Is Your Bed a Stronger Cue for Wakefulness Than It Is For Sleep?

By Dr. Gregg D. Jacobs

Did you know?

Trying to sleep backfires and leads to more wakefulness
Tossing and turning in bed makes the bed a cue for wakefulness and insomnia

Many of our daily behaviors are influenced by learned cues in our environment. For example, we tend to feel hungry when the clock says noon or whenever we walk into the kitchen; feel anxious whenever the telephone rings in the middle of the night; or movie theaters with popcorn.

Just as many of our daytime behaviors are influenced by learned associations, our sleep is also influenced by learning factors. For good sleepers, years of good sleep have made the bed a strong cue for sleep. In fact, it is no uncommon for good sleepers to go to bed with the intention of watching television or reading for a while, yet quickly finding themselves struggling to stay awake.

For poor sleepers, the opposite is true. Many poor sleepers have lain awake for so many nights that the bed and bedroom have become strong cues for sleeplessness. As a result, just getting into bed triggers a learned arousal response and wakefulness. In fact, it is not uncommon for insomniacs to find themselves falling asleep in front of the television in the living room, yet when they get into bed to go to sleep, they become wide awake.

Insomniacs engage in many behaviors that make the bed a cue for wakefulness. Some use their bedroom to watch television, talk on the phone, review work-related material, study, or solve problems with their spouse. Others go to bed not because they feel drowsy but because their spouse is going to bed, which strengthens the association between the bed and wakefulness.

Another behavior that makes the bed a strong cue for wakefulness is trying to force sleep in the belief that "If I try a little harder, sleep will eventually come". However, we can't force sleep. In fact, attempting to force sleep backfire and creates more physical and mental arousal, which strengthens the wakefulness system.

To help you unlearn the connection between the bed and insomnia, practice the following guidelines on a regular basis. They will make it easier for you to associate the bed with drowsiness and sleep. Here are the basic steps:

Use the bedroom for sleep and sexual activity only. If reading or watching television in bed helps you fall asleep, limit these activities to 20-30 minutes so that you don't end up reading or watching television in bed for long periods of time. Your goal is to associate your bed with drowsiness and sleep, not wakefulness.
Make sure you feel drowsy when you turn the lights off to go to sleep. Otherwise, you are morel likely to lie awake, think, and try to force sleep. Learn to identify the internal cues associated with drowsiness rather than relying on external cues such as the clock, your bed partner's bedtime, or the end of a television show.
If you do not fall asleep within 20-30 minutes, or if you awaken during the night and don't fall back to sleep within that time and are wide awake, don't lie in bed tossing and turning. (And since you should not focus on the clock, the 20-30 minute guideline should be estimated). Instead, go to another room and engage in a quiet, relaxing activity (watching television or reading a magazine or book) for at least 30 minutes or until you feel drowsy, then attempt to go to sleep again. Repeat this procedure as often as necessary until you fall asleep. You can also stay in bed and read when you can't sleep as long as you go back to sleep in a half hour; otherwise, you will associate your bed with wakefulness.

You may be tempted to simply lie wake in bed when you can't sleep in the hope that, if you give it just a few more minutes, you will be bound to fall asleep. Or, you may believe that you are better off staying in bed when you can't sleep because you think that getting out of bed will make you more awake. However, studies prove that the longer you lie in bed awake, the longer you will lie wake and the more your bed will be associated with wakefulness.

With repeated practice, stimulus control procedures will teach you to fall asleep more easily and to associate your bed with drowsiness and sleep instead of frustrating wakefulness. Your bed will become a stronger cue for sleep, and you will sleep better as a result.