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| about work, problems, goals, projects or other important considerations. Save these for the daytime hours, when you are more alert and can possibly do something about them. |
| 4. Establish a Regular Wake-up Time (Regardless of How Much Sleep You Get). One of the best ways to break an insomnia problem is to establish a consistent wake-up time and force yourself to stick to it seven days a week. For instance, set your alarm for 8 A.M. every day, and force yourself to get out of bed and get moving no matter how you feel at that time. Don't allow yourself to sleep later on weekends or on days when you don't have any responsibilities in the morning. By establishing a consistent wake-up time, you encourage your body and brain to adopt a consistent sleep-wake cycle. After a while, this conditioned sleep-wake pattern will take over naturally on its own. |
| 5. Set Aside Time to Worry Before Going to Bed. If you tend to worry excessively whenever you try to sleep, set aside a period of time (no more than 30 minutes) to get all your worrying and thinking done before bedtime. Make a list of all your immediate problems and concerns. Write down one or two actions you could take tomorrow or in the near future to help resolve them. Then go to sleep knowing that you've given serious thought to each of these problems. |
| If you are lying in bed and begin to think of a new problem or difficulty that you forgot to consider, get out of bed, write it down, think about it for a minute, then get back into bed |
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