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Say Good Night to Insomnia: The Six-Week, Drug-Free Program Developed At Harvard Medical School
Introduction by Dr. Herbert Benson, author of The Relaxation Response A drug-free, scientifically proven program for conquering insomnia in six weeks.
At least thirty million adults ure the stress of severe, chronic insomnia, and the numbers of sufferers aregrowing. Dr. Gregg Jacobs has used the six-week program offered in Say Good Night to Insomnia to help thousands of insomnia sufferers at the Behavioral Medicine Insomnia Program at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a major teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The program succeeds by helping insomniacs change the way they think about sleep, making it a friend instead of an enemy. Among the many topics addressed are
* Developing a sleep enhancing lifestyle including diet, exercise, and an understanding of the importance of body temperature
* Stopping a depency on sleeping pills
* Managing negative emotions, stress, and anxiety
* Quieting the mind and body to enhance inner feelings of peace
Say Good Night to Insomnia is an empowering book that lets insomniacs take control of their minds and bodies by giving them the knowledge and techniques to overcome their problem forever.
At least thirty million adults ure the stress of severe, chronic insomnia, and the numbers of sufferers aregrowing. Dr. Gregg Jacobs has used the six-week program offered in Say Good Night to Insomnia to help thousands of insomnia sufferers at the Behavioral Medicine Insomnia Program at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a major teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The program succeeds by helping insomniacs change the way they think about sleep, making it a friend instead of an enemy. Among the many topics addressed are
* Developing a sleep enhancing lifestyle including diet, exercise, and an understanding of the importance of body temperature
* Stopping a depency on sleeping pills
* Managing negative emotions, stress, and anxiety
* Quieting the mind and body to enhance inner feelings of peace
Say Good Night to Insomnia is an empowering book that lets insomniacs take control of their minds and bodies by giving them the knowledge and techniques to overcome their problem forever.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
933 people are currently reading
1461 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
August 12, 2021
About 8 summers ago I got a case of insomnia that only let me get about 2 hours of sleep a day for almost 2 weeks. Like many people I found that many doctors and so called sleep specialists really don't know that much.
I was falling apart and I was scared. I was on my way to making sleep medications a regular part of my life when I found this book. It helped me get off the sleep medications and get back to sleeping normally.
The methods used in the book are all based on good science and proven practices. The methods are holistic. You will not only sleep better, but you will be a healthier and happier person.
As someone pointed out in one of the reviews on Amazon, this information is found in bits and pieces on the Internet. This book is the result of integrating and studying all of those bits and pieces as a whole. As such it is far more valuable. The program in the book was developed by researchers at Harvard over the course of a decade.
I agree with the others that the tone of the book in the first chapters can be improved(flim-flam writing style, despite solid information), but the book is good enough that it is worth rolling your eyes and reading through the whole thing.
I think it also would have been more useful to mention the relaxation tape by the author in the front of the book, instead of at the end in fine print. Since I didn't discover it until I finished the book I never tried it as I did not need it, but I think it could have been helpful.
I was falling apart and I was scared. I was on my way to making sleep medications a regular part of my life when I found this book. It helped me get off the sleep medications and get back to sleeping normally.
The methods used in the book are all based on good science and proven practices. The methods are holistic. You will not only sleep better, but you will be a healthier and happier person.
As someone pointed out in one of the reviews on Amazon, this information is found in bits and pieces on the Internet. This book is the result of integrating and studying all of those bits and pieces as a whole. As such it is far more valuable. The program in the book was developed by researchers at Harvard over the course of a decade.
I agree with the others that the tone of the book in the first chapters can be improved(flim-flam writing style, despite solid information), but the book is good enough that it is worth rolling your eyes and reading through the whole thing.
I think it also would have been more useful to mention the relaxation tape by the author in the front of the book, instead of at the end in fine print. Since I didn't discover it until I finished the book I never tried it as I did not need it, but I think it could have been helpful.
November 27, 2017
I read this earlier this year and found mixed success with some of its specific recommended techniques. But one thing that did stick with me, that I've found myself quoting to others since reading, is the author's debunking the myth that you need eight hours of sleep, something I even heard being repeated as gospel from a Berkeley sleep researcher on a recent episode of NPR's Hidden Brain. Jacobs builds a good case that such a requirement is simply not supported by data. Once you get 5.5 hours to satisfy certain biological mechanisms, any additional sleep (much like additional food calories above your metabolic requirements) mainly effects (you guessed it) mood. To maximize your long term physical and mental health, giving up one hour of sleep daily to spend that same hour exercising is unequivocally a better return on your investment. (If only the willpower involved in that were so easy).
