This Is Why Staying In Bed For Longer Makes It Harder To Fall Asleep

By Kristen Amiet

If you've ever suffered from insomnia, tossing and turning in a bid to get to sleep, a new study might shed some light on why it seems impossible – even though you went to bed early.
In a bid to understand why some insomnia sufferers seem to return to a normal sleeping pattern without too much trouble, while others become more and more sleep-deprived as night after night passes, scientists from the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine analysed the sleeping habits of more than 500 people who had kept sleep journals for more than six months.
They noticed that the time spent in bed by the 394 participants deemed "good sleepers" didn't vary over those six months, while 36 members of that cohort spent less time in bed after developing short-term insomnia.
But it was the 31 participants who developed chronic insomnia who spent the most time in bed in a bid to get some shut-eye, and the research team have speculated that it may be one of the worst things those suffering from insomnia can do for their recovery.
"Electing to stay awake (rather than staying in bed trying to sleep) is not only a productive strategy for an individual with acute insomnia, but is also one that is formally deployed as part of cognitive behavioural therapy for chronic insomnia," lead author Michael Perlis said in a media release.
"[People with insomnia] go to bed early, get out of bed late, and they nap," he added.
"While this seems a reasonable thing to do, and may well be in the short term, the problem in the longer term is it creates a mismatch between the individual's current sleep ability and their current sleep opportunity; this fuels insomnia."
You should always consult your GP for strategies for coping with insomnia, but there are some small changes you can make in the meantime: try to maintain a regular sleeping schedule (getting up and going to bed at the same time each day), keep computers and smartphones out of the bedroom, and ensure you're sleeping in a cool, dark, quiet environment.
The research will be presented at this week's meeting of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

http://www.elle.com.au/beauty/health-fitness/2016/6/this-is-why-staying-in-bed-for-longer-makes-it-harder-to-fall-asleep/