Restore: The meQ Sleep Solution
Session 2: Your Sleep Routine
meQ Method
Sleep Restriction
Sleep restriction is a temporary reduction of the time you spend in bed.
By allowing yourself to be in bed only when you are tired and thoroughly ready for sleep, you’ll break bad habits
and build deeper, more consistent sleep. You should consult your physician or other health care professional
before trying sleep restriction to make sure it’s right for you.
1 Prep:
1. Figure out how long you sleep each night (on average) using the Sleep Diary.
Track your sleep for at least 2-3 nights. Note when you fall asleep and when you wake up.
Subtract the time you spend falling asleep or awake during the night.
Total it up. (If the total is less than 5 hours, start with 5 hours. It’s the minimum amount
of core sleep you need each night.)
My total sleep:
(This is your total allowable hours in bed)
2. Figure out your “earliest bedtime.
Sleep restriction means you will deliberately stay up later than usual.
To calculate your bedtime, work backward from the time you need to get up to gure
out the earliest you can go to bed without exceeding your “total allowable hours in
bed.
For example, if you produce 6 total hours of sleep and need
to get up at 6 AM, then your earliest bedtime is midnight.
My Sleep Restriction Schedule:
Rise time:
Earliest bedtime:
© 2017 New Life Solution, Inc. All rights reserved.
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© 2017 New Life Solution, Inc. All rights reserved.
Restore: The meQ Sleep Solution
Session 2: Your Sleep Routine
meQ Method: Sleep Restriction
Start Sleep Restriction:
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1. Follow your new schedule for two weeks.
No matter how tired you are, don’t sleep in and don’t go to bed early. Move around,
shower, stay in bright light, but stay awake. Tell yourself the payoff will come as you
build a habit of deeper, better sleep.
2. Don’t skip weekends. Sleep restriction is a 7 days/week commitment. Doing something different on
the weekends will undo your progress.
3. Don’t lie awake in bed for more than 30 minutes. Get up if you can’t fall asleep, or return to sleep
within 30 minutes. Engage in a relaxing activity until you feel sleepy, then return to bed.
Refer to Return to Sleep Method.
End Sleep Restriction:
Adjust your schedule. Experiment with moving your bedtime earlier by 15-minute increments.
Keep adjusting until you nd the schedule where you can consistently fall asleep within 30 minutes,
stay asleep, and wake up rested.
When you are consistently sleeping well …Congratulations! You’ve successfully reset your sleep
schedule.
Tips:
It’s normal to feel extra tired when you’re using a sleep restriction routine. If you need a nap,
try to do so earlier in the day so that it’s far enough from your bedtime that it doesn’t interfere
with your sleep at night. If you become so exhausted that you feel ill or unsafe, stop sleep
restriction and reach out to a health care professional.
If you continue to struggle to sleep after a week of consistently sticking to your sleep
restriction schedule, move your bedtime later by 15 minutes.
It may take longer than two weeks. Some people need to practice sleep restriction for a month
to establish their natural drive for sleep. Sleep restriction is more effective over the long term
than any other method of ending insomnia.
© 2017 New Life Solution, Inc. All rights reserved.
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