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The Effortless Sleep Method:The Incredible New Cure for Insomnia and Chronic Sleep Problems
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"Original, practical and very effective. This new approach to insomnia will change lives." -- Dr W Rosental, Consultant Psychiatrist and Addiction Specialist.
Product Description
To those who are longing for a good night's sleep
To those addicted to sleeping pills
To those who would give anything to get over their insomnia
To those for whom 'nothing ever seems to work'
To every person who has suffered the horror of chronic insomnia, to every insomniac everywhere...
...this is for you
The Effortless Sleep Method is the book insomniacs all over the world have been waiting for, even those for whom 'nothing ever works'. This highly practical and hugely effective method offers a simple and permanent solution for long-term and new insomniacs alike. The Effortless Sleep Method gives you something no other sleep aid can - an entirely different way of looking at insomnia. The step-by-step insomnia recovery programme contained in this book doesn't just treat insomnia, it totally undermines it. This is not another dry as dust reference book written by a doctor, but a lively, empowering book which connects the sufferer intimately to one who has gone through the same pain.
Many insomnia books follow a similar format: scientific information about sleep, a section on sleep hygiene and a set of relaxation techniques, all interspersed with various case studies. While in some cases this will be helpful in learning how to sleep better, for many, this will never be enough. The chronic insomniac can think his or her way around the sleep hygiene, will doubt the validity of the case studies and will fight the relaxation techniques. The chronic insomniac has been there, done that; the chronic insomniac has an answer for everything.
This book is entirely different in its approach to insomnia. Yes, there are practical changes to make, but the real magic lies in the changes it will make to your thinking. Because of this, the approach in the book is not only useful in treating insomnia; once mastered, the principles can be extended into other areas of your life.
What will you get from The Effortless Sleep Method?
You will discover a truly permanent solution to chronic insomnia, even if you have suffered for decades
You may end up sleeping better that you have ever done,
Discover the one simple rule which can instantly improve your sleep
Learn the secret most doctors won't tell you
You will finally understand why 'nothing seems to work', no matter how many remedies and sleep aids you try
Learn the astonishing and unexpected ways in which you may be sabotaging your own recovery with everyday talk and activities
Hear a new and surprising take on sleep restriction therapy, which explains why it may not have worked for you
You will feel empowered, optimistic, acquire a positive outlook and feel more in control of your life in general
The ability to sleep soundly, naturally and unaided is the desire of every chronic insomniac. This book will guide you to rediscovering your innate ability to sleep without pills, potions or external sleep aids. When The Effortless Sleep Method is followed properly, the results can be incredible.
"Original, practical and very effective. This new approach to insomnia will change lives." -- Dr W Rosental, Consultant Psychiatrist and Addiction Specialist.
Product Description
To those who are longing for a good night's sleep
To those addicted to sleeping pills
To those who would give anything to get over their insomnia
To those for whom 'nothing ever seems to work'
To every person who has suffered the horror of chronic insomnia, to every insomniac everywhere...
...this is for you
The Effortless Sleep Method is the book insomniacs all over the world have been waiting for, even those for whom 'nothing ever works'. This highly practical and hugely effective method offers a simple and permanent solution for long-term and new insomniacs alike. The Effortless Sleep Method gives you something no other sleep aid can - an entirely different way of looking at insomnia. The step-by-step insomnia recovery programme contained in this book doesn't just treat insomnia, it totally undermines it. This is not another dry as dust reference book written by a doctor, but a lively, empowering book which connects the sufferer intimately to one who has gone through the same pain.
Many insomnia books follow a similar format: scientific information about sleep, a section on sleep hygiene and a set of relaxation techniques, all interspersed with various case studies. While in some cases this will be helpful in learning how to sleep better, for many, this will never be enough. The chronic insomniac can think his or her way around the sleep hygiene, will doubt the validity of the case studies and will fight the relaxation techniques. The chronic insomniac has been there, done that; the chronic insomniac has an answer for everything.
This book is entirely different in its approach to insomnia. Yes, there are practical changes to make, but the real magic lies in the changes it will make to your thinking. Because of this, the approach in the book is not only useful in treating insomnia; once mastered, the principles can be extended into other areas of your life.