That's not to say we don't have too much stress, poor sleep habits, and an environment seemingly sadistically designed to keep us from sleeping well, but it's worth keeping things in perspective, especially if one of the reasons you can't fall asleep is worrying about your inability to fall asleep.
That's not to say we don't have too much stress, poor sleep habits, and an environment seemingly sadistically designed to keep us from sleeping well, but it's worth keeping things in perspective, especially if one of the reasons you can't fall asleep is worrying about your inability to fall asleep.
May 31, 2008
An excellent book about the causes of and treatment of insomnia.
Using the techniques in the book, I overcame a bad bout of insomnia within 3 weeks, with no drugs required.
Using the techniques in the book, I overcame a bad bout of insomnia within 3 weeks, with no drugs required.
November 29, 2016
It turns out that the advice for people struggling with sleep problems is the same as general healthy lifestyle advice- exercise more, reduce stress, meditate, practice deep breathing and relaxation techniques.
Everywhere I turn there is another source advising meditation. My mind is always racing and I often find it hard to shut it off. Like anything else in life, the key to getting better at that is to practice. I'm a work in progress for sure.
Two favorite parts of the book:
1. Validation of napping. Did you know that some sleep experts believe that an afternoon nap may be part of our evolutionary history? Sleepiness is partly driven by internal body temperature- the lower it drops, the sleepier you get. Your body temperature follows a daily cycle that facilitates your sleep schedule. Contrary to popular belief, you don't get sleepy after a big lunch. You get sleepy in the afternoon, period. A slight drop in body temperature in the early afternoon is a well-established part of this temperature cycle. It occurs whether or not you ate lunch, whether or not you slept well the night before...all those equatorial civilizations with their seista cultures know what they're doing. I feel so validated in my love of an early afternoon nap. As long as you limit it to 30 minutes or so, it's not only not going to disrupt your sleep, it's actually what nature intended.
2. The author praises exercise is expressed in such a clear, concise criticism of most of what is wrong with our society that I'm just going to quote it directly: "Exercise has such a wide range of physical and mental benefits that, if it were a pill, it would undoubtedly be the most widely prescribed of all medications. It is amazing that, despite this evidence and the public's apparent acceptance of the importance of physical activity, millions of American adults remain sedentary."
Everywhere I turn there is another source advising meditation. My mind is always racing and I often find it hard to shut it off. Like anything else in life, the key to getting better at that is to practice. I'm a work in progress for sure.
Two favorite parts of the book:
1. Validation of napping. Did you know that some sleep experts believe that an afternoon nap may be part of our evolutionary history? Sleepiness is partly driven by internal body temperature- the lower it drops, the sleepier you get. Your body temperature follows a daily cycle that facilitates your sleep schedule. Contrary to popular belief, you don't get sleepy after a big lunch. You get sleepy in the afternoon, period. A slight drop in body temperature in the early afternoon is a well-established part of this temperature cycle. It occurs whether or not you ate lunch, whether or not you slept well the night before...all those equatorial civilizations with their seista cultures know what they're doing. I feel so validated in my love of an early afternoon nap. As long as you limit it to 30 minutes or so, it's not only not going to disrupt your sleep, it's actually what nature intended.
2. The author praises exercise is expressed in such a clear, concise criticism of most of what is wrong with our society that I'm just going to quote it directly: "Exercise has such a wide range of physical and mental benefits that, if it were a pill, it would undoubtedly be the most widely prescribed of all medications. It is amazing that, despite this evidence and the public's apparent acceptance of the importance of physical activity, millions of American adults remain sedentary."
June 3, 2016
This book absolutely helped me with the insomnia I developed a few months after having a baby. After about 9 months of getting 3-4 hours of sleep 2-3 nights a week for no discernible reason, I finally concluded that whatever hormonal or baby-related problem had initially caused the insomnia, it had turned into a chronic, anxiety related self perpetuation. And I was very upset about it. So after trying a number of other random things that had limited effect, I finally found this book.
Yes, most of the concepts you have heard before but it was good to have all of information in one place and in a step-by-step "you can do this" format. What I will say is that you have to take it seriously, following all of the rules, including sleep logging, sleep restriction/scheduling, and doing all of the journaling exercises. It felt ridiculous but they absolutely helped. For me, the hardest step (and I'm guessing one of the most important steps) is the sleep restriction/scheduling. It was after taking this step that I noticed a very real improvement in the number of "bad nights", and it started immediately. But taking the step of purposeful sleep restriction took a huge leap of faith! In hindsight I find it a little bit hilarious that I was so focused on training my baby to sleep (no small feat in his case) that I basically untrained myself.
