By this point in your Insomnia Care Plan, you've likely made a number of lifestyle changes and learned new habits to help improve your sleep. It's very important to stick with those changes even as you learn more advanced techniques to help with sleep. In fact, any changes that have helped you so far should become a permanent part of your daily routine.

The new techniques you'll be learning to use are called sleep restriction and stimulus control. These approaches are often very effective, but they can be challenging. This is because they work by first cutting back on your time in bed.

With sleep restriction, you'll start by going to bed later — sometimes much later — than you typically would, while still waking at your regular time in the morning. With stimulus control, you may also need to get up and out of bed several times during the night if you find you're lying in bed without sleeping.

Limiting your time in bed is effective because it causes partial sleep deprivation. While this may cause you to feel extra tired during the day, your exhaustion will pay off, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep at night.

Once your sleep begins to improve, you'll be able to gradually increase your time in bed. It's likely you'll experience significant improvements in your sleep over the next one to two months. You'll also gain a new understanding of how much sleep you actually need and the best long-term sleep schedule for you.

During this phase of your Insomnia Care Plan, you may need to make some additional, short-term changes to your routine. For example, if you're used to sharing your bed with a partner, consider sleeping separately during this phase of treatment. Anything you can do to minimize disruptions will help you rebuild an association with your bed as a place where sleep happens.

1. Respect your need to sleep separately. Sleeping alone during this period of treatment can be very helpful. It enables you to get in and out of bed as needed and without additional interruptions. Your partner is also likely to benefit from protecting his or her own good night's sleep. Once your sleep has improved, you and your partner can revisit if sleeping in the same bed works for both of you.
2. Expect you to be grumpy. Ask your partner to strive for patience if you're grouchy or short-tempered. Sleep deprivation can have that effect — but it's only temporary.
3. Extend extra help. You may be too tired to keep up with your normal daily responsibilities and social commitments for a short time. Ask your partner to help you reduce your to-dos during this period.

For many people with insomnia, spending less time in bed can make a big difference in sleeping better. As you begin using these techniques, keep in mind: This phase of treatment is challenging, but short. And the payoff is likely to be great.