- MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT SLEEP
This section doesn’t appear on the maps. It is best associated with early treatment, such as Section 1, Section 2 and Section 4 of Step A. It might also be associated with Section 10 of Step C or Section 14 of Step E
Introduction
According to Morin (127) errors in thinking can lead to cognitive arousal, which can perpetuate insomnia. Examining and correcting those errors can make it easier for a person to sleep. There are a number of common misconceptions that can be identified and corrected.
Common misconceptions include
- Thinking that it is normal to lose sleep, and minimizing its impact on daily life. This idea has been institutionalized in the training of some professions, such as medicine and law.
- Seeing insomnia as virtuous “I can go for a week on three hours of sleep a night.”
- Thinking that waking during the night is a serious problem. It might be, if the person actually loses serious sleep time. It might not be a problem, if he/she can easily return to sleep.
- Thinking that they must get a normal amount of sleep each night or they are going to be in trouble. The definition of “normal that they use may not apply to individuals.
- Thinking that loss of sleep for one night or a few nights is a sign of a serious insomnia problem. It might be, but it might not. See Section 2.
- Theories about the cause or source of the problem. An erroneous theory can lead to ineffective treatments, discouragement and despair. Or to blaming and resentment without change.
- Loss of sleep as a sign of loss of self-control (Morin, 127#1), leading to loss of self- esteem and depression
- Sleep as an urgent need, because poor sleep causes loss of energy, poor performance, and a bad mood (Morin, 127 #2)
- Overstating the dangers or damage of sleep loss (Morin, 128)
- Overstating the frequency of nights of poor sleep (Morin, 128) Treatment: Use a sleep diary
- Thinking that occasional insomnia is a chronic problem (Morin, 5)