The Sleep to Healthy Podcast

By Dennis TrumpyScience Social Sciences Health & Fitness Education Courses

The Sleep to Healthy Podcast episodes

May 04, 2020Lesson 4B: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia
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Recommended: Go To: Lesson 4 Website for the Complete and Free “Cure Your Insomnia” course and a better web experience. Contact Dennis: Voice message or text: 408-990-3882 or [email protected]
Lesson Summary:
CBTi or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia can seem strange because its methods are sometimes counter-intuitive.
We use terms that are easier to understand than the CBTi technical terms in this course. You will learn how to cure insomnia.
CBTi or CBT for Insomnia is highly respected and most recommended by sleep specialists.
Make sure you have any insomnia causing issues dealt with 1st and consult your health professional before trying CBTi.
The basis for CBTi: Incorrect thoughts and beliefs lead to unhelpful behaviors lead to undesired outcomes.
There are 5 elements of CBTi.
#1: Compact sleep – Spend your time in bed sleeping, not being awake. Also called Sleep Restriction Therapy for Insomnia
#2: Sleep Buddy – Creating a strong association between your bed and sleep. Also called Stimulus Control Therapy for Insomnia.
#3: Sleep Myths – Corrects the detrimental thoughts and beliefs you have about sleep. Also called Cognitive Destortions for Insomnia
#4: De-stressing – Learn how to destress to let sleep come easily. Also called Stress Reduction.
#5: Sleep Tips – Helpful advice to avoid sabatoging your CBTi skills. Also called Sleep Hygiene.
An Infographic showing how all 5 CBTi elements work together is available by subscribing to free extra course material.
Assignment:
Go through the 5 CBTi elements and decide which one you think you should tackle first.
Review your sleep journal(s) and see what insights or trends you notice. Keep in mind what you learned this lesson.
Send me a message: Text or voice mail at 408-990-3882 or email me at [email protected] to let me know what you are learning that is most helpful so far.
Links mentioned in the show:
Unhelpful Cycle of Insomnia (pdf)
Helpful CBTi Cycle to Break Insomnia (pdf)
Other Thoughts:
The wonderful thing about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia is that it covers all the aspects of sleep that you need to cure your insomnia. It is not a partial cure, but covers every important aspect of sleep.
The post Lesson 4B: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia appeared first on Sleep to Healthy.
34 min
April 18, 2020Lesson2a: Sleep and You
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Recommended: Go To: Lesson 2 Website for the complete & free “Cure Your Insomnia” course and better web experience. Contact Dennis: Voice message or text: 408-990-3882 or [email protected]
Summary:
Definition of Sleep: A mental and physical state that differs from your awake condition: You are less responsive to stimulus from the environment, your thoughts are inward focused rather than focused on the world around you. Sleep and your health.
Sleep is an active condition: Memories are reinforced or clipped off, emotions are processed, complex tasks are reinforced, growth hormones are released and toxins in your brain flushed out. Sleep and your brain.
You feel and function better after a good sleep. Sleep and your heart.
Most benefits of sleep are to the brain, not the body. And so sleep and your health is not so important. Many things impact your well being and sleep is but one of many factors.
Genetics decide the amount of sleep you need. Trying to get 8 hrs sleep is like inisting on a size 9 shoe because that is the average shoe size. Evaluate your sleep by how well you feel and function and how sleepy you are.
Sleep is controled by 2 processes: Sleep pressure that builds up slowly while you are awake and your circadian rhythm which determines your alertness level and controls getting into and out of sleep. Sleep and your brain.
Sleep triggers such as Low light levels, calm thoughts and activities prepare your brain to switch to sleep.
Our sleep system has evolved over millions of years and is deeply embedded and is almost impossible to “break”.
Your brain’s prefrontal controls planning and analyzing. It may create stressful thoughts in you that hinder sleep.
There are 4 sleep stages: N1, N2, N3 and REM. Most sleep is N2, deep sleep is N3 and dreaming sleep is REM or Rapid Eye Movement sleep.
It is normal to have many night time awakenings every night.
Assignment:
Start monitoring your sleep with a sleep journal. Find one you like (see links), print it off and start using it.
Also consider a written journal where you write out your thoughts about sleep. See the example.
Contact Dennis with any questions or comments about this course: Voice message or text: 408-990-3882 or [email protected]
Links:
National Sleep Foundation Simple Sleep Log
National Sleep Foundation Complete Sleep Diary
American Academy of Sleep Medicine 2 week Sleep Diary
American Psychological Association Sleep Diary
Example of written journal to record thoughts and ideas about sleep

