If you have started following the instructions from Unit 2, you may have noticed that the first week felt harder rather than easier.

You may be spending less time in bed, getting up when you would prefer to stay there and feeling more tired during the day.

This is expected. It does not necessarily mean that the approach is failing.

Sleep restriction, the central technique in Unit 2, works by deliberately building stronger sleep drive. Spending less time in bed for several days can help sleep become deeper and more continuous. However, you first need to pass through the adjustment period.

People often find the beginning of sleep restriction difficult and may temporarily feel worse before they notice an improvement. This initial discomfort is part of how the process builds stronger sleep drive.

What you may experience during the first two weeks:

• More daytime tiredness than usual.
• Some nights that feel worse than they did before you started.
• A strong desire to stay in bed longer or sleep during the day.
• The impression that the entire approach is making your sleep worse.

What can help during this period:

• Keeping the same wake time every day, including after a particularly difficult night.
• Avoiding extra time in bed to compensate for a bad night.
• Continuing to get up when you cannot sleep, even when being tired makes this more difficult.
• Continuing to complete your sleep diary so you can see the overall trend rather than focusing only on the previous night.

Most people who follow these instructions consistently begin to notice meaningful improvement within two to four weeks. Many of the benefits of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I, appear during this early treatment period.

It can help to think of this as the part of the process that creates the conditions for improvement. The discomfort is temporary, while the habits you are building are intended to support sleep over time.