Creating A Positive Sleep Experience

There are different ways of evaluating how well you are sleeping. Usually, the first thing you might think about is: How much sleep am I getting? This is an important question. Most people get between 6 ½ and 8 ½ hours of sleep per night, on average. Getting less than 6 hours would leave most people chronically sleep-deprived, resulting in daytime tiredness and exposing them to the possibility of a health consequence. On the other hand, consistently sleeping more than 9 or 10 hours a night might signal another type of sleep disorder, which isn’t good either.

A second way of thinking about sleep is to consider the quality of the sleep that you get. Sleep is made up of different stages, some of which are more necessary for waking up feeling well-rested. In some ways, the quality of your sleep is more important than the quantity!

A third thing to consider is the experience of sleep. That is, what is your experience like at night between bedtime and getting up in the morning? Are you spending too much time awake in bed and feeling restless, frustrated, or anxious? If so, it may be helpful to know that it’s normal to take some time to fall asleep and even to be awake for a bit in the middle of the night. Your sleep experience will be much better if you can avoid negative feelings about being awake at night.

The next time you find yourself awake in bed at night when you would rather be sleeping, try to adopt a positive perspective. How? Instead of resisting the fact that you’re awake, try to embrace it. Tell yourself that it’s okay to be awake sometimes. You are in a safe and comfortable place. You have no responsibilities until morning arrives. You are still getting some body rest, which is good. These thoughts can create a much more positive sleep experience. If you are able to be more accepting of being awake without feeling frustrated, you will have a much better chance of falling back to sleep!