What is Sleep Restriction Therapy? Does it Work?
Understanding Sleep Restriction Therapy
Sleep restriction therapy (SRT) is a non-pharmacological approach used to treat chronic insomnia and other sleep disorders. The core idea behind SRT is to limit the amount of time spent in bed to improve sleep quality and increase sleep efficiency. By restricting the time spent in bed, individuals.
Can start to associate the bed with sleep rather than wakefulness, leading to better sleep outcomes. Often used in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), SRT can be an effective treatment for insomnia disorder. This method helps to recalibrate your sleep schedule, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep through the night.
How Sleep Restriction Therapy Works
Sleep restriction therapy is a common feature of virtually all types of cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBTi). It aims to address difficulty staying asleep through reverse logic. Limiting the amount of time spent in bed can actually help those struggling with sleeplessness to sleep better.
This sounds strange, right? Read on to learn about sleep restriction therapy, how to utilize this method, and how it helps treat insomnia disorder.
Neurologist and specialist in sleep medicine from New York. Since then, decades of sleep research have proven it to be the most effective technique for improving sleep. It is considered a reliable treatment method for those with insomnia, and for anyone who is simply trying to sleep better.
The name of this method may be confusing because the goal is not to restrict sleep, but rather to restrict time spent in bed awake. The main concept is that the more time insomniacs spend in bed, the less time they spend asleep. Sleep restriction is designed to correct this imbalance.
Sleep Restriction Therapy Steps
This CBTi method works to increase your sleep efficiency. Average sleep efficiency scores are calculated from sleep diaries, indicating the percentage of time spent asleep compared to time in bed, and this information is used to adjust sleep windows as needed.
- Record Your Sleep Patterns – Keep a sleep diary or use a sleep tracking app for at least two weeks. This will help you better identify your sleep habits and patterns.
- Average the Hours of Sleep per Night – Using your sleep log. You will need to find the average number of hours of nightly sleep.
- Set Your Bedtime – Start by going to bed in time to achieve only the average number of hours that you calculated. For example, if you usually only sleep 6 hours, and you need to wake up at 7:00 am, then your initial bedtime should be 1:00 am. It is recommended, however, that you do not restrict the sleep time less than 5.5 hours even if that is more than your average sleep time.
- Maintain the Same Wake Time – Keep the same wake time every day of the week.
- Stick to this Schedule for at Least Two Weeks – The time spent in bed. Should not vary according to the amount of sleep you got during the night either.
- Increase the Time Spent in Bed – สนใจสมัคร? คลิกที่นี่เพื่อเริ่มต้น When you are sleeping relatively well through the night and starting to feel tired during the day, gradually increase the time spent in bed. Move back your bedtime by adding 15 minutes each week.
- Find Your Ideal Bedtime – You will know that you have reached your ideal bedtim. When you are sleeping better through the night and feeling rested during the day.