My sleep habits and pattern are a problem. Since I’ve made so much progress changing my eating with Scholars, I hope I can apply the concepts to sleeping.
Here are some models I’m working on.
C: My sleep pattern is to fall asleep about 2 am, get up at 7 am feeling very tired, and sleep until noon on Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes I wake up at 8 am or 9 am and miss important morning meetings or appointments.
T: There is nothing I can do about this. It is out of my control. When I fall asleep is out of my control, how much time I need to sleep is out of my control, my job responsibilities in the morning are out of my control.
F: Helpless
A: I turn off the lights when I am tired (about 1 am) and do not fall asleep. Because I don’t fall asleep, I scroll social media or YouTube on my phone from bed.
R: Same as C
Actions I have tried that do not help: Sleeping medication such as Trazedone. Cogntive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia. Weighted blanket. White noise. Aromatherapy. Colder room. Bathe or shower before bed.
Actions I have tried that help a little or sometimes: Put phone in another room. Melatonin taken 90 minutes before I need to be asleep, eye mask to block light. Journaling before bed to empty mind of anxious thoughts. Freshly made bed. Turn off TV 90 minutes before I need to sleep.
C: Listing off actions I need to implement to change my sleep pattern
T: I can’t do this. It’s too hard. It won’t make any difference. (Wow! The same old thoughts I had about changing my eating habits!)
F: Resistant
A: Refuse to come up with a sleep protocol and stick to it
R: Sleeping pattern and all the results stay the same.
Intentional Model:
C: My sleep pattern is to fall asleep about 2 am, get up at 7 am feeling very tired, and sleep until noon on Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes I wake up at 8 am or 9 am and miss important morning meetings or appointments.
T: I can solve this problem and it will change my life for the better.
F: Committed to self-care
A: Take melatonin and turn off TV at 10:00 pm. Take care of skin and teeth, clean the kitchen, journal, read. Plug in phone outside of bedroom. Turn off lights at 11:30 and put on sleep mask. Get up at 7 am.
R: More sleep, less sleep deprivation, be on time to meetings.
Immediately what comes up is all the urges I will have to allow while I lay in bed!
