Bed Equals Sleep Therapy (BEST) aims to re-establish a strong relationship between bed and sleep. The aim is to teach our brains that the bed is a place for rest and sleep, rather than worry, distress, and wakefulness.

To do this, we want to avoid all activities in bed other than sleep and intimacy. We also want to sleep only in bed (not for instance, in the lounge chair at the TV).

Instructions:

1. Use the bedroom only for sleep and intimacy.
2. Get out of bed at the same time each morning (even if you didn’t sleep for long, and even on weekends).
3. Go to bed only when feeling sleepy (not just fatigued).
4. If not asleep after about 15 minutes get out of bed and go to another room.
5. When feeling sleepy again, return to bed and allow yourself to fall asleep.
6. If not asleep after about 15 minutes, repeat Step 4 and 5. Continue this as many times as necessary. (This ‘15-minute’ rule should be used only as an approximate ‘rule of thumb’, to avoid clock-watching behaviour that can exacerbate anxiety about sleep.)
7. Avoid daytime naps.

What to expect during BEST:

• It may take 3-4 attempts per night before you start falling asleep within 15 minutes.
• This might mean that you initially have a shorter sleep duration and wake up with some carried-over sleep pressure in the morning.
  • This can make you feel sleepier during the day – especially in the mid-afternoon and evening.
  • Plan daytime tasks accordingly (e.g., avoid driving if sleepy)
  • Higher sleep pressure will help you to start gradually falling asleep quicker and quicker day by day.
• This process re-establishes the relationship between the bed/bedroom and being asleep.
• BEST is a gradual progress – consistency is key to retraining the bed-sleep connection.