November 2022 Newsletter | Some Thoughts on Sleep Trouble

Posted October 28, 2022

Daylight Savings will end November 6th and with the clock change can come unwanted sleep troubles. That sleep is important is a well known fact. Perhaps no one knows this better, though, than someone who is having difficulty sleeping. Maybe you’ve been there: exhausted, ready all evening for the moment when you can slip into your pajamas and fall into bed, but the moment your head hits the pillow you are wide awake. No matter how hard you try to calm it, your mind flits among myriad thoughts, none of which you want to be thinking about, they’re just… there. So what gives?

You may have an unproductive sleep environment

Light, noise, and temperature all play important roles in creating an environment that supports a good night’s sleep. Light should be minimal, sounds should be soothing, and for adults the temperature should be between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re in a city apartment with a streetlight shining in your window, where it seems like trash trucks are going by on the hour, and the radiator is blasting even in August, then you’ll unfortunately need some tools to help you. Noise canceling headphones and sound machines are great but if they’re too pricey you can pick up a box of ear plugs for a few dollars. Blackout curtains and eye masks are options to create the ideal level of darkness needed. An air conditioner or fan are great aids for cooling your space, or a space heater if you have a temperature problem on the polar side of things.

You may need to wind down more before attempting to sleep

Our days can be busy. From the moment we get up to the moment we brush our teeth, we may be going, going, going nonstop from one place, one demand, to the next. After an eventful day, our minds and bodies need time to gradually relax from all the excitement (or stress). If you’re cramming a ton of to-do’s into your evening, as well, you’re probably not giving yourself a chance to decompress. While it’s important to take care of some things at night to set yourself up for success the next day, try building relaxation into your evening by designating the last hour before bed as a minimal activity period: dim the lights; try not to read, watch, or listen to anything too action-packed; and try some very slow and gentle stretching, breathing exercises, or a meditation app to help guide you to a more peaceful state.

You may be overtired

Ever been to Europe? From the US, many flights are overnight. The idea is that you’ll pass much of those long flight hours fast asleep and arrive at your destination rested and fresh. Except most of us don’t. Many people cannot sleep on a flight and those that do tend to sleep poorly, emerging from the plane bone-tired and jet-lagged. If you can push through and not go to sleep as soon as you get to your hotel, though, you can typically acclimate more quickly to the huge change in time zones. Except that when you push through you are entering a state of over-tiredness.

When you are tired but do not get adequate rest your body thinks that you need to be awake, that it cannot rest because it needs to be on high alert, and produces the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline gets your blood pumping, making you ready for action and cortisol, the stress hormone, makes you alert and edgy. Though you may be awake and functional, you typically do not feel your best and will likely still have difficulty sleeping that night. Think of a little kid who missed her nap: although she may not look tired and may even seem to have more energy, she will eventually become irritable and upset. She may crash hard long before her actual bedtime or she may not be able to fall asleep at all—both of which may continue the cycle of poor sleep.

We don’t have to travel to Europe or be a little kid in order to become overtired. If the sleep you get is interrupted or fitful, or if you’re actually chipping away at your sleep allowance with distractions (‘Just two more minutes on social media and then I’m definitely going to sleep’ you thought 40 minutes ago), then over-tiredness may be contributing to your difficulty sleeping. Try picking a bedtime that allows for a full night of sleep (7-9 hours for adults) and sticking to it. 

You may need to develop tools for managing automatic thoughts

Remember those thoughts pinging around the inside of your brain like a pinball that we mentioned earlier? Many of us have trouble with unwanted thoughts. Although automatic thoughts—thoughts that occur without our conscious intention—happen to everyone and not all automatic thoughts are bad, overly negative automatic thoughts that you cannot move past can be unproductive for both waking and sleeping hours. 

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) offers tools for managing automatic thoughts. A specific type of CBT, called CBT-I, is CBT for Insomnia. Like CBT, CBT-I utilizes cognitive and behavioral interventions to help individuals regain control of their sleep. Psychoeducation helps to understand the connection between thoughts and feelings, behaviors, and sleep, while exercises allow individuals to practice the skills they are learning between sessions, bringing those tools into their everyday lives. 

If you’d like to learn more about how CBT can help with sleep troubles, contact us for more information.