Anyway, I could write a novel but suffice to say, I'm very thankful for this book giving me the tools and the motivation to get rid of insomnia!
Yes, most of the concepts you have heard before but it was good to have all of information in one place and in a step-by-step "you can do this" format. What I will say is that you have to take it seriously, following all of the rules, including sleep logging, sleep restriction/scheduling, and doing all of the journaling exercises. It felt ridiculous but they absolutely helped. For me, the hardest step (and I'm guessing one of the most important steps) is the sleep restriction/scheduling. It was after taking this step that I noticed a very real improvement in the number of "bad nights", and it started immediately. But taking the step of purposeful sleep restriction took a huge leap of faith! In hindsight I find it a little bit hilarious that I was so focused on training my baby to sleep (no small feat in his case) that I basically untrained myself.
Anyway, I could write a novel but suffice to say, I'm very thankful for this book giving me the tools and the motivation to get rid of insomnia!
March 16, 2011
I've had insomnia off and on for the last four years. It usually goes away with exercise. However, it came back a week before I started my new job two months ago and exercise didn't do a thing. I went through the first four weeks (plus the baseline week) of this program and felt like it made a huge difference in how I slept. I still wake up several times a night, but I fall asleep very soon afterward.
The last two weeks of the program may have been helpful but the steps to do felt a little more nebulous (becoming a more optimistic person and not overreacting when things go wrong) and it's due at the library this week anyway.
I don't know if I consider myself fully recovered (since I think things really only got much much better this weekend, it's a little soon to tell) but you can definitely count me as one of the 100% who saw improvement.
The last two weeks of the program may have been helpful but the steps to do felt a little more nebulous (becoming a more optimistic person and not overreacting when things go wrong) and it's due at the library this week anyway.
I don't know if I consider myself fully recovered (since I think things really only got much much better this weekend, it's a little soon to tell) but you can definitely count me as one of the 100% who saw improvement.
March 9, 2015
DID NOT READ/DO NOT RECOMMEND
Avoid this book if your insomnia is caused by physical issues. Seems to only be useful for those with sleep anxiety.
********
I've never rated a book that I haven't read before. This time is a first. But I feel that it's important. I read an article that summarized a few of the tips from this book and it angered me, so here you go.
The book says things to the effect of [I'm paraphrasing]..."there is no conclusive evidence that lack of sleep causes health problems." And "no matter how little sleep you get, you will still be able to get through your day, stop worrying about it." <--THIS IS A HUGE PIECE OF BULLSHIT IF YOU HAVE REAL SLEEP PROBLEMS.
I don't know what evidence (if any) the author presented as I didn't read the book, but there are NUMEROUS studies showing a lack of sleep can cause heart disease, obesity, impaired driving, etc., etc., etc. And if impaired driving is an effect of lack of sleep, then how in god's name can he claim that anyone "will get through the day just fine" in spite of not sleeping??????
It seems that much of the book deals with those who have what's called "sleep anxiety" and that is indeed what the author of the article I read had. However, sleep anxiety is not a physical disease. By saying sleep problems are due solely to not being able to relax/stop thinking (i.e. telling us it's all in our minds), this book is a disservice to those of us with real physical diseases who cannot solve our sleep issues simply by "positive thinking". I probably would have paid money for this book, thinking I could find tips to ease a few of my sleep issues (although I know I can't solve them completely), and I would have been upset and angry at the lack of useful information in there. That's why I'm writing this "review".
Looking at the other reviews here on Goodreads (and from what the author of the article I read said), it seems that even for psychologically caused sleep issues, these recommendations only work some of the time.
****
Note: I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, unexplained by any other health issue. I have been examined by many doctors, including a neurologist, and several psychiatrists, including a sleep disorder psychiatrist. The sleep psychiatrist proclaimed my "sleep hygiene" as being well within accepted norms and that I had no psychologically caused sleep problems. My psych eval/treatment consisted of doing a lot of the things it looks like this author recommends in this book and none of them worked at all for me and I'd tried all those tricks many times before looking for relief. I've also had a sleep study done, and was told I have no physical sleep problems they could find (sleep apnea, narcolepsy, etc.).
Avoid this book if your insomnia is caused by physical issues. Seems to only be useful for those with sleep anxiety.
********
I've never rated a book that I haven't read before. This time is a first. But I feel that it's important. I read an article that summarized a few of the tips from this book and it angered me, so here you go.
The book says things to the effect of [I'm paraphrasing]..."there is no conclusive evidence that lack of sleep causes health problems." And "no matter how little sleep you get, you will still be able to get through your day, stop worrying about it." <--THIS IS A HUGE PIECE OF BULLSHIT IF YOU HAVE REAL SLEEP PROBLEMS.
