“I’m a great sleeper.” I just had to say that in an attempt to counter all the other things I’m about to say about my sleeping.

Ok… in all honesty, I have gotten better at sleeping, and it didn’t require making any drastic changes to my life. For example, I still stay up late, I still work late, I still stare at a computer screen until just before bed.

So what’s led to my improved sleep? Simply put, I’ve managed to build up my confidence as a good sleeper.

How did my confidence get so low? In his book, “Say Good Night to Insomnia,” Gregg D. Jacobs PhD suggests that the public’s view on the truths and myths about sleep has been distorted in a way that has created more insomniacs. And personally, I definitely believed those myths, which were contributing to my lack of confidence.

Dr. Jacobs, dispels these myths and links their proliferation with the marketing and communications strategies of sleeping pill manufacturing companies. Why would they spread these myths, well essentially, they need more of the population to be stressed about sleep. Thus, promoting a lot of the falsehoods about sleep and how much we need has helped to drive sales of the medications they sell.

Dr. Jacobs provides several great tips in his book, but mainly he promotes his 6-week cognitive behaviour sleep therapy program. Just to demonstrate how highly regarded his program is, the province of Ontario’s Health Insurance Plan covers the cost of completing it for residents of Ontario. Personally, I’m holding his program as a back-up plan, in case I develop severe insomnia. For now, and forever, I hope the tips I learned from his book help me to get the right amount of sleep most nights of the week.

Initially, I was reluctant to read his book because I thought it would simply lecture me on routines and habits I didn’t really want to change. But instead, it improved my sleep in ways that didn’t require an overhaul of my life. I believe the lowered stress I felt around not getting enough sleep was the main contributor to my better sleep.

*Quick note for those with severe insomnia - I do still suggest reading his book and using my checklist to improve your sleep, but in my example, I don’t have severe insomnia. And although I have been an absolutely horrible sleeper at several points in my life, for the most part I experience bouts of poor sleep mixed in with good and ok sleep. Before reading his book, my attempts to improve my sleep were consultations with my family doctor and the use of over the counter medications like melatonin as well as prescription sleeping pills like Trazodone and Lorazepam (Ativan).

This is the LONG version of the Sleep Better checklist that should take around 15 or more minutes to complete. It could be called the starter checklist because the first time you fill it out, you want to take your time on each question to go into as much detail as possible. It is this brainstorming process where you clearly picture in your mind the answer to each question to ensure it becomes more prominent and dominates over the thoughts you are trying to eradicate. Once successful, the SHORT checklist will quickly trigger the emotions you worked hard to elicit using this FULL checklist.

Fill it out as many times as necessary to Sleep Better:

1. I recognized my inaccurate thoughts and beliefs about insomnia were not serving me and are mostly false!
   • Dr. Jacobs suggests that the public’s view on the truths and myths about sleep has been distorted in a way that has created more insomniacs.
2. Knowing that I do NOT have to get 8 hours of sleep and that sleep deprivation is NOT lethal, I worried less about falling asleep:
   • Study suggests different ranges for different ages, 7–8 hours is common for adults
     
   • "Sleep durations outside the recommended range may be appropriate, but deviating far from the normal range is rare."
   • Sleep deprivation is NOT lethal
3. Knowing that too much sleep is not good for my health (e.g. more than 9 hours), I worried less about falling asleep:
   • Study suggests that 9–10 hours of sleep can lead to fat gain and body weight risk in adults
4. I know that I'm not alone if I wake up multiple times per night, as it happens to normal adult sleepers:
   • Dr. Jacobs explains that many normal adult sleepers wake up 6–12 times per night.
5. I slept more than I think I did:
   • When I get up in the morning and attempt to calculate how much sleep I had, I was cognizant that there is some consciousness in Stage 1 sleep that may make me think I was fully awake, but I was actually sleeping and getting the benefits associated with Stage 1.
   • This is especially true if I go back and forth between Stage 1 and Stage 2 sleep, where I think I didn't sleep at all but actually got the benefits of both stages.
6. I avoided laying awake in bed:
   • If I couldn't fall asleep, I got out of bed to avoid associating bed with feelings of frustration and lack of control.
   • Laying awake in bed for hours will also hurt my confidence as a good sleeper.
7. I woke up at the same time every day:
   • According to Dr Jacobs, waking up at the same time every day is more important than going to bed at the same time every day to maintain the correct body temperature (and set the circadian rhythm) that will help me fall asleep at night.
8. I didn't go to bed too early:
   • If my body temperature is still too high, because I haven't been awake long enough in the day, I will have more trouble falling asleep and will lay awake becoming more and more frustrated. This experience can contribute to my belief that I am a bad sleeper.
     
