Welcome to week 4 of the programme!

Last week, we introduced one of the core components of the programme called sleep restriction therapy, with steps on how to implement it, which you also explored in more detail during your session with a therapist. Using your sleep diary data, you have set up a new sleep and wake schedule that you have been following for the last week. Please continue to complete your sleep diary entries sticking to your new sleep schedule and following the stimulus control recommendations that we covered last weeks. You and the therapist will will review your progress and accordingly tweak your sleep/wake times again at your next therapist-guided session.

You will likely find some of the changes you are asked to do in the SLEEP programme difficult to implement. In fact, this is why you will be supported by the therapist appointments throughout the journey. We don’t tell you this to discourage you, but to help you prepare mentally to improve your chances of success and so you can tackle them with less stress. Change is difficult, but very doable as many others have benefited from these kind of sleep programmes.

While you try your best to stick to the programme, let’s look at some of the common challenges people undergoing sleep restriction therapy face. Take this opportunity to write down any difficulties you are having and any challenges you might be facing that are stopping you from following your new sleep/wake schedule. We encourage you to discuss these with your therapist.

One of the most common ways that people cope when they haven’t been getting enough sleep is to sleep in late, especially on weekends or on days off from work. We would think it’s okay to sleep in late because we need to catch up on the sleep we missed or simply because we are tired. But the fact is, we shouldn’t be doing that at all! This may sound counterintuitive, but actually sleeping in late can hurt our sleep cycle. Why? Because we are shifting our circadian rhythm later, making it more difficult for you to fall asleep that next night. When you sleep in beyond your scheduled wake up time, your optimum sleep gate will be delayed and you are less likely to fall asleep and stay asleep at your planned bedtime for the next night.

During this session, we will talk about sleep needs and how the change over time, chronotypes, stress and how we respond to stress, and relaxation techniques.

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