I don't know what evidence (if any) the author presented as I didn't read the book, but there are NUMEROUS studies showing a lack of sleep can cause heart disease, obesity, impaired driving, etc., etc., etc. And if impaired driving is an effect of lack of sleep, then how in god's name can he claim that anyone "will get through the day just fine" in spite of not sleeping??????
It seems that much of the book deals with those who have what's called "sleep anxiety" and that is indeed what the author of the article I read had. However, sleep anxiety is not a physical disease. By saying sleep problems are due solely to not being able to relax/stop thinking (i.e. telling us it's all in our minds), this book is a disservice to those of us with real physical diseases who cannot solve our sleep issues simply by "positive thinking". I probably would have paid money for this book, thinking I could find tips to ease a few of my sleep issues (although I know I can't solve them completely), and I would have been upset and angry at the lack of useful information in there. That's why I'm writing this "review".
Looking at the other reviews here on Goodreads (and from what the author of the article I read said), it seems that even for psychologically caused sleep issues, these recommendations only work some of the time.
****
Note: I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, unexplained by any other health issue. I have been examined by many doctors, including a neurologist, and several psychiatrists, including a sleep disorder psychiatrist. The sleep psychiatrist proclaimed my "sleep hygiene" as being well within accepted norms and that I had no psychologically caused sleep problems. My psych eval/treatment consisted of doing a lot of the things it looks like this author recommends in this book and none of them worked at all for me and I'd tried all those tricks many times before looking for relief. I've also had a sleep study done, and was told I have no physical sleep problems they could find (sleep apnea, narcolepsy, etc.).
February 9, 2019
This book feels incredibly dated. Paper forms to track my sleep? I don't think so.
The best part of the book is that it busts the myth that everyone needs eight hours sleep. However, the author downplays the effect that getting too little sleep has on mood. It's true that getting five hours sleep a night isn't going to kill me, but it has a tremendous effect on how I feel.
I'm all for positive thinking, but the last part of the book, focusing on "sleep-enhancing attitudes and beliefs" felt patronizing.
The best part of the book is that it busts the myth that everyone needs eight hours sleep. However, the author downplays the effect that getting too little sleep has on mood. It's true that getting five hours sleep a night isn't going to kill me, but it has a tremendous effect on how I feel.
I'm all for positive thinking, but the last part of the book, focusing on "sleep-enhancing attitudes and beliefs" felt patronizing.
February 21, 2008
I learned more about sleep from this book than I ever thought there was to know. It's great for that reason. The second part of it was not equally great (or as helpful to me), though.
Oh, and I just remembered... It's pretty funny that the book that's supposed to help one get rid of insomnia was published by Owl Books.
Oh, and I just remembered... It's pretty funny that the book that's supposed to help one get rid of insomnia was published by Owl Books.
July 10, 2016
目前关于失眠症最好的书。goodreads 3.63的评分并不公正，至少应该3.90+。中文版翻译的不错。
这本书对于mental health来说特别重要。如果失眠，人们通常会认为白天的工作效率会受到很大影响；但是实证研究发现，只要睡眠时间大于5.5个小时，保证核心睡眠(core sleep)，即使失眠持续8个月，日常工作能力基本不受影响。那么失眠症的最大影响是什么？对情绪的影响：irritability, frustration, anxiety, mild depression, fatigue, or reduced motivation. 关于失眠的负面想法(NSTs: Negative Sleep Thoughts)是导致情绪低落的首要因素，甚至可能超出失眠对情绪的直接生理影响。在部分人群中，失眠症是抑郁症的原因而不是结果。对于有情绪障碍(抑郁症���躁郁症、焦虑症、恐惧症等)的人来说，控制睡眠是控制情绪的非常重要的手段。
作者在书中提出，我们可能会因为突发的压力事件导致短期失眠，这种失眠是有survival value的，能够促使我们更好的应对压力。但是当我们开始对失眠担忧，同时采用一些无效甚至有负效果的行为后，短期的失眠会发展成长期的失眠(持续1个月以上)。想要改善失眠，我们要改变的不是最初的压力事件，而是我们关于睡眠的想法和行为。本书实质上是CBT(行为认知疗法)在失眠症上的应用。
核心章节是CH 2, 5, 6, 7。作者在书的开头用了很长的篇幅来讨论药物对失眠症的作用非常有限，以及美国失眠药滥用的情况，直到第二章才进入正题。对于睡眠问题并不严重的人来说，这部分内容可能不相关，可以略读。
事实上，如果有足够的时间，这部分关于药物和医生行为的讨论读起来也很有意思，可以看到fast and easy solution的诱惑非常大，同时也有非常多的公司想要通过serve easier option来谋取fast and easy profit，大多数生产商不会关心消费者的长期利益，多数人的选择仍然可能是错误的选择。 此外，作者也剖析了他的思想和疗法的发展轨迹，对于problem solving有一定的借鉴意义。
CH 2：睡眠和失眠症的基础知识，失眠症的根源
—Part 2 改变关于睡眠的想法和行为—
CH 5：改变关于睡眠的想法：8小时睡眠的myth；失眠症者自估的睡眠时间比实际少1小时；工作效率基本不受影响, etc.
