Building a sleep routine that actually restores you
Why sleep hygiene advice so often fails, and what evidence-based sleep therapy does differently.
By Kenji Arai, Psychotherapist
Most people already know the standard advice: no screens, no late coffee, a dark room. If that were enough, insomnia would be rare. What keeps poor sleep going is usually the effort to fix it — going to bed earlier, staying in bed longer, trying harder to fall asleep.
Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia works in the opposite direction. It temporarily compresses time in bed so that sleep becomes denser and more efficient, then expands it again as quality improves.
It also addresses the thinking layer: the arithmetic at 3am about how many hours are left, and the catastrophic forecast about tomorrow. Those thoughts create the alertness that keeps you awake.
Most people see meaningful change within four to six weeks. If sleep has been difficult for more than three months, structured support is far more effective than another adjustment to your evening routine.