What will you get from The Effortless Sleep Method?
You will discover a truly permanent solution to chronic insomnia, even if you have suffered for decades
You may end up sleeping better that you have ever done,
Discover the one simple rule which can instantly improve your sleep
Learn the secret most doctors won't tell you
You will finally understand why 'nothing seems to work', no matter how many remedies and sleep aids you try
Learn the astonishing and unexpected ways in which you may be sabotaging your own recovery with everyday talk and activities
Hear a new and surprising take on sleep restriction therapy, which explains why it may not have worked for you
You will feel empowered, optimistic, acquire a positive outlook and feel more in control of your life in general
The ability to sleep soundly, naturally and unaided is the desire of every chronic insomniac. This book will guide you to rediscovering your innate ability to sleep without pills, potions or external sleep aids. When The Effortless Sleep Method is followed properly, the results can be incredible.
187 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2011
238 people are currently reading
406 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
June 15, 2013
I was looking for a book about finding the right amount of time to sleep, basic sleep hygiene, etc. I sleep ok, but I am tired a lot and have trouble getting up in the morning. I grabbed this one because the ebook was cheap and it turned out to be a method to help recover from hard-core insomnia.
I'm a seasonal insomniac so the method will help me with sleeping eventually. However, the overall psychology presented in this book was really valuable to me in other areas of my life. The author gives a good background of the causes of insomnia, the treatments that usually don't work, and WHY they don't work. In the end, recovery is all about letting go. This was really helpful to me in my own obsession with losing weight.
To beat insomnia you have to let go of the constant search for the miracle cure. You have to let go of your skepticism and 'knowitall-ness'. You have to let go of your obsession with counting (hours, bad nights, etc). You have to let go of your need to brag about how awful your insomnia is. You have to let go of your belief that your are SO broken and beyond help. You have to let go of the belief that you, yourself, cannot go to sleep without the aid of something external (pills, lavender pillow, crystals). And so on. All of these things apply so well to other areas in your life where you might feel a little bit busted or unfixable. I found the book really valuable in spite of the fact that I sleep like a brick 98% of the time.
That said, I can't really say if this method helps insomnia. I have no practical applications to report. However, it makes a lot of sense in theory. :)
I'm a seasonal insomniac so the method will help me with sleeping eventually. However, the overall psychology presented in this book was really valuable to me in other areas of my life. The author gives a good background of the causes of insomnia, the treatments that usually don't work, and WHY they don't work. In the end, recovery is all about letting go. This was really helpful to me in my own obsession with losing weight.
To beat insomnia you have to let go of the constant search for the miracle cure. You have to let go of your skepticism and 'knowitall-ness'. You have to let go of your obsession with counting (hours, bad nights, etc). You have to let go of your need to brag about how awful your insomnia is. You have to let go of your belief that your are SO broken and beyond help. You have to let go of the belief that you, yourself, cannot go to sleep without the aid of something external (pills, lavender pillow, crystals). And so on. All of these things apply so well to other areas in your life where you might feel a little bit busted or unfixable. I found the book really valuable in spite of the fact that I sleep like a brick 98% of the time.
That said, I can't really say if this method helps insomnia. I have no practical applications to report. However, it makes a lot of sense in theory. :)
December 18, 2014
As a book? Terrible. Poorly written, condescending, repetitive...
As a concept? Brilliant.
I read it at the lowest ebb in my lifelong battle with insomnia and it was nothing short of a life-changing experience. For that I am eternally forgiving of its flaws and overly generous with my rating.
As a concept? Brilliant.
I read it at the lowest ebb in my lifelong battle with insomnia and it was nothing short of a life-changing experience. For that I am eternally forgiving of its flaws and overly generous with my rating.
April 13, 2012
A seriously flawed book with some helpful hints at the end. The author is repetitive, condescending, and full of assumptions about the reader. She emphasizes in the first chapter that a reader MUST read the book from front to back before implementing her sleep strategy, but she is ironically so repetitive that this is not necessary. Chapter 10 contains everything you need to know, as it summarizes everything else she has written about. The content of Chapter 10 is even summarized again in Chapter 11! I purchased this book because it had good reviews on Amazon, but I have to wonder how honest those reviews truly are.
