lus control therapy aims to differentiate the habits that reinforce sleep from the habits that discourage sleep. According to Espie (?), there are six rules to follow. The first rule is that the insomniac should only lie down when they feel tired. This presents difficulty for some, because past failure to sleep has made them unsure of their ability to determine when they are tired. They may need guidance to let them know which cues for sleep they should pay attention to. Rule number two is to only use the bed and bedroom for sleeping. Such normal bedroom habits such as reading, watching television, talking, eating, smoking and drinking should be discontinued, because they are cues for being awake. Rule number three is go to another room if you do not fall asleep quickly. Quickly is defined by about ten to twenty minutes of wakefulness. However, that does not mean that the patient should watch the clock for an exact period of time. That can cause additional stress. It is recommended that the patient do something relaxing after getting out of bed. Rule number four is that rule three should be repeated. Early on in the treatment the insomniac should expect to get out of bed many times during the night. Persistence with this technique is the key. Step five suggests setting the alarm for the same time each morning. The object of this is to set a biological sleep rhythm. The final rule, rule six, discourages the insomniac from taking naps. Afternoon and evening naps are especially discouraged since sleep onset times are related to how much time has passed since a person last slept. (Espie 158-166)Like stimulus control, sleep restriction therapy places limits on time spent in bed, but the idea behind it is different. Sleep restriction aims to make deeper sleep possible by diminishing the time spent lying in bed without sleeping. The first step is to keep a sleep log to track how many hours are spent trying to fall asleep and how many hours a...
