DECODE Insomnia: How Sleep Hygiene Handouts Can Do Harm

Last week, I mentioned that sleep hygiene handouts don't tend to work because they don't give instruction on the right order of the steps needed to get sleep on track.

But not only do sleep hygiene handouts often not work, they can also do harm.

Too many sleep recommendations is overwhelming and hard to act on.

This leads to either difficulty getting started or inconsistent action, limiting how much they can improve and fueling these unhelpful (and untrue) beliefs:

1. Sleeping better is not possible
2. They are not capable of sleeping better

These beliefs then impact how much they are able and willing to take action, making it even harder to get sleep on track.

ACTION:

Instead of suggesting that your teen tackle 10-15 steps at once, help your teen focus on changing just one or two things at a time.

In my experience, it's always best to start with the first three steps.

Learn more about the roadmap for getting sleep on track by watching a recent recording of my webinar.

All the best!

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Want to read past DECODE Insomnia newsletters? You can find them all here.

Want to listen to the Find the Eight podcast series? You can find all Find the Eight episodes here and download the episode worksheets/cheat sheets here.

Want to access the other free resources including the DECODE Insomnia Jumpstart Kit? Visit the website or Instagram.

NOTE: The content, the webinar, and all linked materials in this newsletter provide general information about sleep and insomnia and are not intended to replace medical advice from a qualified healthcare provider. The provided content should not be relied upon for medical diagnosis or management. Please direct questions or concerns to your physician and/or qualified health care provider.