CH 6：改变关于睡眠的习惯：提早睡觉会导致失眠/固定起床时间会促进睡眠；午睡；睡前阅读可促进睡眠, etc.
CH 7：生活方式和环境因素：运动/光照对睡眠非常重要！！！运动和光照对睡眠的影响是我决定早晚各运动20-30分钟的重要原因，接受清晨的光照能保证晚10点能顺利入睡，接受傍晚的光照能保证早5点前不会醒来。这背后的原理是人体体温在一日内的周期变化，特定时间的运动和光照能促使体温规律上升，是良好睡眠的生理基础。
—Part 3 通过管理压力来管理睡眠—
这部分是相关技术的初步介绍，对于我来说没有触及最深层的why，后期打算找专门的书来更好的了解这3项内容。
CH 9：这章的内容本质上就是Meditation，我打算找一本专门讲冥想的书。
CH 10：这章的内容本质上就是CBT，我打算重读Feeling Good。
CH 11：这章内容不错，值得通读。关于Belief，目前我所读过的书都还没有触及到最深最根本的解释，继续寻找中。
这本书对于mental health来说特别重要。如果失眠，人们通常会认为白天的工作效率会受到很大影响；但是实证研究发现，只要睡眠时间大于5.5个小时，保证核心睡眠(core sleep)，即使失眠持续8个月，日常工作能力基本不受影响。那么失眠症的最大影响是什么？对情绪的影响：irritability, frustration, anxiety, mild depression, fatigue, or reduced motivation. 关于失眠的负面想法(NSTs: Negative Sleep Thoughts)是导致情绪低落的首要因素，甚至可能超出失眠对情绪的直接生理影响。在部分人群中，失眠症是抑郁症的原因而不是结果。对于有情绪障碍(抑郁症���躁郁症、焦虑症、恐惧症等)的人来说，控制睡眠是控制情绪的非常重要的手段。
作者在书中提出，我们可能会因为突发的压力事件导致短期失眠，这种失眠是有survival value的，能够促使我们更好的应对压力。但是当我们开始对失眠担忧，同时采用一些无效甚至有负效果的行为后，短期的失眠会发展成长期的失眠(持续1个月以上)。想要改善失眠，我们要改变的不是最初的压力事件，而是我们关于睡眠的想法和行为。本书实质上是CBT(行为认知疗法)在失眠症上的应用。
核心章节是CH 2, 5, 6, 7。作者在书的开头用了很长的篇幅来讨论药物对失眠症的作用非常有限，以及美国失眠药滥用的情况，直到第二章才进入正题。对于睡眠问题并不严重的人来说，这部分内容可能不相关，可以略读。
事实上，如果有足够的时间，这部分关于药物和医生行为的讨论读起来也很有意思，可以看到fast and easy solution的诱惑非常大，同时也有非常多的公司想要通过serve easier option来谋取fast and easy profit，大多数生产商不会关心消费者的长期利益，多数人的选择仍然可能是错误的选择。 此外，作者也剖析了他的思想和疗法的发展轨迹，对于problem solving有一定的借鉴意义。
CH 2：睡眠和失眠症的基础知识，失眠症的根源
—Part 2 改变关于睡眠的想法和行为—
CH 5：改变关于睡眠的想法：8小时睡眠的myth；失眠症者自估的睡眠时间比实际少1小时；工作效率基本不受影响, etc.
CH 6：改变关于睡眠的习惯：提早睡觉会导致失眠/固定起床时间会促进睡眠；午睡；睡前阅读可促进睡眠, etc.