The post Lesson2a: Sleep and You appeared first on Sleep to Healthy.
37 min
April 09, 2020Lesson 01A: Hope for the Sleep Deprived
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Recommended: Go To: Lesson 1 Website for a better experience.
Contact Dennis: Voice message or text: 408-990-3882 or [email protected]
Summary:
Everything you need to know on how to cure your insomnia and simply sleep that nobody is telling you.
Meet the team.
What to expect for the rest of the “Cure Your Insomnia” course and sleep facts.
Lesson Notes:
This course is based on CBTi or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, the most thoroughly researched, proven and recommended cure for insomnia on the planet.
This course is not a quick fix. It will take courage and perserverance to complete.
Introduction to our seasoned, professional guests: Dr. Daniel Erichsen and Michael Schwartz.
Why CBTi could be considered a miracle cure.
Links:
Guest – Dr. Daniel Erichsen:
YouTube Channel: Insomnia Insight
iOS App: BedTyme
Book- Sleep 101
Book- Why We Don’t Sleep
Guest – Michael Schwartz:
Podcast & Blog: Sleep On Q
iOS App: Sleep on Cue

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14 min
April 01, 2020postlesson9a
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I recommend you visit the Lesson 9 webpage. Contact Dennis: Voice message or text: 408-990-3882 or [email protected]
Lesson Summary:
Sleep Tips can help prevent chronic insomnia from developing, but won’t cure insomnia. It is similar to dental hygiene: It can help prevent cavities, but can’t cure a cavity.
Sleep advice can cause stress and anxiety if you start to believe that they must be executed with precision. Don’t let the solution become the problem.
Your ancestors have slept through the eons under a wide variety of disruptive and dangerous conditions. So your sleep conditions don’t have to be perfect.
You can’t optimize and control sleep. Sleep tips are but one of many factors affecting your sleep, so don’t take them too seriously.
You have unique sensitivities to stressors, your environment and your body. Don’t take any of the sleep tips too personally, as they may or may not apply to you.
Sleep Tips covered:
Wake up at the about same time each day,
Expose yourself to sunlight early in the day,
Exercise your body and mind,
Avoid caffeine after noon,
Reduce nicotine 4 hours before bed and avoid 45 minutes before bed,
Avoid using alcohol to put you to sleep,
Wind down about an hour before bedtime,
Reduce light levels and avoid backlit screens about an hour before bed,
Consider a bedtime snack,
Don’t clock watch and
Create a good sleep environment.
Alternatives to CBTi include: ACTi (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for insomnia), Stoicism, The Work, and The Myth of Stress.
Give CBTi at least 6 weeks to show results before switching to an alternative. CBTi has, by far, the most scientifically evidence to cure insomnia.
The CBTi term for “Sleep Tips” is “Sleep Hygiene”
Assignment:
Review the sleep tips, consider your situation, and decide if there is something that might be helpful to change. Then make the change.
Click on each of the links for alternative methods to see if any appeal to you and decide whether to investigate further.
Send Dennis a message with any sleep tip you have so he can include it in a future lesson: Voice or text message (408-990-3882), email or filling in the form on the contact page.
Links:
Morning light therapy light.
ACT Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Sleep: The Sleep Book.
The Little Book of Stoicism
Book & Audio Book: The Work, Byron Katie: Loving What Is
Website: Byron Katie: The Work
The Myth of Stress – Book & Audio
Orange colored glasses to block blue light
Dr. Daniel Erichsen YouTube channel: Insomnia Insight
Michael Schwartz Podcast & Blog: Sleep on Q
Note: I receive no renumeration for any linked items.
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46 min
March 21, 2020Relax or Suffer: Lesson 8
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I recommend you visit: Lesson 8 Webpage Contact Dennis: Voice message or text: 408-990-3882 or [email protected]
Lesson Summary:
Relaxation is the gateway to sleep. You cannot go to sleep unless you are relaxed.
Stress can be handled by eliminating the source of the stress (prevention) or by dealing with the stress (temporary repair).
Lesson 7 dealt with CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) which helps eliminate your stress. This is the preferred option.
This lesson deals with temporarily reducing your stress so you can sleep.
Learn to relax for the intrinsic benefits to your health and mind, not because you think it will make you sleep. Otherwise it can create sleep anxiety.
Relaxation goes on a continuum from deep sleep (0) to the highly aroused flight or fight state. You must move down the continuum from arousal to relaxed to enter sleep. You cannot skip over steps.
