Insomnia - How much sleep is enough? Has anyone tried Sleep Restriction Therapy?

[kally]

I have studied a lot about insomnia. I think 6 hours is certainly enough for some people, not enough for others. I believe 8 hours is an arbitrary number. I get 6 - 6.5 hours per night. I am sleepy when I wake, but it helps me fall asleep at night.

I spent the summer doing sleep restriction therapy with a specialist and it is really good. if you have trouble sleeping it might be worth pursuing. That being said, if you sleep well at 6 hours that is probably fine. Just my 2 bits.

[49er]

49er,

Thanks for asking. I feel like I am not getting enough sleep. My energy level during the day is quite compromised.

The weekday window of sleep time I have available allows for up to 9 hours of sleep. But it is rare that I get more than 6 hours due to what appears to be sleep maintenance insomnia - that is why I am thinking about trying the SRT.

REMfan,

I am sorry to hear this.

I know you said you weren't having any mask issues but are you sure your sleep apnea therapy is optimized? For example, even if your AHI is great, you could be having sleep breathing events that don't qualify as apneas/hypopneas but could still be impacting your sleep. And what does your flow limit look like in sleepyhead because a high can impact therapy and sleep.

If everything is fine, I would look towards following Paula's advice regarding making sure your sleep hygiene is optimized. Do a google search for various sites on how you can do this.

Regarding sleep restriction, in most cases professionals start the person off with 5 to 5.5 hours of sleep. So I am not sure how that would be helpful in your case although I guess if you are using 9 hours to get six hours of sleep, I can see how it might help. Maybe do a google search of a psychologist in your area who does CBTI for sleep?

Best of luck in sorting things out.

49er