CH 7：生活方式和环境因素：运动/光照对睡眠非常重要！！！运动和光照对睡眠的影响是我决定早晚各运动20-30分钟的重要原因，接受清晨的光照能保证晚10点能顺利入睡，接受傍晚的光照能保证早5点前不会醒来。这背后的原理是人体体温在一日内的周期变化，特定时间的运动和光照能促使体温规律上升，是良好睡眠的生理基础。
—Part 3 通过管理压力来管理睡眠—
这部分是相关技术的初步介绍，对于我来说没有触及最深层的why，后期打算找专门的书来更好的了解这3项内容。
CH 9：这章的内容本质上就是Meditation，我打算找一本专门讲冥想的书。
CH 10：这章的内容本质上就是CBT，我打算重读Feeling Good。
CH 11：这章内容不错，值得通读。关于Belief，目前我所读过的书都还没有触及到最深最根本的解释，继续寻找中。
April 7, 2023
Key takeaways:
1. Negative sleep thoughts create anxiety around sleep and should be curbed and replaced with positive sleep thoughts. For me, I've been telling myself that I sleep well every night and it's been improving my sleep levels.
2. On nights that you have sleep onset insomnia, consider sitting up and unwinding with a book or a podcast. Trying to struggle yourself into sleep doesn't work but distracting yourself until you're tired does.
3. Stress impacts sleep so learn to induce relaxation throughout your day and before bed. The techniques for this were subpar but the idea was right. Anyone reading this could benefit from Sahaja Yoga meditation as a relaxation method and insomnia aid.
4. Negative automatic thoughts can affect insomnia. Try tracking the situation that induced them, what those thoughts were and replacement thoughts that are more positive.
5. Attitudes can contribute to insomnia. Help yourself feel happier and sleep better by taking up optimism, laughing more, forgiving and taking to spirituality.
1. Negative sleep thoughts create anxiety around sleep and should be curbed and replaced with positive sleep thoughts. For me, I've been telling myself that I sleep well every night and it's been improving my sleep levels.
2. On nights that you have sleep onset insomnia, consider sitting up and unwinding with a book or a podcast. Trying to struggle yourself into sleep doesn't work but distracting yourself until you're tired does.
3. Stress impacts sleep so learn to induce relaxation throughout your day and before bed. The techniques for this were subpar but the idea was right. Anyone reading this could benefit from Sahaja Yoga meditation as a relaxation method and insomnia aid.
4. Negative automatic thoughts can affect insomnia. Try tracking the situation that induced them, what those thoughts were and replacement thoughts that are more positive.
5. Attitudes can contribute to insomnia. Help yourself feel happier and sleep better by taking up optimism, laughing more, forgiving and taking to spirituality.
March 28, 2023
Didn't really like this one. A friend with a sleep disorder recomended it. I appreciated some of the information, but ultimately it was a promo for a method that made no sense to me. I'll paraphrase: write down how long you slept. Write down and repeat happy thoughts. Write down how much longer you slept since you wrote down happy thoughts. Be happy, sleep better. Sleep medicine is bad. Sleep is over rated. There is no evidence that sleep makes you healthier. Never the less, sleep is important, so write down how long you slept...
I don't mean to mock those of us who have issues around sleep. I just thought the material here was presented in a format that students going for advanced degrees in sleep study would appreciate, not in a way that would be helpful with actual humans.
I don't mean to mock those of us who have issues around sleep. I just thought the material here was presented in a format that students going for advanced degrees in sleep study would appreciate, not in a way that would be helpful with actual humans.
March 17, 2013
This book is worth its weight in gold. After suffering through terrible insomnia and reaching my breaking point, I tried this approach . . . and it worked! 1000x better than Ambien, too. I was skeptical of the method, particularly sleep restriction, but it cured my problem and I've been sleeping well for months. I followed the book religiously and after a couple of weeks I saw incredible improvement.
December 8, 2020
This was a lovely collection of how to improve sleep. It doesn't matter if you have other illnesses or chronic conditions or not - there are many steps to improving sleep.
Not every step works for every person, but on the whole one's sleep can go from bad to not so bad, or maybe even to good.
Are all my sleep problems solved? No. Is my sleep significantly better? Yes. And in times when my sleep gets worse again, I will now know what to do.
Not every step works for every person, but on the whole one's sleep can go from bad to not so bad, or maybe even to good.
Are all my sleep problems solved? No. Is my sleep significantly better? Yes. And in times when my sleep gets worse again, I will now know what to do.
November 29, 2007
I gave this book 5 stars because after several weeks of suffering from insomnia I tried their method and it worked!
February 27, 2010
Very helpful book! I have slept great every since reading it!
September 26, 2010
Most of the points and tips I already heard from Dr. Oz and such. Gave some interesting insights. I have been trying them out and following them. Seem to be helping.
February 18, 2023
Recommend by my dr., didn’t realize how dated the book was. It help me fall asleep trying to read this.