You may be stressed throughout your day or you may experience stress just when preparing for sleep. Either way, relaxation can help.
Triggering the relaxation response as described by Dr. Bensen involves 4 components: 1 – A quiet place with eyes closed to minimize distractions.2 – A comfortable position and muscular relaxation3 – A mental focusing device such as breathing, a word, or an image to shift the mind away from distracting thoughts.4 – A passive disregard of everyday thoughts.There are many relaxation and meditation methods that trigger the relaxation response. Experiment to find the one that works best for you.
The relaxation response triggers several responses: Slower brain-wave activity and mental quieting, reduced secretion of stress hormones, reductions in heart and breathing rates and, in some cases, blood pressure, increased blood flow to the extremities and relaxed muscles throughout the body.
A 4-4-4-4 or 4 by 4 mini-relaxation break is to breath in over a count of 4, hold the breath for a count of 4, breath out over a count of 4 and wait for a count of 4 before starting the next breath.
A method covering all the elements to trigger the relaxation response is covered in detail.
Set modest goals for practicing relaxation, such as just showing up, and then you will likely exceed your goals and keep the practice going
Assignment:
Find a relaxation method that works for you and consistently practice it for 1 week. Re-evaluate after 1 week and adjust accordingly.
Send Dennis a message with which relaxation method worked best for you so he can include it in a future lesson: Voice or text message (408-990-3882), email or filling in the form on the contact page.
Links:
Interview with Dr. stephanie Silberman:
Dr. Stephanie Silberman’s website:
Dr. Silberman’s Book: The Insomnia Workbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Getting the Sleep You Need:
Insomnia Workbook – on Amazon
Dr. Benson – The Relaxation Response book
Headspace App
Example Headspace for Anxiety audio track.
Calm App
Fragrant Heart.com Free Audio Meditations Page
Mindful.org meditation resource page
Dr. Daniel Erichsen YouTube channel: Insomnia Insight
Michael Schwartz Podcast & Blog: Sleep on Q
Note: I receive no renumeration for any linked items.
The post Relax or Suffer: Lesson 8 appeared first on Sleep to Healthy.
58 min
March 14, 2020Lesson 7: Sleep Myths – Unlearning Sleep
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I recommend you visit: Lesson 7 Webpage Contact Dennis: Voice message or text: 408-990-3882 or [email protected]
Lesson Summary:
Sleep Myths is the 3rd CBTi (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) element.
There are 2 types of Sleep Myths: Media Myths & Mind Myths. Media Myths are inaccuracies perpetuated by the media. Mind Myths are incorrect conclusions we draw from our life experiences.
It is recommended that you abstain from reading anything about sleep while taking this course. The negative impact you will likely experience far outweighs any benefit you might achieve.
How to think critically of sleep articles:
Determine if the relationship between sleep and the outcome is correlation or causation. Correlation means that the sleep issue and outcome are connected to a 3rd underlying factor. Causation means that the sleep issue causes the outcome. This is much, much harder to prove.
See how large the study was. Experiments with few participants give exaggerated results which are not trustworthy.
Notice how closely the participants resemble you. Good sleepers respond differently to sleep issues than people with insomnia. Women respond differently then men. Young people responds differently than the elders and so on.
Remember than sleep is mainly of the mind, not the body. Studies that show negative health outcomes should be treated with lots of skepticism.
CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps deal with mind myths which are our misunderstanding of our experiences with sleep.
The CBT model is Observe à Think à Emotion à Action. You notice or observe an event à you think about what the observation means à this evokes an emotional reaction à you take action based on your thoughts and emotions.
CBT intervenes at the thought and action steps. Changing your thoughts and your action can change the spiral from destructive to helpful.
The Better Sleep Paradox: If you think and pay attention to your sleep, you will perpetuate your insomnia. If you don’t do anything about your sleep, your insomnia will continue.
The way out of the paradox is to focus on how you are feeling and functioning, not on the duration and quality of your sleep. You should never measure how many hours sleep you are getting unless you are compacting your sleep.
