How (and when) to change your sleep window when implementing sleep restriction for chronic insomnia

If you're implementing sleep restriction for insomnia, it's important to recognize that you won't be restricting the amount of time you allot for sleep for the rest of your life! Instead, you are temporarily restricting the amount of time you allot for sleep to more closely match your current average nightly sleep duration (in other words, your current sleep "capability").

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Allotting a more appropriate amount of time for sleep helps to build sleep drive, reduce the amount of time you spend awake at night, and consolidate sleep — and all these things help improve sleep quality, which has a big influence on how you feel the following day.

To start with sleep restriction, you will generally look at your average nightly sleep duration taken over one or two weeks and add half-hour or so to this time to get the amount of time you should be allotting for sleep (it's usually a good idea not to allot less than around five to five-and-a-half hours for sleep, though).

Many people ask me when (and how!) they can modify their sleep window over time, as their sleep improves (or if it declines).

Typically, if your average nightly sleep efficiency is over 85% (in other words, more than 85% of the time you are allotting for sleep is spent asleep) then you can try extending your sleep window by around 15 minutes. After a week or two, reassess your average nightly sleep duration. If it's still above 85%, try adding another 15 minutes, and repeat this process ever week or two.

If your sleep efficiency is under 85%, it's often a good idea to reduce your sleep window by 15 minutes or so (as long as the total amount of time you're allotting for sleep doesn't fall below around five hours or so).

If your sleep efficiency is exactly 85%, it's probably best to leave your sleep window unchanged for the time being.

For help calculating your sleep efficiency (and an initial sleep window), you can use the calculators and resources on this page: http://insomniacoach.com/sleep-restri...

If you are not keeping a sleep diary, or are less analytical, you can determine whether you should extend or reduce your sleep window based upon how much of your sleep window you feel you are filling with sleep.

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If you feel as though the vast majority of your sleep window is filled with sleep, try extending it by 15 minutes or so — and reassess in a couple of weeks.

If you feel as though you are spending a lot of time awake during your sleep window, try reducing the amount of time you allot for sleep by 15 minutes or so, and reassess in a couple of weeks.

Related video:

What to do if sleep restriction for insomnia stops working:    • What to do if sleep restriction for i...  

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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...

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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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