How your recollection of sleep can be distorted and make insomnia recovery more difficult

YouTube Video VVVMNUxzTFVlVkEyal9Wc2w1NjI1c2hRLjBmUW9EOU1fcmxn

If you have chronic insomnia and your goal is to sleep for as long as you did in the past, this may be making your recovery more difficult.<br /><br />Having a distorted recollection of how you slept in the past is very common — when we don't have any problem with sleep, we tend to assume that all the time we spend in bed is time spent asleep.<br /><br />In other words, if we don't think about sleep or pay any attention to sleep, we can believe that if we go to bed at 11:00 PM and get out of bed at 7:00 AM, we are getting eight hours of sleep.<br /><br />The truth is, it probably took up to half-an-hour or so to fall asleep, there were probably some nighttime awakenings, and we may have started waking before 7:00 AM. When we add up all these awakenings, the amount of sleep we actually got is probably closer to six or seven hours.<br /><br />Related videos:<br /><br />Falling asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow and not waking during the night isn't normal! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oHMHq9K_C4<br /><br />Waking during the night is normal and isn't something you should be worried about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=329oFzXmwEM<br /><br />This is important to recognize since, if you are aiming to get as much sleep as you did before you had insomnia, you may be holding yourself to unattainable goals. You might be aiming to get an amount of sleep that you never used to get, can't get, and don't need.<br /><br />This can lead to performance anxiety and make sleep more difficult.<br /><br />▶ Subscribe to the Insomnia Coach channel (and be sure to click the notification bell afterward so you don't miss any videos): https://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=youtube062119<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

Insomnia Coach 1.4K views June 21, 2019 7:12 pm

If you have chronic insomnia and your goal is to sleep for as long as you did in the past, this may be making your recovery more difficult.

Having a distorted recollection of how you slept in the past is very common — when we don’t have any problem with sleep, we tend to assume that all the time we spend in bed is time spent asleep.

In other words, if we don’t think about sleep or pay any attention to sleep, we can believe that if we go to bed at 11:00 PM and get out of bed at 7:00 AM, we are getting eight hours of sleep.

The truth is, it probably took up to half-an-hour or so to fall asleep, there were probably some nighttime awakenings, and we may have started waking before 7:00 AM. When we add up all these awakenings, the amount of sleep we actually got is probably closer to six or seven hours.

Related videos:

Falling asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow and not waking during the night isn’t normal! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oHMHq9K_C4

Waking during the night is normal and isn’t something you should be worried about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=329oFzXmwEM

This is important to recognize since, if you are aiming to get as much sleep as you did before you had insomnia, you may be holding yourself to unattainable goals. You might be aiming to get an amount of sleep that you never used to get, can’t get, and don’t need.

This can lead to performance anxiety and make sleep more difficult.

▶ Subscribe to the Insomnia Coach channel (and be sure to click the notification bell afterward so you don’t miss any videos): https://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=youtube062119

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