"One of the biggest mistakes that many of us make, myself included, is when we're experiencing sleep difficulty, staying in bed and tossing and turning and thinking that if we just stay in bed a little bit longer, we'll will ourselves to sleep," says Dr. Robbins. But we're actually doing the opposite."We'reour brains to understand that in bed is where insomnia happens. It's not a place where we drift off to sleep, but instead where we toss and turn.
"The well-rested person will take around 15 minutes to fall asleep. So even if you had a very healthy sleep system, it actually takes a little bit of time to fall asleep," says Dr. Robbins."But if you have a problematic sleep latency, right around the time when you find that voice chime in [that says] 'Oh, not again, not again. I can't fall asleep, not again tonight,' that is exactly when you need to get out of bed and start the process over.
"[Sleep difficulties] happen to all of us, and now more than ever, because we're living in the midst of a pandemic. Our lives have been changed completely and sleep is a function of what happens during our days," says Dr. Robbins."Notice that that is completely normal, and take that in stride. Realize that the next day is going to get a little bit rough. You're going to be tired, but do your best." And remember that sleep should come much easier the following evening.
Not only does this practice help distance the act of worrying from something you do as you’re trying to sleep, but also, it creates cognitive space between you and your own worries. “The practice of writing them down on paper—instead of allowing them to stay in your mind—can significantly improve your ability to relax and ease off to sleep,” says Dr. Robbins.