For chronic insomnia, engage in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI), a non-drug-based, structured program that retrains your brain to associate bed with sleep, improves sleep quality, and offers long-term benefits with an 80% success rate.
If you experience chronic sleep deprivation (not insomnia), the primary solution is to simply allocate more time in bed, as you can sleep when given the opportunity, unlike those with insomnia.
If you consistently struggle to fall asleep despite wanting more rest, consult your GP or a sleep specialist to explore potential solutions for your insomnia.
Before seeking solutions, identify whether your sleep issue is due to an inability to fall asleep (insomnia) or simply not allocating enough time for sleep (sleep deprivation), as the solutions differ significantly.
To determine if you’re getting enough sleep, ask yourself if you maintain a consistent sleep schedule, avoid excessive weekend lie-ins, wake up refreshed, and can stay awake throughout the day until your routine bedtime.
If you have a personality type that seeks to control every aspect of life, recognize that sleep cannot be actively controlled; trying too hard can be counterproductive and create anxiety, making sleep more difficult.
Excessive focus and worry about sleep can paradoxically make it more difficult to fall asleep, suggesting a need to manage anxiety around sleep.
To strengthen the association between your bed and sleep, avoid activities like working or watching TV in bed, especially if you struggle with insomnia, as spending time awake in bed reinforces an association with wakefulness.
Avoid caffeine and nicotine late at night, ensure your bedroom is quiet and at the right temperature, remove sleep disruptors from your environment, and get exercise during the day to promote a good night’s sleep.
Aim to switch off laptops and avoid mentally engaging with work 60 to 90 minutes before bedtime, as this single decision can significantly improve sleep quality by allowing your mind to wind down.
Identify your personal caffeine sensitivity and establish a cut-off time (e.g., no caffeine after noon or 10 a.m.) to prevent it from negatively impacting your nighttime sleep quality.
If you experience intermittent sleep problems and consume coffee after lunchtime, eliminate caffeine intake after lunch as a straightforward step to improve your sleep.
If you experience chronic sleep deprivation due to lifestyle choices, such as juggling too much, excessive socializing, or long working hours, prioritize adjusting these behaviors to increase your sleep opportunity.
If you are already anxious about your sleep or have insomnia, using a sleep tracker can worsen your sleep by increasing focus and worry about the data, regardless of its relevance.
When using a sleep tracker, ensure the data provides clear insights that can lead to actionable steps for improving your sleep or overall well-being, otherwise question its utility.
If you generally sleep well and enjoy tracking personal data, a sleep tracker can be useful for understanding correlations between sleep opportunity and other health parameters, without causing harm.
Use sleep trackers as a tool to gain objective data that helps you tune into your own body and compare it with your subjective feelings, rather than becoming solely reliant on the numbers.
To delay your sleep phase and shift your circadian rhythm (e.g., for travel or specific work schedules), expose yourself to bright light, such as from a sun lamp or light-emitting glasses, in the evenings.
When attempting to shift your circadian rhythm, adjust not only light exposure but also the timing of other ‘zeitgebers’ like exercise and meals, as these subtle influences collectively aid in the shift.
Strategically use moderate to intense exercise in the evening to help delay your sleep onset, particularly when intentionally shifting your circadian rhythm, understanding that it typically hinders sleep if done too close to bedtime.
Once you’ve shifted your circadian rhythm for a specific period (e.g., a tour or shift work), maintain that new schedule consistently rather than attempting to shift back and forth frequently, as constant changes are difficult for the body.
Align your daily rhythms with sunrise and sunset to improve sleep, as the sun is a major influencer of the body’s circadian rhythm.
Understand that profound fatigue, such as when ill, serves an important role by diverting energy to aid recuperation and the immune system, rather than being a sign of moral failing.
View behaviors often labeled as ‘sins’ (like sloth) as having an underlying biological basis and being part of human nature, rather than a reflection of moral failing or inadequacy.
Understand that manipulating your emotional state can significantly influence your perceived energy levels and willingness to exert effort, allowing you to access reserves when needed.
For most individuals with insomnia, objective sleep measurements show their total sleep time is not significantly different from normal sleepers, meaning the long-term health consequences often discussed (e.g., cardiovascular disease) may not apply to them.
If you experience dream enactment behavior, avoid panicking as it can be triggered by various factors like antidepressants, not solely indicative of severe neurological conditions.
If you struggle with sleep, start by educating yourself on sleep science, then consult your GP, as medical understanding of sleep has improved but can still vary.
When assessing sleep, integrate objective test results with the patient’s subjective experience, as solely relying on one or the other can lead to misdiagnosis or ineffective treatment.
For the vast majority of individuals with clear-cut insomnia, a sleep study is often unnecessary and unhelpful, as it may not accurately reflect typical sleep patterns and can even exacerbate anxiety.
Before undergoing any sleep test, understand its specific purpose and the context in which it’s being performed to ensure its relevance and proper interpretation.
If napping after lunch is a regular part of your routine and aligns with your body’s natural circadian dip, there is nothing wrong with it, and it can even offer benefits like improved afternoon blood pressure.