Countercontrol for insomnia — the alternative to stimulus control that lets you stay in bed at night

Описание: Stimulus control is a key component of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and it is a very effective technique for reassociating the bed with sleep and relaxation rather than wakefulness and worry.

Although the technique is very effective, it can be challenging to implement because it requires you to get out of bed when you aren't asleep. If you are worried about sleep, the effect of insufficient sleep, or are just feeling too lethargic to get out of bed, it can be a real challenge to implement stimulus control.

Fortunately, there is an alternative technique you can try that is almost as effective. Known as countercontrol, the technique involves sitting up in bed (rather than getting out of bed) when you can't sleep.

When you sit up in bed, you should engage in a relaxing activity (such as reading) until you feel sleepy again. When you feel sleepy again, you switch out the light and lie back down.

If you are unable to fall back to sleep, you repeat the process.

Sitting up in bed helps take you out of sleep mode and helps your mind associate lying down in bed with sleep rather than wakefulness. Over time, this will make the bed a stronger trigger for sleep.

You can learn more about stimulus control here:
   • How stimulus control improves sleep if you...  

You can learn more about CBT-I here:
   • What is CBT for insomnia (CBT-I)?  

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My name is Martin Reed and I am the founder of Insomnia Coach®. I offer sleep coaching services that give people with insomnia all the skills and support they need to enjoy better sleep for the rest of their lives. I also offer a free two-week sleep training course for people with insomnia at https://insomniacoach.com/sleep-train...

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