the diary, the window, and stimulus control work on.
A question to ask yourself
Which part of your nights could you change this week, even a little?
For a thought that keeps coming back, Thought Record from Everyday Insight walks through it step by step.
Read more: The thinking side of insomnia
Everyday Insight’s tools are for education and personal reflection. They are not therapy or medical care, and they are not for emergencies. In an emergency, call 911. If you are in crisis in the United States, call or text 988.