Refrain from engaging in sleep effort and practice acceptance
Sleep effort occurs when you engage in efforts to “try to get to sleep." The problem is that sleep does not come from exerting effort. It comes from a variety of factors, including being in sync with your circadian rhythms, having enough sleep drive, having positive associations with your sleep environment, and being sufficiently relaxed before bedtime.
During any given bout of sleeplessness, try to adopt an attitude of calm acceptance of the moment. Avoid “clockwatching” and worrying about tomorrow. Trust that if you consistently apply the methods of CBT-I your sleep will eventually improve.
Mindfulness and acceptance
The techniques of mindfulness meditation may help in developing the skills to let go of sleep effort and to adopt an accepting attitude.
Continue to Strategy 5: Reduce tension (Reduce psychological and physical tension)