Time-in-bed restriction therapy is considered one of the most effective components of CBTi. You may also see it referred to as sleep restriction therapy or bedtime restriction therapy. It works to build up your body’s need for sleep (also known as your sleep drive) by limiting the amount of time you spend in bed not sleeping.  

People with insomnia spend a lot of time in bed while awake. This is referred to as having poor sleep efficiency. To improve your sleep efficiency, the first step is to spend less time in bed. Time-in-bed restriction therapy guides you through this. As your sleep efficiency improves, the amount of time spent in bed asleep increases. It doesn’t take long before you are sleeping through the night once again.

To build your sleep drive, here’s what you need to do:

• Select a CBTi resource recommended by Sleepwell and use it each day. It will guide you through time-in-bed restriction therapy and the other components of CBTi.
• Complete the Sleepwell Sleep Diary each day.
• At the end of each week, use your sleep diary to calculate your sleep efficiency and sleep duration based on a typical night’s sleep.
• For the next week, record your sleep schedule on the Sleepwell sleep diary. The sleep schedule is your planned bedtime and rise time.
• Use the information below to make weekly adjustments to your sleep schedule.