LL--Here are some of my notes:
1. Do not go to bed until you are sleepy and never before your prescribed bedtime.
2. If you cannot fall asleep within 15 minutes either at the beginning of the night or in the middle of the night, get out of bed and leave the bedroom. Do not watch the clock. 15 minutes is what it feels like to you. When you begin to feel frustrated, get the feeling that sleep is not coming, or you are wishing you could take a sleeping pill, it is time to get out of bed. DO NOT WORRY IN BED. Do something pleasant and relaxing during the time you are out of bed--something that is not stimulating (I watch TV or read).
3. Return to bed only when you feel sleepy.
4. Repeat Step 2 and 3 as often as necessary throughout the night.
5. Get up at the same time every morning.
6. Use the bed/bedroom for sleep and sex only. Do not watch TV, listen to radio, eat, drink, talk on the phone, read, or do work in bed (you can read in bed if it is a relaxing rather than stimulating activity for you).
7. Unless you nap on a regular basis, try to avoid napping.
8. When you get up in the morning, get vertical immediately. Light exposure can be helpful. (For me, getting sunlight first thing in the morning helped me regulate my sleep.)
To figure out your natural sleep cycle, you keep a daily sleep diary. As you notice your sleep patterns you can use them to help you consolidate sleep. For example, I would go to bed at 11:00pm and fall asleep by 11:30 or so. Then I would wake up 2-3 times during the night. The last time, around 3:30am, I'd stay awake for awhile. Then I'd wake up at 5:30, again at 6:30, and finally get up (groggy) at 7:30 or 8pm. So, although I was in bed for 8-1/2 to 9 hours, I was sleeping maybe 6-1/2 hours total (unrestful, interrupted sleep). So we set my scheduled bedtime up a bit later and my waking time earlier so that I was only in bed about 7 hours total. But this is done in increments so you don't make a radical change in your habits all at once. It was hard at first, as my problem was getting up in the morning after a restless night. But eventually it started working, and I started getting a consolidated 6-1/2 hours of sleep. Then my goal was to increase that to at least 7 hours, which was also done incrementally. By the end of the program I was sleeping 7 hours straight through without medication (I had been on Ambien when I started the program).
I can fax you the sleep diary pages. The helpful thing about working with Dr. Kuo is that she helps you analyze your sleep diary to figure out your optimal sleep patterns.
We also used some chapters from a book called No More Sleepless Nights by Peter Hauri, Murray Jarman, and Shirley Linde (pub. by John Wiley & Sons).
I also wanted to mention that I did very well for some time after the program, but my sleep problems resurfaced earlier this year when my IBS problems worsened and I developed other GI problems. But I can return to the info I learned and it helps get me back on track. BTW, I also wanted to mention that, since my latest GI difficulties were affecting sleep, my doctor had me start taking 5HTP, a form of tryptophan, and that has helped quite a bit. I had gone back on Ambien, and I didn't want to continue it. I was able to stop the Ambien by switching to 5HTP.
Hope this helps a bit and that your sleep improves!! Send me your fax number.
Judithg
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Re: Anyone else have this weird AND very frustrating problem?
