How Thoughts Affect Sleep

Take a look at some common sleep myths to help adjust your thinking.

Myth: I need 8 hours of sleep to survive.
Fact: While most people benefit from 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night, it can vary.

Myth: If I don’t get a good night’s sleep, something terrible will happen.
Fact: Most bad nights of sleep do not lead to a terrible event. Consider:

• How many bad nights have you had?
• How many times has this terrible thing happened?
• Does it happen every time?

Myth: If I'm having trouble sleeping, I should try harder to sleep.
Fact: Trying harder to sleep when you're having trouble can make you more alert and frustrated. Instead, focus on relaxation and accepting your sleep situation.

Myth: If I didn't sleep well last night, I should catch up by spending more time in bed.
Fact: Extra time in bed rarely leads to quality sleep and can disturb the next night's sleep. For better sleep the next night, stick to your usual waking time, and avoid daytime napping.

As your first exercise, think about some unhelpful thoughts you have about sleep and how you can shift them to something positive.

For example, an unhelpful thought may be: “If I can't get a good night’s sleep, my day tomorrow will be ruined.”

Replace it with a positive thought: “Even if I don't sleep well tonight, I can still get up in the morning and do things. The more active I am tomorrow, the easier it will be to fall asleep tomorrow night.

”What other unhelpful thoughts do you have about sleep?  How do you think you can change them?

As your next exercise, schedule "worry time." Research shows that this can help contain worry and anxiety.

To do this:

• Pick a set time every day, at least 3 hours before bedtime, when you can worry for 15 to 30 minutes.
• During this set time, write down all of the worries that come to mind. Feel free to problem-solve if there are clear steps you can take to address the worry. If not, move on to the next worry.
• When a worry pops up right before bedtime or in the middle of the night, tell yourself to DELAY this worry until your set worry time.