I predict in ten years we will be more aggressively targeting sleep as a primary change parameter and find that other issues hinge even more on this function than is currently assumed.

So how do we tackle sleep together.

First, we have to learn about it. Knowledge is Power. The more you understand sleep, the less of a mystery it is, and the more you relax. Relaxation is more than half the battle with insomnia.

Sleep hygiene begins an hour before bed. True or False?
Answer: False
It begins when you first open your eyes in the morning.

SLEEP can be thought of as divided into two main phases.
Phase 1 The On/Off Switch. Your brain's switch must turn off for you first to fall asleep.
Phase 2 Staying Asleep. Once asleep, you want to stay in that blissful phase of oblivion until the alarm goes off in the AM.

Little Known Fact:
We all wake up every 90 minutes for 30 seconds or more. It's true. Though we don't remember it the next day, we have these awakenings probably for an evolutionary reason. So the tigers were heard rustling about as our ancestors slept in their caves.

I like to think of sleep as taking your brain to the laundromat. Whatever troubles you encounter during the day, when you're asleep, your brain is washing them out. If you overload the washer with too much laundry, then it goes catawampus. So instead of awakening the normal 30 seconds, you jolt bolt upright awake with energy and are too revved up to get back to sleep.

A nice way to think of this when it happens, is "OK, so back to Phase 1." "How do I trigger my on/off switch again?"

In terms of the amount of sleep one needs, it varies considerably, kind of like weight control. We all know people who can eat two Big Macs and not gain an ounce, and others who glance sideways at an order of fries and gain ten pounds. Its the same with sleep. Some need five hours, others need ten. Average is probably 7-8. My speculation is that someday we will learn that for many people with Affective/Mood Disorders, it is important to target a somewhat higher minimum sleep time generally.

Also the amount of sleep one needs depends on how sleep deprived one is. You can't fool Mother Nature. If you stay up night after night to dance, inevitably, unless you are manic, you will get more and more fatigued. Ultimately, the sleep debt must be paid. The more hours of sleep that you miss, the more your sleep IOU grows.

On a positive note. We often sleep more than we think we do. Research shows that there is a stage of sleep called phase 1 which insomniacs confuse with being awake. It is a light sleep phase but it counts as total sleep time.

Now that you have a few key ideas, I would encourage you to explore Sleep Hygiene more fully with a trained professional. There are Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy approaches that have been found to be very useful.

Good Luck, and welcome to Psychiatry Made Simple.