DAY 8

Text on dark background: '30 days to Better Sleep, Overcoming your personal sleep struggles, 5 min read.'

Key takeaways

Stressing about sleep makes it harder to fall asleep.

Challenge myths like "I need 8 hours" or "I must catch up."

Reframe thoughts to reduce anxiety and improve sleep.

If you’re struggling with sleep, sometimes the answer isn’t in trying harder—it’s in letting go. The more you stress about falling asleep, the more difficult it can become. The truth is, as humans, we’re naturally wired to fall asleep. So, what if the key to better sleep was simply changing the way you think about it?

Text on dark background about overcoming sleep struggles, with a network pattern.

Key takeaways

Stressing about sleep makes it harder to fall asleep.

Challenge myths like "I need 8 hours" or "I must catch up."

Reframe thoughts to reduce anxiety and improve sleep.

Gradient horizontal line from blue to purple on white background.

Overcoming Common Sleep Myths

When it comes to sleep, we often hold on to beliefs that can actually make things harder. Here are some common misconceptions people with sleep challenges often believe:

“I need exactly 8 hours of sleep to feel refreshed.”
“If I don’t sleep enough tonight, I’ll need to catch up with a nap or by sleeping longer tomorrow.”
“Chronic insomnia could harm my health.”
“I’m losing control over my ability to sleep.”
“One bad night of sleep will ruin my whole day.”

These thoughts may seem true at first, but they often create more stress and make it even harder to sleep. The trick is to shift your perspective. By reframing how you think about sleep, you can reduce anxiety and improve your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Dr. Snooze Cognitive Training Exercise

To help you overcome these irrational thoughts, try the Dr. Snooze Cognitive Training Exercise. This tool will guide you through a process of challenging and changing your beliefs about sleep, ultimately helping you let go of those sleep-related worries.

By practicing new ways of thinking, you can develop healthier sleep habits and manage disturbances more effectively.

Action items

Head to the Coach tab in the SleepSpace app and click the button shown above. Then, navigate to the “Cognitive Training” section. Take some time over the next few days to practice reframing your thoughts around sleep using Dr. Snooze.