So, my start in sleep work isn't a glamourous start, but isn't that how lots of good endings start? As a psychologist in PA, we must complete a certain number of hours of education in order to renew our licenses. One year, having waited a little to the last minute to complete my hours, I was in need of a good number of hours of credits all at once, and the course that fit into my schedule was the one on sleep! I chuckle when I think of this. I had no idea that this was the start of a great new path for me.

What I learned and really opened my eyes from that first course on sleep was that sleep problems are rampant, and disconcertingly, there is a very well-documented body of research that repeatedly shows high rates of effectiveness for treating insomnia without medication that few people use or know to use.

I am a perfect example of someone who was missing important pieces of information about sleep, despite being involved in mind-body approaches since early adulthood and having a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

When I reflect on how sleep played a role in my own life, I wish that I had known more as a teenager.

At that time, I was chronically sleep-deprived, and somehow, I functioned enough to be a competitive gymnast. It makes me wonder what practices would have been like with a little more energy behind them. I remember dragging myself to practice and getting naps whenever I could. I really thought that I needed 10 hours of sleep to feel good. In hindsight, that was likely partly a result of the yo-yo-ing of the amount of sleep I was getting, some nights getting less than 6 and some nights getting 10 hours.

I felt like when I got to college, everything was easier. I wonder now if that was because I started getting enough sleep.

I'm not immune to sleep problems. Nobody is. In fact, it's normal to have a night here or there which gets disrupted.

A colleague once asked me if I have perfect sleep -- I laughed, as I do not have perfect sleep or sleep habits. I am human like everyone else. My particular mode of sleep disruption tends to be that I will doze at the tv before bed, which sets things up for not getting satisfying sleep at night. Then, I kind of drag the next day. When I'm staying fully awake until bedtime, I feel much better.

I really believe that knowledge is the key to good sleep. Because I understand the mechanisms of sleep, I never worry about sleep or fear when a night of bad sleep might come. That confidence comes from knowledge. I now fully recognize that sleep is essential in having a good life. It seems simple, but I missed that fact for a long time.

After that initial training on sleep, I was excited to learn more. I went on to receive training through a program at University of Pennsylvania, as well as to shadow the clinical work of Dr. Julio Mendoza in Hershey, PA. I am especially grateful for his influence, as his work opened my eyes to all of the nuances and pieces to understand in helping people sleep well. He modeled being passionate about his work and the importance of having expertise to take on the most difficult sleep situations. I couldn't believe the variety of sleep situations he worked with. I enjoy now being able to pass on that knowledge to others so that others can help themselves, too.

If you have some sleep struggles and want to hear more because you know that growing your sleep knowledge further will help you, let me know of your interest by signing up to hear about sleep services (located in the footer), as I send out once-weekly emails with science-based info. Or, check out our online self-help courses, including the free sleep self-assessment and tutorial, First Things First.

​You can read more about our services.

Happy sleeping!

Alissa S. Yamasaki, Ph.D.

Licensed Psychologist

If you wish to hear more about sleep, be sure to sign up for our newsletter and mark the “sleep services” option. See below.

When I work with people on their sleep, there are principles which need to be followed in order to recalibrate their sleep, especially when sleep problems have started to interfere with daily life. We crunch numbers and work on finding a good sleep formula. But, you don't have to wait until sleep problems escalate to that level before implementing some of the tools we use. I always tell people that what you are doing in bed is affected by what you do during the day. If you have a mind which tends to run a bit too much when you get into bed, then you may find some helpful hints below.

1. Be sure to take some time to work through problems productively during your waking hours. We often have such busy schedules that we don't take time to reflect upon the day and tidy up things, which sets us up to reflect at the first time when we have a quiet moment. For many, that ends up happening when we get into bed. Whether it is figuring out what is for dinner tomorrow or a major work decision...you don't want to do that in bed, as you set yourself up to have less-than-restful sleep.

What I typically recommend: Schedule just a bit of time (15 minutes) to reflect, write down some things on your mind if that helps, and then mentally put it aside to return to on the next day.

2. Related to the above, but worth highlighting is that it is important to practice setting aside worries and problem-solving during the day. That ability to shift and pause the problem-solving is a healthy, essential skill for helping your nights.

What I typically recommend for a good starting place: Start with awareness. Encourage yourself to notice when you are worrying. From there, you can start to practice reminding yourself to set it aside if there is something more pressing to do or focus upon. That practice is harder at night, so you want to be good at it during daylight hours as a foundation.

3. Make sure you are doing a good wind down time prior to bed. Your body is easily conditioned to things with cues, just like your dog comes running when he hears the treat box rattle.

What I typically recommend: Your routine doesn't have to be elaborate, but it does have to be practiced on most days of the week regardless of the type of day you have had -- good or bad. It's easy to ditch it when you are very tired, but this is the best time to condition your body in the direction you want, so don't skip the opportunity.

4. Avoid blue light prior to bedtime. I’m sure you’ve heard this one before. I encourage not overlooking the details of timing.

What I typically recommend: Consistent with the body's physiology, is to start this from 2-3 hours prior to bedtime, and not less than that. Natural melatonin release in your body begins around that time and you don't want to interfere with the process.

This last one always receives a lot of skepticism, but at the risk of alienating all of you, I'm still going to say it…

5. Most people have a sense of when the mind is just too active to fall asleep, and you should get out of bed at those times. During the day, you can help yourself make that process easier by identifying something that is an incentive to get out of bed when you cannot sleep.

What I typically recommend: Find something mildly pleasant, but not overly interesting, like a magazine or book, and put on the couch in your living room. If you don't choose something during the day, when your impulse control is higher than at night, you risk just picking up your phone and scrolling. And given #4 above, that is not a good option. A smartphone is generally too stimulating and the light can lead to delaying your sleep even later into the night. At night, you should get out of bed if you can't fall asleep within about 20 minutes. This rule helps to keep your body well-trained to be asleep in bed. More on this rule to come in future posts!

​You can read more about our services.

Happy sleeping!

Alissa S. Yamasaki, Ph.D.

Licensed Psychologist

If you wish to hear more about sleep and upcoming sleep courses, be sure to sign up for our newsletter and mark the “sleep services” option. See below.