MHM Magazine

14 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | Issu3 2 | 2022 MHM another night of sleepless misery. • Sleep-promoting realistic thought: Not every night is the same. Some nights I do sleep better than others. Catastrophising • Negative thought: If I don’t get some sleep, I’ll mess up at work and risk losing my job. • Sleep-promoting realistic thought: I can get through work even if I’m tired. I can still rest and relax tonight, even if I can’t sleep. Hopelessness • Negative thought: I’m never going to be able to sleep well. It’s completely out of my control. • Sleep-promoting realistic thought: Sleep problems can be cured (CBT has been proven to do this). I can choose what to focus on; stop worrying and focus on the positive solutions available. Fortune telling • Negative thought: It’s going to take me at least an hour to get to sleep tonight. I just know it. • Sleep-promoting realistic thought: I don’t know what will happen tonight. Maybe I’ll get to sleep quickly if I use the new strategies I’ve learned. Since negative thoughts are often part of a lifelong pattern of thinking, replacing negative thoughts with more realistic ones is rarely easy. But with practice, you can break the habit. That’s why it’s important to practice the techniques you learn in therapy on your own at home, for at least three weeks every day and night. CBT is all about understanding the mechanisms that cause and maintain anxiety around sleep, and then learning how to challenge and modify them. Always remember, whatever has been learnt can be unlearnt, and relearnt! References available upon request