Sleep Restriction TherapySleep restriction therapy is a treatment that is based on the idea that people with insomnia spend too much time in bed. Time spent awake in bed is thought to contribute to subsequent nights of wakefulness, sleep fragmentation, or poor quality sleep. Therefore, treatment is the process of reducing the sleeper’s time in bed to be roughly equivalent to his or her reported sleep time. For example, if a person reports lying in bed for eight hours per night, but sleeps only six hours per night, the sleep restriction therapist might recommend that the sleeper remain in bed for only six hours per night. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (a professional organization of doctors) includes sleep restriction therapy as one of its recognized non-pharmaceutical interventions for insomnia. Sleep restriction therapy usually is administered by a healthcare professional who can tailor the therapy to a patient’s individual needs, but, the basic sleep restriction protocol is:
Depression and sleep restriction therapy
Sleep restriction therapy can actually be a short-term treatment for depression. Don't let people sleep as much as they want to, and the depression subsides. It doesn't work for everyone, and it's hardly a long-term cure, but sleep restriction can play a part in overall depression management. Indeed, staying up past one's normal bedtime can often produce a feeling of euphoria.
|
Sleep Disorders
|