9. I avoided trying to control sleep:
   • I must relinquish control and let it happen. This may be hard for a type "A" person, but it is a fact I must accept to improve my sleep.
10. I exposed myself to sunlight (or a bright light) as soon as I woke up:
    • The faster we can expose ourselves to sunlight, the faster the circadian clock sets in (the faster our body temperature will start to drop, so we are in the right temperature zone by bedtime).
    • "Bright light in the morning will make you feel sleepy and fall asleep earlier in the evening." CDC
    • "The circadian clock is most sensitive to light about 1 hour after usual wake-up time in the morning." CDC
11. I avoided bright lights, 2 hours before usual bedtime:
    • I dimmed the lights 2 hours before I want to go to sleep.
    • "The circadian clock is most sensitive to light about 2 hours before usual bedtime." CDC
    • Electronic devices also affect the circadian clock, so I avoided them before bed.
12. I used the bed and bedroom for sleeping only:
    • This is important so that I associate the bed and bedroom with sleeping. This way, when I go to bed, my mind is primed to fall asleep instead of read the news or do work.
    • Of course, some of us have small apartments that mean our bedrooms double as many different rooms. So, as much as possible, I tried to make the bed and that part of my bedroom a sanctuary for sleep and nothing else. This can also include changing the bedroom layout or arrangement, so it looks slightly different from when I use it to sleep and when I use it for a different activity.
13. I avoided sleeping pills:
    • According to Dr. Jacobs, sleeping pills are marginally effective because they do not change the behaviours and thought patterns that lead to insomnia and have side effects that lead to poor performance or the feelings of grogginess the next day.
14. I played ONE level of Tetris before bed:
    • This is especially helpful if I’ve been working on something right before bed or have had a problem that I’ve been trying to solve all day. Why? Because, my brain will not abruptly stop working on the problem just because I laid down and told it to “stop!” No, my brain is going to keep actively working through it as I toss and turn.
    • Playing a game right be fore bed that challenges me mentally but ultimately doesn't matter, gives my brain something else to try to solve. Why doesn’t it distract me as I try to fall asleep? Probably because it doesn’t matter, has no emotional attachment, has no direct bearing on how good or bad my next day, week or year will be. Without the baggage that comes along with a real problem, my mind will wind down more easily. Tetris, therefore, steps in as a benign substitute problem for my mind to work on that will distract me from my real problems and thus help me fall asleep.
15. I set an alarm (or two):
    • Setting an alarm can put my mind at ease, knowing I won’t miss tomorrow’s important event.
    • Setting two alarms will mean I won’t worry about whether I set the first one incorrectly (e.g. pm instead of am).
16. I kept a pen and notebook beside my bed to take notes:
    • Taking notes without a screen is important because the screen (e.g. my phone) will shine a light in my eyes that could affect my circadian clock.
17. I wrote it down (e.g. terrible things, problems, great ideas, things I'm excited about):
    • Whether it’s good or bad, write it down.
    • Why? To get it out of my head, so my brain can move on.
    • This is especially important for:
      • Terrible things - writing bad things down can help me stop catastrophizing because when I see them on paper, my imagination isn’t quite as involved as when they are just in my head.
      • Problems - when I write it down, I feel like I’ve taken a step towards resolving it and feel better about it
      • Great ideas - writing them down will ensure I don’t have to worry about forgetting them as I try to fall asleep
      • Things I’m excited about - gives me a sense of closure on them, so I can set them aside until they actually happen.

This is the short version of the checklist that should take around 60 seconds to complete. It could be called the refresher checklist because you've already done the brainstorming in the other checklist and this one serves to quickly remind you of what or how to sleep better.

Fill it in lots of times to develop new thought patterns, habits and confidence and ultimately improve your sleep:

1. I recognized my inaccurate thoughts and beliefs about insomnia were not serving me and are mostly false!
2. Knowing that I do NOT have to get 8 hours of sleep and that sleep deprivation is NOT lethal, I worried less about falling asleep:
3. Knowing that too much sleep is not good for my health (e.g. more than 9 hours), I worried less about falling asleep:
4. I know that I'm not alone if I wake up multiple times per night, as it happens to normal adult sleepers:
5. I slept more than I think I did:
6. I avoided laying awake in bed:
7. I woke up at the same time every day:
8. I didn't go to bed too early:
   
9. I avoided trying to control sleep:
   
10. I exposed myself to sunlight (or a bright light) as soon as I woke up:
11. I avoided bright lights, 2 hours before usual bedtime:
12. I used the bed and bedroom for sleeping only:
13. I avoided sleeping pills:
14. I played ONE level of Tetris before bed:
15. I set an alarm (or two):
16. I kept a pen and notebook beside my bed to take notes:
17. I wrote it down (e.g. terrible things, problems, great ideas, things I'm excited about):