Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI): Reducing Sleep-Interfering Arousal/Activation

This includes a variety of relaxation techniques, stress management skills, and reducing sleep-related worries. The behavioral sleep medicine specialist uses cognitive therapy to reduce arousal by helping patients shift from "trying hard to sleep" to "allowing sleep to happen." In addition, the following can also facilitate sleep:

• Use the hour before bedtime to unwind from the day's stresses. This down time will allow sleepiness to come to the surface and will therefore facilitate sleep onset. This is a time to engage in activities that are enjoyable yet calming.
• Avoid clock watching. Turn the clock around so you cannot see the time yet you can still use it as an alarm. A recent study showed that volunteers who were asked to monitor a digital clock at bedtime took longer to fall asleep than those monitoring a similarly looking device that displayed random digits.
• Avoid exercise within four hours before bedtime.
• Make sure that the sleep environment is safe, quiet and pleasant.