What to do if the thought of trying CBT for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques gives you anxiety

YouTube Video VVVMNUxzTFVlVkEyal9Wc2w1NjI1c2hRLmpWMnpYb3A2QkNJ

It's quite common for the thought of allotting less time for sleep and getting out of bed when you are finding it hard to sleep (two core components of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia) to lead to worry and even anxiety.<br /><br />Related videos:<br /><br />Why CBT-I is so effective when worry, anxiety, and a racing mind are fueling your chronic insomnia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FooE0_XW4_c<br /><br />Why keeping a sleep diary when you have insomnia is so helpful and rarely increases worry or anxiety: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLKkru0v3lQ<br /><br />After all, if you are currently experiencing sleep-related worry and anxiety, how can spending less time in bed (and getting out of bed, for that matter) improve your sleep and reduce the power of your arousal system?<br /><br />First of all, it's so important to have a thorough understanding of how techniques such as sleep restriction and stimulus control work. If you don't have this knowledge, it's completely understandable for you to feel anxious as soon as you consider implementing these techniques!<br /><br />Related videos:<br /><br />How sleep restriction can improve sleep even when you're only getting a few hours of sleep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k78UM6lHG_A<br /><br />How the body compensates for lost sleep by itself (and why stimulus control is so effective): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rhcwXPWEgw<br /><br />Secondly, if you fully understand the rationale behind these techniques but still feel worried and anxious — and this is preventing you from trying the techniques (or sticking with them) — it can be helpful to conduct an experiment.<br /><br />Tell yourself that you will go "all-in" and implement one (or more!) techniques every single day for two weeks. This way, you will be able to test the idea of whether or not the techniques will actually heighten anxiety — and you will be able to determine with a bit more accuracy whether or not the techniques might be helpful.<br /><br />Anxiety is an emotional response to a thought. If we take the time to evaluate our thoughts (and experimenting is a great way to do this), we can often recognize that our initial fears aren't as accurate as we first believe them to be.<br /><br />Related video:<br /><br />Improve your sleep by recognizing that thoughts aren't always accurate and by not fighting them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZMJgdckvMM<br /><br />▶ Subscribe to the Insomnia Coach channel (and be sure to click the notification bell afterward so you don't miss any videos): http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL5LsLUeVA2j_Vsl5625shQ?sub_confirmation=1<br /><br />My name is Martin Reed and I am the founder of Insomnia Coach®. I offer sleep coaching services that give people with insomnia all the skills and support they need to enjoy better sleep for the rest of their lives. I also offer a free two-week sleep training course for people with insomnia at https://insomniacoach.com/sleep-training/?ref=youtube091119<br /><br />You can also find me here:<br /><br />Website: https://insomniacoach.com<br />Twitter: https://twitter.com/insomniacoach<br />Facebook: https://facebook.com/insomniacoach<br />Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myinsomniacoach/<br /><br />All content found on the Insomnia Coach YouTube channel is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice or medical treatment and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or other licensed healthcare provider. All content is provided as is, and without warranties.<br /><br />#insomnia<br />#sleep

What to do if the thought of trying CBT for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques gives you anxiety

Insomnia Coach 929 views September 11, 2019 11:04 pm

It’s quite common for the thought of allotting less time for sleep and getting out of bed when you are finding it hard to sleep (two core components of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia) to lead to worry and even anxiety.

Related videos:

Why CBT-I is so effective when worry, anxiety, and a racing mind are fueling your chronic insomnia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FooE0_XW4_c

Why keeping a sleep diary when you have insomnia is so helpful and rarely increases worry or anxiety: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLKkru0v3lQ

After all, if you are currently experiencing sleep-related worry and anxiety, how can spending less time in bed (and getting out of bed, for that matter) improve your sleep and reduce the power of your arousal system?

First of all, it’s so important to have a thorough understanding of how techniques such as sleep restriction and stimulus control work. If you don’t have this knowledge, it’s completely understandable for you to feel anxious as soon as you consider implementing these techniques!

Related videos:

How sleep restriction can improve sleep even when you’re only getting a few hours of sleep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k78UM6lHG_A

How the body compensates for lost sleep by itself (and why stimulus control is so effective): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rhcwXPWEgw

Secondly, if you fully understand the rationale behind these techniques but still feel worried and anxious — and this is preventing you from trying the techniques (or sticking with them) — it can be helpful to conduct an experiment.

Tell yourself that you will go “all-in” and implement one (or more!) techniques every single day for two weeks. This way, you will be able to test the idea of whether or not the techniques will actually heighten anxiety — and you will be able to determine with a bit more accuracy whether or not the techniques might be helpful.

Anxiety is an emotional response to a thought. If we take the time to evaluate our thoughts (and experimenting is a great way to do this), we can often recognize that our initial fears aren’t as accurate as we first believe them to be.

Related video:

Improve your sleep by recognizing that thoughts aren’t always accurate and by not fighting them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZMJgdckvMM

▶ Subscribe to the Insomnia Coach channel (and be sure to click the notification bell afterward so you don’t miss any videos): http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL5LsLUeVA2j_Vsl5625shQ?sub_confirmation=1

My name is Martin Reed and I am the founder of Insomnia Coach®. I offer sleep coaching services that give people with insomnia all the skills and support they need to enjoy better sleep for the rest of their lives. I also offer a free two-week sleep training course for people with insomnia at https://insomniacoach.com/sleep-training/?ref=youtube091119

You can also find me here:

Website: https://insomniacoach.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/insomniacoach
Facebook: https://facebook.com/insomniacoach
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myinsomniacoach/

All content found on the Insomnia Coach YouTube channel is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice or medical treatment and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or other licensed healthcare provider. All content is provided as is, and without warranties.

#insomnia
#sleep