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Can't Sleep Right Now

You've been in bed more than 20 minutes and you're still wired. This is the get-up sequence sleep therapists actually prescribe.

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Get out of bed

Leave the bedroom if you can. The bed should only be for sleep — that's the whole point of this protocol.

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After tonight

  • Don't check the clock if you wake up — it just feeds the loop. Cover it or turn it away.
  • If you had caffeine after 2 PM, that probably contributed. Move the cutoff earlier for a few days.
  • Get up at the same time tomorrow even if you barely slept. Sleep pressure builds during the day; protecting it makes tomorrow night easier.
  • If you're doing this more than three nights a week for a month, talk to a sleep clinician about CBT-I — it's the first-line treatment and it works better than medication.
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