When to get out of bed—Audio Transcript

Hi there. Emily Roby here, your friendly psychologist on a mission to help you build a better relationship with your sleep. This booster session is about when to get out of bed when you can’t sleep. So let’s jump right in and practice. Imagine you have just gotten into bed, or woken up in the middle of the night. You want to get to sleep, but you don’t feel it happening. WHY?!? You become frustrated, agonize, toss and turn, or start running through a list of things you need to get done, which isn’t going to happen while you are laying here not sleeping. BUT wait! There is a different way. In this relaxation exercise you will learn to either transition into sleep, or know when to get out of bed. I will count you through a series of breaths with 4 counts inhaling, 4 counts of holding the breath and eventually working up to 8 counts of an exhale. NO need to worry or overthink this. I’ll lead you through. And, here we go… Right now pretend you are in bed. Scan your body looking for signs of sleepiness: like heaviness, slow breathing, yawning or lack of concentration. Now, scale your sleepiness from 0 to 10 where zero is feeling wide-awake and ten is fast asleep. Do that now. Give yourself a sleepiness score. Then, go ahead and exhale all the way until you feel your lower belly engage. Really exhale all of that old air out. And, when you think there is no more air in your lungs exhale a little more. Then, inhale, a natural reaction…nothing you need to worry about. Now, again focusing on the exhale being nice and long I’ll begin counting –

exhale  2, 3, 4 

inhale 2, 3, 4 

hold 2, 3, 4 

exhale 2, 3, 4, 5

inhale 2, 3, 4

hold 2, 3, 4 

exhale 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

inhale 2, 3, 4

hold 2, 3, 4

exhale 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

inhale 2, 3, 4

hold 2, 3, 4

exhale 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

GOOD

inhale 2, 3, 4

hold 2, 3, 4

exhale 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

inhale 2, 3, 4

hold 2, 3, 4

exhale 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Now scan your body again. From 0-10 how would you rate your sleepiness? Remember, 0 is not sleepy at all and 10 is fast asleep. If you have become more sleepy, more relaxed, or drowsy…go ahead and keep going. Remember this is an exercise of getting out of your brain and into your body. See where you go as you slow your breath, feeling yourself wander nearer and farther from sleep. AND, if you find that you are not sleepier after a few cycles, NOW you know it’s time to get out of bed to do something calm. Remember, no electronics, don’t work, and no light close in front of your eyes. Take care of yourself in this time, and whenever you start to feel drowsy (heavy eyelids, lack of concentration, nodding off) go ahead and go back to bed. Give it another go at 4.4.8 breathing. Remembering to scale your sleepiness before and after a series of 5 or more cycles to guide you in or out of bed. Practice this each night. And, if you would prefer another relaxation technique of your own, try that. Just remember to add a sleepiness score before and after so you have a quick gauge to let you know it’s worth staying in bed, or if it’s better to get up and do something calm. Hang in there and good luck. Remember, treatment for insomnia can work if you do the work and are consistent. Hold yourself accountable while giving yourself a lot of love. Good Luck!