Buzz
When sleep eludes you, the clock becomes your tormentor. You might think, 'At least I’ll get seven hours of sleep,' but if you're still awake an hour later, you're down to six hours, which isn't much. And if you’re still not tired, it’s going to be less than six, and eventually, you’ll just lie there, thinking about how miserable you’ll feel in the morning.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Sleep experts have long recognized the concept of 'losing sleep over losing sleep,' which is a well-documented factor that can worsen insomnia. While it's not always the direct cause of your sleep issues, it definitely contributes to them.
For example, imagine dealing with a minor issue that affects your sleep. You fall into a pattern of stressing over the clock, resulting in poor sleep and exhaustion the following day. Eventually, you begin to dread bedtime, knowing the cycle will repeat.
Before you know it, you might find yourself relying on medications to help with sleep, which come with their own health risks (taking Benadryl every night is not good for you). A recent study discovered that 'time-monitoring behavior,' as they termed clock-watching, could be causing people to use medications they wouldn't normally need.
So, what can you do instead?
One of the study authors says a helpful approach is to make a promise to yourself not to check the time. You can cover your alarm clock’s display, or if you use your phone to check the time, place it out of reach. If the alarm hasn't gone off yet, it's still nighttime—and that's all you need to know.
Without a clock, you might worry that you can't tell if you're getting enough sleep. But even with the clock, you aren't always accurately counting the hours. Often, those hours we believe we're fully awake, we're actually drifting in and out of sleep, and we're getting more sleep than we realize.
Another comforting thought is that relaxation can be almost as beneficial as sleep. If you can't sleep, simply resting in bed with your eyes closed is a great alternative. It can offer some of the benefits of meditation, and there's even a hypothesis suggesting meditation may provide some of the benefits of sleep. Whether that's true or not, it's a soothing thought when you're awake in the middle of the night.
If you need another reason to stop stressing, keep in mind that relaxation is one of the best ways to fall asleep—so whether you doze off or not, you're still benefiting your body and mind by finding a peaceful way to spend the rest of the night.
