If insomnia strikes in the second half of the night, I have some good news (and advice) for you

If you tend to struggle with insomnia in the second half of the night, the good news is that you are probably getting most, if not all, of your deep sleep. This is the most restorative sleep and helps explain why sometimes you might not get many hours of sleep, but you feel relatively good during the day.

With that being said, it can still be frustrating to wake during the second half of the night and struggle to fall back to sleep. When this happens, the best thing to do is to implement stimulus control techniques.

This involves getting out of bed when you are unable to sleep and only returning to the bed when you feel sleepy enough for sleep. If you get back into bed and are still unable to fall back to sleep after 20-30 minutes, you repeat the process.

This isn't intended to improve sleep on the night you implement the technique, but — over time — it will help train your mind to associate the bed with sleep rather than wakefulness. This will make it easier to fall asleep when you wake during the night and it will ultimately make the bed a stronger trigger for sleep.

More on stimulus control in these videos:

   • How stimulus control improves sleep i...  
   • How to make stimulus control for inso...  

Stimulus control is a core component of the best treatment for chronic insomnia — cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). You can learn more about CBT-I in these videos:

   • What is CBT for insomnia (CBT-I)?  
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Also mentioned in this video:

The quality of your day isn't​ entirely dependent on the quality of your sleep:
   • The quality of your day isn't​ entire...  

How the body compensates for lost sleep by itself (and why stimulus control is so effective):
   • How the body compensates for lost sle...  

There is no evidence that chronic insomnia causes any specific health problem:
   • There is no evidence that chronic ins...  

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My name is Martin Reed and I am the founder of Insomnia Coach®. I offer sleep coaching services that give people with insomnia all the skills and support they need to enjoy better sleep for the rest of their lives. I also offer a free two-week sleep training course for people with insomnia at https://insomniacoach.com/sleep-train...

You can also find me here:

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All content found on the Insomnia Coach YouTube channel is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice or medical treatment and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or other licensed healthcare provider. All content is provided as is, and without warranties.

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