Sleep restriction

Sleep restriction is a method of curing insomnia by limiting a person's total time in bed. It is often associated with related treatments in cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.

Often insomniacs go to bed early and linger there for 10 or more hours each night, laying awake and experiencing only fragments of light sleep. Remaining in bed for long periods without sleeping makes insomnia worse for many people, by creating a mental association between the bed and insomnia. The bed becomes a site of nightly frustration where it is difficult to relax. Often insomniacs will nap during the day, which further disrupts their 24-hour sleep cycle and ultimately leads to more insomnia.

Sleep restriction is intended to consolidate nightly sleep so that it is continuous and not fragmented. A doctor may instruct a patient to avoid napping during the day and only get in bed when he/she is very tired and truly ready to sleep. This may mean sleeping only 6 hours or in extreme cases it may mean sleeping only 2 to 3 hours, then, gradually increasing sleep time over the course of several weeks. Although the total sleep time of the patient may be low initially, the quality of the sleep will generally become higher. By the end of the process many patients experience less fragmented, more continuous sleep and return to sleeping 7–8 hours a night.^[1] "Sleep restriction" may also refer to partial sleep deprivation.^[2]

Restricting sleep has also been shown to be an effective but usually temporary measure for treating depression.

See also

• Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia#Sleep restriction

References

1. Teofilo L. Lee-Chiong (25 November 2005). Sleep: A Comprehensive Handbook. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 133–. ISBN 978-0-471-75171-7. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
2. Wayne Weiten (2010). Psychology: Themes and Variations: Themes and Variations. Cengage Learning. pp. 243–. ISBN 978-0-495-60197-5. Retrieved 25 September 2013.