Video Transcript: Why Sleep Hygiene May Not Be Enough
Why Sleep Hygiene May Not Be Enough: Video and Transcript
Video at a Glance
- Presented by: Dr. Charles R. Freeman, Ph.D., California-licensed psychologist, PSY #25414.
- Video length: 4 minutes, 6 seconds.
- Topics: Sleep hygiene, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), sleep anxiety, individual sleep needs and collaborative treatment.
Complete Video Transcript
Sleep Hygiene
There are a lot of people out there with insomnia, and there is lots of information on the internet about sleep hygiene, or the habits around sleep. That includes keeping the room dark enough and cool enough, avoiding caffeine after noon, and not watching the clock throughout the night because all these things can lead to poorer sleep. There are many other factors as well. What we find is that information alone is not sufficient. You can have plenty of information about the habits around sleep and how to improve them, but the primary thing we know is a gold standard for overcoming insomnia and having more sound sleep: cognitive behavioral therapy, which changes thoughts and behaviors.
Insomnia Is Very Common
Some people hear the word psychologist and it makes them cringe a little. They may think, “Well, that is a person who has some really serious problem, and that is not me. So why would I go see a psychologist?” What we find is that insomnia is really a very common problem, something that we might see in about a third of the population.
“Normal” Sleep
Some physicians tell their patients they should have eight hours, but people may only need five hours or six hours. You cannot force yourself into sleeping eight hours if you are a short sleeper. You cannot force yourself into sleeping eight hours if you really need 10 or 11 hours. There are really no hard-and-fast rules about the number of hours you need. What we find is that when people get a core amount of sleep, say five and a half or six hours, that at least is meeting their physiological needs. Some people catastrophize that and say, “Oh, I’m having horrible insomnia.” But really, they are meeting their fundamental needs of that core sleep, deep sleep, stage three and four, which is physiologically restorative.
The Insomnia Feedback Loop
When people start to have poor sleep and they have had a couple of nights of insomnia, they start to dread the next night. That anxiety of, “I have to fall asleep tonight. If I don’t fall asleep, I’m going to have a horrible day,” creates pressure and increases the likelihood that the person will have more insomnia. What I do as a sleep psychologist is help teach people to change their thoughts and not put so much pressure on themselves. When they take that pressure off, we often see more sound sleep.
The Sleep Therapy Process
Some people think of psychotherapy as a long process involving years of therapy, maybe even the old classic image of being on a couch in Freudian psychotherapy. That is not really what we do nowadays. We do more short-term therapy. I see myself as a teacher. I teach people how to overcome the places where they have gotten stuck and did not have enough guidance or accountability. I want to give you the tools and help empower you so that you have sound sleep.
Customized, Collaborative Treatment
I have a clear ability to diagnose, which allows me to create a treatment plan that I share with my patients. I am very transparent in that way. It allows us to have a collaborative relationship where we are a team. I teach you how to change different thoughts and behaviors, and we talk about nutrition and exercise. We individualize that treatment plan so that it fits you. We find the best way to optimize your sound sleep and your well-being in the shortest amount of time. It is my goal to empower you as quickly as possible.
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