CBTi elements can cause sleep anxiety such as other sleep solutions do. If you notice that anything you are doing adds to your stress, drop it and try something else.
Writing out things that you find stressful can help to get it off your mind and lead to solutions.
The 7-column CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) worksheet is used to reduce your anxiety levels and create replace your unhelpful, less true beliefs with truer, more helpful beliefs about sleep.
In CBTi or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, Sleep Myths is called Cognitive Distortions
Assignment:
Fill in at least 3 CBT worksheets
Bonus assignment: Use the critical thinking worksheet in the links section to critically analyze a media article
Let Dennis know how you are doing with the course so far with a voice or text message (408-990-3882), email or filling in the form on the contact page.
Links:
Dr. Stanley’s Twitter Feed: @drneilstanley Debunking Sleep Myths
Cure Insomnia Paradox Diagram
CBT Negative Spiral Observe – Thought – Emotion – Action
CBT Positive Spiral Observe – Thought – Emotion – Action
CBT worksheet – 5 colmun – example
CBT worksheet – 5 column
CBT Worksheet – 7 column – example
CBT Worksheet – 7 column (recommended)
How to critique an article on sleep.
The Work – Byron Katie
The Myth of Stress – Book
Stoicism – Wikipedia Article
ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) – Wikipedia Article
Dr. Daniel Erichsen YouTube channel: Insomnia Insight
Michael Schwartz Podcast & Blog: Sleep on Q
Note: I receive no renumeration for any linked items.
The post Lesson 7: Sleep Myths – Unlearning Sleep appeared first on Sleep to Healthy.
1 hr 13 min
February 29, 2020Lesson 6: Sleep Buddy – Relationship for Life
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Recommended: Go To: Lesson 6 Webpage Contact Dennis: Voice message or text: 408-990-3882 or [email protected]
Lesson Summary:
Having insomnia, you have built up negative associations with sleep and your bed.
It is helpful to acknowledge your negative associations with sleep and your bed (see Links for a venting worksheet)
Bed Buddy: Your relationship with your sleep and your bed. Or how you think and feel about your bed and about your sleep.
Beliefs lead to actions lead to outcomes. Incorrect beliefs lead to wrong actions lead to undesirable outcomes. Bed Buddy is about changing your beliefs about bed and sleep so you take more appropriate actions with better outcomes.
Your relationship with your bed and your sleep is like your relationship with a person. You can’t force friendship, but you can make it more likely for a healthy relationship to flourish.
Rule #1: Don’t try to go to sleep until you are sleepy. Don’t go by the clock, go by cues your body and mind give you.
Rule #2: If you are not sleeping or sleepy, get out of bed. Michael Swartz gives his 12 step process to follow when you are awake in bed. (see transcript below).
Rule #3: Get out of bed at about the same time every day to set your circadian rhythm.
Following these rules will be difficult but the rewards are worth it.
Dennis’s methods for falling asleep: Think of: a) A memory from today that makes you smile, b) Any good deeds from today or when I helped someone else smile, c) Things I am grateful for, d) Events I am looking forward to tomorrow in detail and e) Any obstacles I can anticipate for tomorrow, to accept what I can’t control and make a plan for what I can. The other method is to pick a letter and think of as many words that start with that letter while enjoying the process.
Michael Schwartz introduces “Sleep On Cue” – a smart phone app that uses Intensive Sleep Retraining (ISR) to shorten and improve the Sleep Buddy process. This is not part of CBTi (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) but can help. A complete explanation is at the end of the podcast episode or podcast transcript below.
You don’t have to follow CBTi for life. Use it to cure your insomnia and then as needed should insomnia revisit you in the future.
A light alarm clock that wakes you with like might help (see Links).
Use your bedroom for sleep and sex only. Don’t bring work, screen time, stressful conversations or other sleep killers into the bedroom.
The CBTi or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia term for “Sleep Buddy” is Stimulus Control Therapy
Assignment:
Implement Sleep Buddy.
Let Dennis know how you are doing with the course so far with a voice or text message (408-990-3882), email or filling in the form on the contact page.
Links:
5 Second Rule
Sleep Buddy Tips (pdf)
Venting Worksheet (pdf)
Sleep on Q podcast (Michael Schwartz)
Sleep on Cue app (Intensive Sleep Retraining) (originally available on Android, now iOS only)
About Intensive Sleep Retraining
My full interview with Michael Schwartz (Episode 9 of the original Sleep to Healthy Podcast)
Light Alarm Clock (Amazon)
Note: I receive no renumeration for any linked items.

