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Dave often experienced difficulties falling asleep and staying asleep and this became more of a problem once he became a father. After an overseas trip, Dave's sleep really took a turn for the worse — not only did he find it hard to fall asleep, he would also wake around 3:00 AM and find it very difficult (if not impossible) to fall back to sleep.

This decline in his sleep led to experimentation with over-the-counter medications, the implementation of unhelpful sleep hygiene techniques, and ongoing sleep-related research. Unfortunately, this only led to more worry and anxiety and more sleep disruption.

Fortunately, Dave found out about sleep restriction — a core component of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). Consistent implementation of sleep restriction transformed Dave's relationship with sleep — he began to look forward to going to bed, he rediscovered the pleasurable sensation of sleepiness at night, and he started to fall asleep faster, spend less time awake during the night, and get more sleep.

In this episode, Dave shares his transformation and explains how sleep restriction improved his sleep and why consistency and persistence is so important if you want to enjoy better sleep for the long term.

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Martin Reed:
Welcome to the Insomnia Coach Podcast. My name is Martin Reed. I believe that nobody needs to live with chronic insomnia and that evidence-based cognitive and behavioral techniques can help you enjoy better sleep for the rest of your life.

Martin Reed:
The content of this podcast is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. The statements and opinions expressed by guests are their own and are not necessarily endorsed by Insomnia Coach LLC. All content is provided "as is" and without warranties, either express or implied.

Martin Reed:
Okay, so Dave thank you so much for taking the time to come on to the Insomnia Coach Podcast today.

Dave Barrie:
Excellent, it's a pleasure.

Martin Reed:
So, let's start at the beginning. Can you tell us when your sleep problems began and do you have any recollection or any memory of what initially triggered these sleep issues that you dealt with?

Dave Barrie:
Yeah, I've been thinking about that and it's not one single event. I've always been sort an anxious sort of person and had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. I think it came to a head when I had children and children really messed with my sleep. Children were the worst thing for sleep. But when it really became a problem for me was when I had a trip to Canada and I remember every time I'd have a cold or a flu I'd take those flu drugs that would help me sleep at night. And I'd take those and I'd have a fantastic night's sleep. But then the next night I'd be awake and I couldn't sleep properly.

Dave Barrie:
So I saw some drugs over the counter in Canada and I took those to try and get a good night's sleep. And then they gave me a great night's sleep but after three or four nights of taking them and then going off them, then I found that my sleep drive just absolutely just diminished and I needed th...