Should you continue with stimulus control for insomnia even when your sleep window is almost over?
If you are implementing stimulus control in order to make the bed a strong long-term trigger for sleep, you will be getting out of bed when you can’t sleep. You should then return to bed after about half an hour (or when you feel sleepy again) and repeat the process.
In the short-term, this can turn you into a human yo-yo — but this is a long-term strategy. Just as it took time for you to learn to associate the bed with wakefulness and worry/anxiety, it will take time (and effort) to learn to associate the bed with sleep and relaxation.
More about stimulus control in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ndAEIjZ7IA
More about the sleep window in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUO4bmoD5XI
A common question I am asked is this: “Should I continue with stimulus control even when I get really close to the end of my sleep window?”.
In other words, when you are close to the time when you should be getting out of bed to start the day anyway, is it still worth getting out of bed (or returning to bed)?
First of all, it’s important to avoid clock watching during the night since this is often a primary driver of sleep-related worry and anxiety. So, as a reminder, you shouldn’t be checking the clock during the night — even when implementing stimulus control techniques.
With that being said, there are environmental cues that can help you determine how close you are to the end of your sleep window (for example, you might hear the neighbors getting ready for work, you might hear the street sweeper, the birds chirping, the garbage collectors, etc).
So, the decision on whether or not you should continue with stimulus control that night rests on where you are and how you feel.
If you are in bed and you wake close to the end of your sleep window, but feel drowsy and relaxed, then stay in bed and give yourself half an hour or so to fall back to sleep. If you don’t fall back to sleep, or if you wake and feel very alert and your sleep window is almost over, you might as well get out of bed and start your day.
If you are already out of bed, implementing stimulus control, and realize that you’re close to the end of your sleep window, it’s still worthing going back to bed if you feel sleepy enough for sleep. If you feel alert and suspect that you aren’t going to fall back to sleep then it’s probably a good idea to get your day started.
Getting out of bed before the end of your sleep window isn’t a big problem since it can help build sleep drive (more on sleep drive in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HkN-f2ZOAE) but regularly getting out of bed after your sleep window ends can confuse the body clock and this makes sleep more difficult, reduces sleep quality, and lead to all the symptoms associated with jet lag (more on that in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbylY1sVIlU).
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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=youtube050619
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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.
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