March 2, 2024
Recommending to all my peri-menopausal friends on here. For the past few 2-3 years I’ve been up for 1-2 hours in the middle of the night several times a week. I read this book in a weekend and have only woken up once in the 3 weeks since.
What I found most valuable:
1. The chapter on the science of sleep where it describes the various stages. He makes a compelling argument that we only really need 5.5 hours of sleep - anything above that is nice, but not strictly necessary. This was by far the most important thing for me, because it immediately took away that involuntary worry upon waking up at 4 am
2. It told me what to do if I am wide awake (do something boring if you can’t fall back to sleep quickly).
3. He details a relaxation exercise, where you tense each muscle on each side of your body one at a time. I’ve only had to use it once but it worked. Maybe a placebo, but I don’t care, so long as it makes me sleepy
What I found most valuable:
1. The chapter on the science of sleep where it describes the various stages. He makes a compelling argument that we only really need 5.5 hours of sleep - anything above that is nice, but not strictly necessary. This was by far the most important thing for me, because it immediately took away that involuntary worry upon waking up at 4 am
2. It told me what to do if I am wide awake (do something boring if you can’t fall back to sleep quickly).
3. He details a relaxation exercise, where you tense each muscle on each side of your body one at a time. I’ve only had to use it once but it worked. Maybe a placebo, but I don’t care, so long as it makes me sleepy
March 10, 2025
This book would be a great tool for someone who does not have insomnia but instead sleeps poorly a few nights a week. Someone who has poor sleep hygiene and a needlessly negative outlook.
However as someone who has struggled with insomnia for going on 5 months now, every night, 2-4 hours of sleep, this book does little more than gaslight the reader into thinking they simply don’t have insomnia. The approach is “it’s probably not as bad as you’re thinking…let’s keep a sleep journal” — but when the sleep journal only confirms what you’ve been feeling then the book is left a bit gutless.
However as someone who has struggled with insomnia for going on 5 months now, every night, 2-4 hours of sleep, this book does little more than gaslight the reader into thinking they simply don’t have insomnia. The approach is “it’s probably not as bad as you’re thinking…let’s keep a sleep journal” — but when the sleep journal only confirms what you’ve been feeling then the book is left a bit gutless.
May 1, 2024
I recommend this book to a ton of patients, and based on a few days’ worth of small changes seems to be making a difference.
March 30, 2023
Required reading for my CBT Sleep Therapy group
March 28, 2021
Common sense way of sleeping better
Dr. Jacob’s published this book in 1998. In this book, he shared his six- week program with 100% effectiveness and mostly common-sense approach to cure heavyweight clinical insomnia. What amazed me is that he applied mind over body techniques in 1990s.
Fast forward 20 years, his mind-body approach to insomnia is even more relevant. Unfortunately, 20 years later, with technology fast advancing, the spread of insomnia is actually speeding up. If insomnia is a type disease on a personal level, a wide spread of self-induced lack of sleep assisted by various easy access technologies has to be a type of stupidity on humanity level. What went wrong?
I like this book. I learned about five stages of sleep; circadian rhythm, and how it regulates our internal biological sleep clock; and cognitive restructuring, and how it can improve our sleep quality.
In his six-week program, he also asked his patients to keep track of sleep diary and applied relaxation response technique. The relaxation response technique is basically a scripted guided relaxation meditation, supposedly developed by a Harvard professor, Dr. Benson.
What impressed me the most is the concept of cognitive restructuring. It is a fancy way to say changing perspective. Dr. Jacob asked his patients and his readers to think positively about their sleep experience and to be optimistic about life to combat their insomniac battles.
Dr. Jacob’s program is effective and low cost, and I believe it can be easily self administered with no risk. What amazed me is that I know about existence of melatonin pills before I know about cognitive reconstructing way of sleeping better.
Dr. Jacob’s published this book in 1998. In this book, he shared his six- week program with 100% effectiveness and mostly common-sense approach to cure heavyweight clinical insomnia. What amazed me is that he applied mind over body techniques in 1990s.
Fast forward 20 years, his mind-body approach to insomnia is even more relevant. Unfortunately, 20 years later, with technology fast advancing, the spread of insomnia is actually speeding up. If insomnia is a type disease on a personal level, a wide spread of self-induced lack of sleep assisted by various easy access technologies has to be a type of stupidity on humanity level. What went wrong?
I like this book. I learned about five stages of sleep; circadian rhythm, and how it regulates our internal biological sleep clock; and cognitive restructuring, and how it can improve our sleep quality.
