Devin Burke, founder of Sleep Science Academy and author of “The Sleep Advantage,” explains why sleep hygiene won’t solve insomnia.
Sleep hygiene, a.k.a. your habits, rituals, and routines around sleep, is what most sleep therapists and experts speak about to help solve insomnia. And, if you are watching this video, you have likely tried making the room cold, dark, and quiet and perhaps taking a sleep supplement or a warm bath.
But the truth is that none of this solves insomnia, and I will be sharing specifically why that is the case in this video.
About Sleep Hygiene
I have no issue with sleep hygiene per se, but it can be the thing that keeps you in the sleep paradox. This paradox is when we try to force or control sleep through sleep hygiene, like taking supplements, bedtime rituals, or specific meditations.
Whatever you are doing to TRY to sleep can be the thing that keeps you stuck in this paradox/loop of attempting to force and control sleep, which only creates more stress and keeps you up.
Why Does This Happen?
Often, our mind gets in the way of our body. If you ask someone what they need to do to sleep, most people will say I just go to bed, or I put my head on the pillow. But if I ask you or someone else struggling with insomnia the same question, they will have a long list they must do in order to sleep.
- I don’t eat after 7 PM
- I must have a hot bath
- I need a magnesium supplement
- I always turn off all the lights
- My room must be a specific temperature
These are good and can even help increase sleep quality, but they don’t solve insomnia.
What it can do is make things worse because it reinforces the false belief that you need something in order to sleep.
Sleep Happens
Sleep is a natural biological process that happens when we allow it to occur. One of the most helpful things we teach our clients at Sleep Science Academy is the practice of acceptance.
When you try sleep hygiene techniques, take supplements, and manipulate your environment, and those things don’t work, it creates frustration that you are broken and cannot solve this sleep issue. This perception causes you to keep searching, grasping, and looking for the next supplement whatever fill in the blank) to try and solve your insomnia.
You begin thinking more and more about how much longer this will go on. Am I ever going to solve it? Thoughts like these keep your body stressed, which is one reason you’re not sleeping. These are why sleep hygiene is not what you need to implement when dealing with insomnia.
Sleep hygiene is awesome if you are a great sleeper and want to become even better. Knock yourself out with the showers, cold dark room, essential oils, and all the rest.
There is a time and place for all of these things, but again, it’s not going to solve your insomnia.
Addressing the Root Cause
Solving insomnia requires addressing its genesis, which in many cases is unmanaged or un-mastered stress that attaches itself to the bed and bedroom.
At Sleep Science Academy, getting out of that paradox is the first thing we help people accomplish by understanding the thinking around how they became stuck and providing the support and tools to turn things around.
Final Thoughts
Today, as you might imagine, Sleep Science Academy is helping more people who are experiencing issues with their sleep than ever. Behind the scenes, we are supporting many more clients and putting systems in place to support even more people dealing with sleep issues like insomnia.
Frequently, our clients are already implementing various sleep hygiene strategies to help them try to sleep. But trying to sleep only deepens the problem and puts them in a paradox where the more they try, the further away their goal becomes. It’s a vicious cycle that’s difficult to break by yourself.
Sleep Science Academy’s extremely successful (with a 97% success rate) Dynamic Sleep Recalibration (DSR) program incorporates numerous strategies, techniques, and methods, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), mindfulness, NLP, and many more for the most comprehensive natural insomnia remedy you can find.
Every client works with their certified holistic health/sleep coach, who crafts an individual treatment plan to fit that person’s lifestyle, situation, and needs. Their coach guides them through the process, supporting them in making their best choices and achieving a lifetime of restful sleep and productive days.
Learn why the Sleep Science Academy Difference is significant, unique, and empowering. Contact us to schedule your complimentary sleep consultation with one of our certified sleep coaches and begin the journey to your best sleep and your best self for the best life.