Retrain YOUR brain to turn off at night...

SLEEP restriction is the most challenging part of my Fast Asleep programme. But if you are tormented by insomnia, it is definitely worth trying. The principles are simple: for a few weeks you have to reduce the amount of time you spend in bed, ensuring that when you go to bed you are really tired. This means that you will fall asleep more quickly, stay in deep sleep for longer and wake up less frequently during the night.

Done properly, sleep restriction is safe, fast and effective.

Reducing the amount of time spent in bed increases your sleep drive (your urge to sleep). Just as importantly, it helps lessen the negative associations that have built up in your brain, linking the idea of bed with the stress of bad sleep.

The more hours you spend in bed, anxious about the fact that you’re not sleeping, the more entrenched will be the stress responses which keep you awake.

Psychiatrists call the involuntary process of reinforcing bad habits ‘conditioning’. However, sleep restriction therapy (SRT) has been shown to reprogramme your body and brain so you fall asleep naturally when you get into bed, much as you did as a child.

PROOF IT WORKS

IT IS now widely accepted that reducing time spent in bed really does reset the brain. Unlike drugs, it promises longlasting results without side-effects — people sleep more deeply, wake up less often and feel much better.

I tried it myself and found it very effective, which is why I made sleep restriction an important part of my Fast Asleep insomnia-busting plan.

Just like intermittent fasting, it can be tough at the start. But it is worth trying because it really can transform your life.

You may, initially, feel more sleepy during the day and a bit irritable. It’s also a good idea to start sleep restriction over a weekend or when you have a few days off, so you don’t have to drive anywhere or use machinery that might be dangerous if you’re sleepy.

But the good news is that the tiredness doesn’t last long and it really does work.

People who have tried sleep restriction tell me they’re surprised how quickly their sleep improves, and how much this, in turn, improves their mood.

FORGO THOSE LIE-INS

IF YOU don’t have a serious problem with sleeping or you feel that full-on SRT may not be for you, then you might want to start with something I call SRT-lite.

For one week try reducing the amount of time you spend in bed by one hour. So, if you normally go to bed at 11pm and get up at 7am, try going to bed at 12pm for a week, instead. You have to stick to the same waking time every day, even at weekends, you can’t have a lie-in and no napping is allowed.

If, after a week, you are sleeping better, then give yourself an extra 20 minutes in bed. Many people find that three weeks following this pattern is enough to reset your sleep.

SET A NEW BEDTIME

IT IS very important that you get up at the same time each morning, and go to bed much later than you normally would. Your bedtime is based on how much sleep you are getting at the moment.

If you only get six hours of sleep each night, you should spend six hours in bed a night for the first week of the programme.

This might sound alarming, but you’ll soon find you are going to sleep faster, waking up less and sleeping more deeply. The key is to set a fixed wake time (say 7am) and work back from there. If you’re restricting sleep to six hours a night, that means your new, temporary bedtime is 1am.

STICK TO THE RULES

WHEN you cut the time you spend in bed you should find you spend more of that time sleeping. But be aware, sleep restriction only works if:

▪ You stick rigorously to the plan, no matter how hard it seems for the first few days.

▪ You don’t lie down, nap or snooze during the day (ask your family to prod you awake if you do).

▪ You always get up with your morning alarm — no lie-ins.

Sleep restriction is tough, particularly for the first week. You may feel tired and moody during the day and have an increased appetite. But remember, this is temporary.

Do tell your friends, family and work colleagues what you are doing, and why you are doing it, so they know why you are yawning and more badtempered than usual! Try not to compensate by drinking more coffee. And don’t nap! This would be a bad time to go to the cinema, theatre or anywhere warm and dark where you might nod off.

MONITOR PROGRESS

KEEP track of your progress by filling in a sleep diary during the programme. You can use the one printed, right. Your aim should be a sleep efficiency of 85 per cent after the first week.

If you succeed, you can reward yourself with an extra 20 minutes in bed. You do this by bringing your bedtime forward by 20 minutes.

So instead of going to bed at 1am, you can now go to bed at 12.40am. If you are still finding it hard to drop off, or spending a quite a lot of time awake, stick with lam for another week. Sleep restriction works, but for some people it takes tune. It can take time to adjust to going to bed so much later than normal. You might think this extra time is a golden opportunity to catch up on work or emails. DON T. The point of sleep restriction is that it should be downtime, not an excuse to embark on something stressful or stimulating. When I tried SRT I read a lot of books and I watched a lot of TV (in the living room, not the bedroom). Just don't doze and only go to bed when you reach the appointed time. The longer and more entrenched the insomnia, the harder it is to shake. Most people And four weeks of SRT is

enough, but be prepared for the process to take up to eight weeks if you have long-term insomnia.

By the end of the programme, your sleep efficiency should be about 85% or better. A 100% sleep efficiency is unrealistic.

Most people take time to drift off and many wake during the night. This is normal. As older people tend to be lighter sleepers a sleep efficiency of 80% is a perfectly acceptable goal if you are over 60.

IF IT DOESN’T IMPROVE

IF YOUR sleep doesn’t start to improve after a week, you may need to cut your time in bed by a further 20 minutes.

Restrict it even more if that doesn’t work, but never cut back to less than five hours in bed. If the programme really isn’t working then you may be suffering from a complex sleep problem and, in this case, should discuss this with your GP.

I would also recommend consulting your doctor if you have a significant health problem, or a sleep disorder such as sleep apnoea.

In addition, SRT should not be tried by pregnant women or young children.

You may find it much easier to stick to the course with professional support from a practitioner who is trained in delivering CBTi (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia).

Find out more from the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive therapies at: babcp.com