In his six-week program, he also asked his patients to keep track of sleep diary and applied relaxation response technique. The relaxation response technique is basically a scripted guided relaxation meditation, supposedly developed by a Harvard professor, Dr. Benson.
What impressed me the most is the concept of cognitive restructuring. It is a fancy way to say changing perspective. Dr. Jacob asked his patients and his readers to think positively about their sleep experience and to be optimistic about life to combat their insomniac battles.
Dr. Jacob’s program is effective and low cost, and I believe it can be easily self administered with no risk. What amazed me is that I know about existence of melatonin pills before I know about cognitive reconstructing way of sleeping better.
October 2, 2020
I was leery of this book when I started, since it read far too much like an infomercial. "In Just 7 weeks with my secret tools, which are only at the end of this entire book, you TOO can actually sleep sometimes!" But it does actually have some great advice and medical information. I had already implemented a lot of the techniques here without realizing how directly they would impact insomnia (and I have to say they have helped!) but this book gave me a much better grounding the biology. I understand sleep cycles so much better now. I do meditate and work out, but now I know that is essential to my sleep health. I learned about the importance of sunlight and body temperature cycles.
I can't say I followed his particular technique exactly, as some of it seemed burdensome and impractical, but I did take the advice in whole, and I think it is a great resource for people to have. Full disclosure, I skipped all the anecdotes because I hate anecdotes in a text I'm reading for medical purposes.
I can't say I followed his particular technique exactly, as some of it seemed burdensome and impractical, but I did take the advice in whole, and I think it is a great resource for people to have. Full disclosure, I skipped all the anecdotes because I hate anecdotes in a text I'm reading for medical purposes.
June 27, 2022
Did you know the author worked at HARVARD??? You know, the IVY LEAGUE school HARVARD. He also played college football and he was, like, SO good at it he could have gone pro except HARVARD hand-picked him to work on their research study about a disorder he has no experience with. Wait, what is this book about again? *checks* Oh, that's right. It's about how you're stupid idiot dummy pants who did not attend HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL and are too stupid to sleep. Good thing this college football player from Harvard is here to show you the light, you stupid pleb.
I actually threw this book in the trash around the half-way mark. I was sick of the constant name-dropping and condescending tone. What I learned (besides that the author is associated with Harvard) is that insomnia is fake news, I'm sleeping better than I think I am, and I need to just get over myself and stop all this "insomnia" business.
I actually threw this book in the trash around the half-way mark. I was sick of the constant name-dropping and condescending tone. What I learned (besides that the author is associated with Harvard) is that insomnia is fake news, I'm sleeping better than I think I am, and I need to just get over myself and stop all this "insomnia" business.
April 17, 2018
I'm a fiction lover, but at this point in my life I needed a self-help book to get me through the night. The premise of "Say Goodnight to Insomnia", which by the way is so excellent I could fall asleep every time I read it, is all about our nagging thoughts, catastrophizing delusions, with some late night caffeine, alcohol, wrong-time of night exercising and other stuff like tossing and turning instead of getting out of bed, that does us in. Joking aside, Dr. Jacobs' 6-week program actually began working within days. I'm slowly recognizing my negative thought patterns, patterns of worrying about things I can't control, or are situated in an uncertain future. The book is over 20 years old, but a wellspring of insights and techniques that is helping me get a good night's sleep.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2025
Both my uncle and my brother-in-law say that this book changed their lives. Maybe I've just already learned a lot about insomnia, because I didn't feel like there was much new material. It does serve as a good reminder.
One thing I did think was interesting (and new) was that mood suffers the most after not sleeping well, but only because we're upset about the loss of sleep. When we want to stay up late for something, we don't complain about it later. (Sometimes we even brag about it--"I went to the midnight viewing of Such-and-such!")
One thing I did think was interesting (and new) was that mood suffers the most after not sleeping well, but only because we're upset about the loss of sleep. When we want to stay up late for something, we don't complain about it later. (Sometimes we even brag about it--"I went to the midnight viewing of Such-and-such!")
November 30, 2010
This book was handed to me by a patient--which I never really appreciate: the demand to do several hours of unpaid work or be seen as uncaring. But I do tend to fall for this kind of blackmail, and I actually liked this book, which is a good all-over review of cognitive behavioral techniques (changing thoughts about sleep; relaxation response, and my favorite, "learning to think away your stress.")
August 28, 2007
I read this for practical purposes, not for pleasure. I didn't follow the six-week program, but just reading the tips/strategies have proven helpful to me. Also, some interesting information on sleep, though some is likely to be redundant if you've got a med/psych background. Still, I'd definitely recommend this if you've got insomnia.
June 27, 2007
Re-reading this one since insomnia has struck again...
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