How simply holding a consistent out of bed time can dramatically improve your sleep.
by Brian Curtis, Ph.D.
We're not talking about the threat of peeing your pants.
We're talking about one of the most powerful, if not THE most powerful, tools in the toolbox for treating chronic insomnia.
It sounds simple. And it is.
A fluctuating out of bed time confuses our brain and our body.
It messes with our hormones. (You don't wanna confuse your pineal gland, do you?) "When will we be releasing melatonin tonight?!? 10 pm? 2 am?"
It messes with our sleep drive. Waking up and getting out of bed 2 hours later can delay our evening sleepiness by approximately that amount.
You sleep in 2 hours later on Saturday and Sunday morning.
You get in bed at your usual time of 10:30 p.m. on Sunday night - but you can't fall asleep.
You toss and turn for 2 hours.
You still have to wake up at 6:00 a.m.
2 hours less total sleep time.
More caffeine on Monday.
Maybe a daytime nap, further messing with your sleep drive.
More tossing and turning Monday night, anxiety about not sleeping on Tuesday ... this can set up a vicious cycle.
If you're stuck in the vicious cycle of chronic insomnia, the gold standard recommendation is to find a sleep specialist for a comprehensive clinical assessment and individualized treatment planning.
Many excellent sleep specialists can be found by visiting the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine website.
In the meantime, consider running an experiment with your sleep for the next 7 days:
"JUST HOLD IT!"
Discover how your sleep can dramatically improve with this one evidence-based change. Then share it with someone else who might be struggling.
For more info on the benefits of holding it, click HERE
