ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses strategies to improve daytime tiredness, addresses unhelpful beliefs and attitudes about sleep, and, if appropriate, discusses strategies for unpleasant dreams and nightmares. Some beliefs about sleep increase worry about sleep and lead to behaviours that can perpetuate poor sleep. Sleep loss is a common precursor to psychosis onset and relapse, and clinical studies using time in bed restriction have reported mixed findings. Standard cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia programmes work on changing maladaptive beliefs and attitudes about sleep as a central component of the therapy. Many people believe that, if they have a poor night of sleep, they will definitely feel tired and lethargic for the whole of the next day, and that if they have a good night’s sleep, they will feel energetic the next day. If a person has unhelpful beliefs about sleep, it is likely that they will worry more about their sleep during the night and day.