Health & daily habits~15 minCBT for insomnia
Sleep reset
Use proven insomnia techniques to build a sleep routine that sticks — especially if sleep has been rough since you stopped.
Sleep problems are very common in early recovery, and poor sleep makes relapse more likely. The first treatment doctors recommend for long-term insomnia is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) — ahead of sleeping pills (American College of Physicians). These are its core habits.
If you snore loudly, stop breathing in your sleep, or insomnia doesn't improve, talk to a doctor. Ask before taking any sleep aid — some are habit-forming.
- Get up at the same time every day, even after a bad night.
- Use your bed only for sleep and sex — not scrolling, TV or worrying.
- If you can't sleep after about 20 minutes, get up, do something calm in dim light, and go back when you're sleepy.
- Cut caffeine after lunch, and keep screens out of the last hour before bed.
- Skip long naps. A short one before mid-afternoon is okay.
1. What my sleep is like now
2. My fixed wake-up time
3. My wind-down routine for the last hour before bed
4. What I'll stop doing in bed
5. What I'll do if I can't sleep
6. Where I'll put worries before bed
Write them in a notebook at 8pm, with one next step for each.
7. Caffeine, nicotine and screens — what I'll change
8. After two weeks: what's different?