Anyone tried Sleepstation or Sleep Restriction Therapy?

[PenelopePeanut]

I didn’t fall asleep til 6am this morning, despite being physically exhausted

It’s not usually quite that bad, but my insomnia is gradually getting worse

I’ve tried every single sleep hygiene trick and nothing bloody works! Getting so anxious and worried about not being able to fall asleep at a decent time.

Have requested a GP referral for Sleepstation, have read a blog of someone who did it and it sounds brutal- and they weren’t going out to work in a stressful job, which I am so don’t know if/how I’d cope.

Any experiences much appreciated

Anyone...?

sleep hygiene is not actually a good protocol for insomnia. In sleep studies, sleep hygiene is the protocol we use as the control condition to examine the efficacy of whatever intervention for insomnia we happen to be trialling in the test group. (That said, it is still advisable to avoid screens before bed, avoid stimulating activity, avoid being too warm, avoid caffeine in the afternoon... and to make sure your bedroom is cool and dark).

So far the best evidence treatment for insomnia is CBT-I (cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia), so i would suggest looking into that.

is sleep restriction therapy where you restrict sleep severely and carefully add more time to it?
a relative did that. and it was successful but needs a 'reset' every year or so.
also relative needs to be very strict with bedtimes, even on holiday

Is it actually insomnia, or could it be DSPD (delayed sleep phase disorder)? If so do not do any kind of sleep therapy that involves moving bedtimes, as it may turn into Non 24 hour sleep-wake disorder, which is much worse!

Yes. I felt like I was being tortured.

I stuck it out for as long as I could, but it didn't help me. I actually got worse.

I don't think the sleepstation strategy is compatible with people who work full time. If you're on furlough, unemployed or you can take a sabbatical, fine - otherwise, it's pretty hellish.

I have just started sleepstation. I have one more sleep diary to fill in before getting properly started.

After reading this thread I am wondering what I have got to look forward to!

I don't drink caffeine at all, have the lightest duvet available and no heating on, eye mask and ear plugs and blackout blinds! So all the right things there. My brain is just unable to switch off after work.

I'm an allied health professional, one that requires a lot of brainpower, concentration, attention to detail and organisation. It's very fast paced and i really can't make any mistakes. As the pace is so fast it feels like my brain is subconsciously still trying to process everything from the day when I get into bed. Anyone got any tips for that?

@mcclucky thanks for sharing your experience. It probably isn't a good idea for me for the reasons above! I've ordered some melatonin, it worked OK for me a few years ago. I do want to get into a strict wake up time and no lounging in bed at weekends etc. Maybe that will help me fall asleep better.

@rosiejaune I'm not sure, I think insomnia as it isn't every night. Some nights are OK but it's completely unpredictable (friday nights are always good apart from last night, no idea what happened!) and Sundays are usually the worst.

My brain ends up getting so wound up worrying about falling asleep...

@PenelopePeanut

I don't drink caffeine at all, have the lightest duvet available and no heating on, eye mask and ear plugs and blackout blinds! So all the right things there. My brain is just unable to switch off after work.

I'm an allied health professional, one that requires a lot of brainpower, concentration, attention to detail and organisation. It's very fast paced and i really can't make any mistakes. As the pace is so fast it feels like my brain is subconsciously still trying to process everything from the day when I get into bed. Anyone got any tips for that?

@mcclucky thanks for sharing your experience. It probably isn't a good idea for me for the reasons above! I've ordered some melatonin, it worked OK for me a few years ago. I do want to get into a strict wake up time and no lounging in bed at weekends etc. Maybe that will help me fall asleep better.

@rosiejaune I'm not sure, I think insomnia as it isn't every night. Some nights are OK but it's completely unpredictable (friday nights are always good apart from last night, no idea what happened!) and Sundays are usually the worst.

My brain ends up getting so wound up worrying about falling asleep...

This is me!

I work in MH and my mind is still processing the day when I go to bed. Sunday is the worst. I am allowed to take two zopiclone tablets a week so I use one on a Sunday.

I have tried Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Mindfulness before bed, but my brain isn't having any of it.

@U2HasTheEdge It was just horrible, sorry. There were some days when I only had a couple of hours of sleep at night under their awful regime, then they told me off when I was so exhausted I took a power nap to try to appear vaguely human before a client video call. It's not even as if I actively napped - I was so exhausted I was passing out during the day.

It's based on the logic that it gets worse before it gets better, which I understand, but it's not compatible with anyone who has to think/concentrate/operate heavy machinery. Plus, the main underlying cause of my sleep problem was work stress, and behaving poorly at work from being even more sleep-deprived than usual was just making the whole problem even worse.

If you know what's stopping you from sleeping, sleepstation is the wrong thing for you. You need to treat the cause, not the symptoms.

My sleep isn't great at the moment, but by trying to actively tackle the stress in my life, I'm now getting around 6 to 7 hours on average, as opposed to the 2 to 3 I was getting previously.

@PenelopePeanut Do you know why you're not sleeping properly? For me, if I'm honest, I didn't want to get up the next day. I was stressed out about work, I was stressed out about some very ill friends, and the next day just had the possibility of bad news.

My friends have thankfully recovered so that stress has reduced by itself. As for work, I can't eliminate all stress, but I've taken steps to change some of the ways I manage my workload in a bid to not go to bed at night worrying about things so much.

I tried lots of different mindfulness apps/soundscapes and a lot of them didn't help me in the slightest. However... something that has made a surprising difference to me is listening to pre-recorded bedtime stories. There's a reason we tell stories to our kids, and it works on adults too! It's just simple language in a soothing tone of voice... and it actually helps me doze off. (The caveat being, I have to actually want to sleep. If I'm still reluctant to go into the next day because I'm mega stressed, it doesn't work as well.)

As another poster mentioned, look up DSPD. A lot of people have never heard of it. It’s a condition where you find it difficult to fall asleep until just before dawn (usually 3/4am). People with the condition, if able to set their own bedtimes, will sleep best at times like 4am-noon.

I have this disorder and it’s a pain in the arse! I’m actually at my most creative and productive late at night and I often feel physically sick in the morning. I’ve had to adjust my life around my sleep schedule as things like resets and sleeping pills simply don’t work.

I've tried it. It did really help for a while. I arranged to take some time off work unpaid to do it as have underlying health conditions which are made much worse by not sleeping. I slipped back into bad habits so my insomnia is now terrible again but for the time I did it and stuck to it it did make a difference but can be quite brutal. I'm a CBT therapist so just bought the manual I dont think sleep station accept you if you have some underlying conditions so I just went it alone.