Combat worry, sleep better

Tame troublesome thoughts so you can get the sleep you need.

Updated:: 2009-09-30 19:58

Published:: 2003-11-07 00:00

By: Jennifer Melo

Warning signs

It's 2 a.m. and you're lying awake in bed. Tossing, turning and beating your pillow, you're frustrated because you know that sleep has abandoned you. Thoughts of work, errands and appointments flood your mind as you make mental notes of how you're going to manage your day, week, month, or even year! As worries fill your head, you're missing out on the shut-eye you need to function well.

If insomnia is plaguing you, The Good Sleep Guide (Frog Ltd., 2001) by Timothy J. Sharp could be the ideal bedtime reading material. Sharp is a clinical psychologist who specializes in sleep problems and in The Good Sleep Guide, he offers 10 steps to break "the worry cycle" and sleep better. Sharp explains the importance of controlling worry so it doesn't control you and steal your slumber in the process.

Try these three tips from The Good Sleep Guide, so you can turn unhelpful thoughts into healthy ones.

1. Recognize warning signs
To tame tension before it becomes unmanageable, Sharp suggests paying attention to your thoughts, emotions and physiological reactions (sweating, increased heart rate, etc.) In a diary, make note of these reactions so you're aware of them. Write about the stressful situation, write about the emotions you felt as a result of the problem, and write about your thoughts - what was going through your mind when confronted with this issue or what were you "saying to yourself?"

2. Know the most common unhelpful thoughts
Sharp's next step involves examining your diary entry to decipher what really is going on. He identifies the following as common unhelpful thoughts to be aware of:

Catastrophizing - focusing on the worst possible outcome. Look for words such as "terrible," "intolerable," "unbearable" and "disaster."

Selective abstraction - keeping a biased perspective or "looking at only one part of the picture." This kind of unhelpful thought involves seeking out the negative aspects of a situation.

Black-and-white thinking - also known as the "all-or-nothing" thinking. Typical words used in black-and-white thinking are "all," "none," "always," and "never."

Unrealistic expectations - often disappointed and/or irritated because your expectations of others, or yourself, are too high or unrealistic. Look out for words like "should" and "must."

Overgeneralizing - general, all-encompassing conclusions in which someone uses one experience as a model for what has always happened or will happen again. Words like "all the time" or "never" are often used.

3. Challenge unhelpful thoughts
Now that you're familiar with common unhelpful thoughts, you can change your way of thinking. If you think that's easier said than done, Sharp notes that we indeed have the power to change our minds: "Even thoughts that have been around for a long time - long-term, chronic, and entrenched bad habits - can be modified. It is possible to change your thinking: if you know how and what to do, if you are motivated and determined to do it; and if you persevere long enough to allow the strategies to be effective."

With your worries under control and a comfortable bed awaiting you, get under the covers, quit counting sheep and have sweet dreams.

Still stressed? Read our guide to basic meditation techniques.

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