The post Lesson 6: Sleep Buddy – Relationship for Life appeared first on Sleep to Healthy.
1 hr 17 min
February 23, 2020Lesson 5: Compact Sleep
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Recommended: Go To: Lesson 5 Website Contact Dennis: Voice message or text: 408-990-3882 or [email protected]
Lesson Summary:
Compact sleep is about the time you spend in bed verus asleep answering “Why can’t I sleep?”
A common mistaken strategy to deal with insomnia is to spend more time in bed trying to sleep. But this makes sleep more elusive. It is not how to cure insomnia. Instead use things that help you sleep and sleep well.
The way sleep works: 1 – You build up enough sleep pressure. 2 – Your circadian rhythm prepares your brain and body for sleep. 3 – Your brain checks that it is safe to sleep.
You can’t make sleep happen, you only improve the probability it will happen.
Things you do or have that are not on the CBTi or Cognitive Therapy for Insomnia ciriculum likely by themselves don’t make you sleep.
Compact sleep increases your sleep drive and re-builds your sleep confidence.
Compact sleep is measured by sleep efficiency: Time sleeping / Time in bed. He answers “Do I have insomnia?”
If you have a low sleep efficiency, it is a better predictor that you have insomnia than how long you sleep. That makes it your new sleep metric.
To measure and improve your sleep efficiency, see the Links section.
Normal sleep efficiency is 80% to 90%. Compacting your sleep will get you to this goal.
It is normal to awaken at night. A person needing 7 hours of sleep with 80% sleep efficiency is awake 1 3/4 hours.
To compact your sleep you set a sleep duration and then adjust based on your efficiency. See the Links section for details on how to do this.
When compacting your sleep you may notice that you feel and function better on less sleep.
Compacting your sleep is hard to do. Use caution if alertness is essential for safety reasons or if a medical or mental condition might be adversely affected. Consult your health care professional 1st.
Compacting your sleep is the hardest but fastest way of improving your insomnia.
Napping is discouraged while compacting, but allowed if done right: 20 to 25 minutes maximum and before 4 pm.
Over the long run it is easy to fall back into low sleep efficiency. Sign up below to be reminded occasionally to check your sleep efficiency.
Dr. Daniel Erichsen’s BedTyme app with personalized coaching included can help you be successful at CBTi.
Assignment:
Compact your sleep using the resources in the Links section.
Links:
Dr. Daniel Erichsen’s BedTyme Website & App with personal coaching
Measuring Sleep Efficiency (pdf)
Compact Your Sleep (pdf)

The post Lesson 5: Compact Sleep appeared first on Sleep to Healthy.
53 min
February 12, 2020 Insomnia and You – Lesson 3
Insomnia and You is Lesson 3 of the course on CBTi. it explains how you acquired your insomnia and some tips to improve it.
34 min
February 11, 2020 Sleep and You – Lesson 2
The post Sleep and You – Lesson 2 appeared first on Sleep to Healthy.
37 min

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Cure Insomnia: The Sleep to Healthy is a complete course on how to cure your insomnia using CBTi.

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