Should I be going to sleep later? + promo code

Rachel, a nurse in the PICU, came to me with the following dilemma: She needs to wake up at 4:30 for her shift, and in order to get sufficient sleep she goes to bed at 9:30 PM. However, she often has trouble falling asleep and will only drift off around midnight, or sometimes closer to 1. 

As part of her coaching, I recommended that she start going to sleep later - even though it would mean - theoretically - that she was eliminating the option of getting a solid 7 hours.

She called me 2 weeks later to tell me how much she was enjoying her new schedule. She now went to sleep at 11, fell asleep at 12, and eliminated 2-3 hours of tossing and turning. As for the days that she’s more tired than usual? We’re working on it, but she is much happier to be free of that uneasy time in bed than to find an extra few hours to nap.

In a typical intake with my clients, we review their normal nightly routine and how they prepare and transition to bed. We work together on pinpointing when and why their sleep routine breaks down and gets disrupted.

With Rachel, she was sure that she needed a “normal” 7 hours of sleep, and due to her early wake up time, she assumed that naturally she needed to be in bed by 9:30 PM. However, her body simply wasn’t ready to fall asleep. Once she wasn’t falling asleep, the next step was anxiety and worry about falling asleep, and now she had two problems - instead of only getting 4 hours of sleep, she was also so worried and would have a feeling of dread come upon her as the night approached.

Often, we have a certain picture about what the “correct” time to be sleeping and waking is. This might come from a doctor (“a healthy body needs 7 solid hours of sleep”), a well-meaning friend/family member (“I know that successful people need to be up and running by 6:30 AM”), or something you’ve read (“people who sleep less than 4 hours per night have increased risk of xyz”). However, if you find that you are not feeling tired or energized at the “right” time, it’s worth looking at the TIME you are transitioning in and out of sleep. Perhaps a bit of a later bedtime would clear away the sleep anxiety and allow for a more enjoyable nightly routine, or an earlier bedtime and wake up time would align better with your energy levels. Yes, 6-8 hours of sleep is the recommended amount for the average person, but take into account all parts of life, and you may find a different approach works better.

Book a free consultation today to find out more about how a sleep coach can help you!

Thank you for all those who signed up at the amazing event put on by The Square in Lakewood, New Jersey! I am running a special - all those who book by Shavuos/June 1 will be receiving 10% off their coaching package. Mention SQUARE10 to receive this discount.

To a good night’s sleep!

Esti Terris