As for the content of the book, the "Effortless Sleep Method" is simply 12 common sense sleep hygeine rules. There is nothing special or unique about it, but some of the suggestions were new to me and therefore helpful. The author initially acknowledges that there are different types of insomnia, yet throughout the book she only addresses those that have difficulty falling asleep. For those of us who can fall asleep with ease but can't seem to stay there, this was frustrating. I also have to wonder how many people will benefit from her last rule: put your life first. The author writes that she would refuse to make plans with friends and family or go on vacation because the anticipation of those plans would cause her to suffer another sleepless night. To me this sounds like someone with serious social anxiety issues who probably would have slept just fine if those issues were addressed by a psychologist.
As for the content of the book, the "Effortless Sleep Method" is simply 12 common sense sleep hygeine rules. There is nothing special or unique about it, but some of the suggestions were new to me and therefore helpful. The author initially acknowledges that there are different types of insomnia, yet throughout the book she only addresses those that have difficulty falling asleep. For those of us who can fall asleep with ease but can't seem to stay there, this was frustrating. I also have to wonder how many people will benefit from her last rule: put your life first. The author writes that she would refuse to make plans with friends and family or go on vacation because the anticipation of those plans would cause her to suffer another sleepless night. To me this sounds like someone with serious social anxiety issues who probably would have slept just fine if those issues were addressed by a psychologist.
January 20, 2019
One of the most stupid. Books I’ve ever read! She desperately wanted to develop her “own” method and write a book. If you have sleeping issues and already read about this subject, you’ll find nothing new. The same advice you’ll read everywhere - her take on it might have easily fit in a blog article. Ther was really no need to brag for so many pages - any sleep professional will be outraged at some of the “advice” and she contradicts herself every other page. The tone of the book is like “trust me, I know everything” all while emitting nonsense or having anything but a scientific approach.
The “effortless” method is working only with very strong commitments 😃! And by following some advice that she fough against in the first part of the book :))
Don’t waste your time, read some nice fiction and go to sleep...
The “effortless” method is working only with very strong commitments 😃! And by following some advice that she fough against in the first part of the book :))
Don’t waste your time, read some nice fiction and go to sleep...
December 3, 2013
If you have insomnia, you have to read this book. It saved my life. It's incredibly badly written, so if you like good writing, you might have to hold your nose. But the actual information is incredibly useful. I've been using her techniques for about a week, and my sleep has improved 1000%
February 5, 2019
There is some valuable advice in the book but the author contradicts herself as you read along. The beginning of the book criticized books, methods and how to’s of the past and then with the exception of the anti- drug stance she takes, much of the methods she presented are just as gimmicky. 12 “promises” (aka steps) methods isn’t really a unique separation from other forms of conventional wisdom. The author tries to encourage her readers not to try all the “other” gimmicks but then actually plays on a reader’s potential uncertainty by so defensively proclaiming her method as the only way? To counter-act her readers from any form of valid critical thinking she quickly labels and dismisses any skepticism a reader might have as negative thinking that will perpetuate their problem. Some advice she gives is good and worth trying out with an open mind but she loses credibility with a sort of absolutist/fundamentalist view that suggests if it doesn’t work it’s because you’re a flawed negative thinker. She should have just written a personal memoir and reflect on her personal story and ordeal and how she personally overcame it rather than package it as a universal cure-all. Everyone’s journey to overcoming any state of perpetual suffering will be a unique and personal one. We learn far more from listening to the stories of others to inspire our own resolve. Preaching a system to follow and defensively dismiss skepticism treats readers like helpless flawed individuals who can’t think for themselves.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2021
A few nuggets of decent if common sense wisdom buried in a bunch of unsubstantiated pseudo-scientific bullshit. Add on a heaping helping of the cult-leader favorite, it won't work if you question it too much.
Look, most of these techniques probably do work fine, (as evidenced by the fact that they're the same ones everyone recommends.) However, I don't see why the author felt the need to just blatantly lie and misrepresent any actual research for the first hundred pages.
Look, most of these techniques probably do work fine, (as evidenced by the fact that they're the same ones everyone recommends.) However, I don't see why the author felt the need to just blatantly lie and misrepresent any actual research for the first hundred pages.
June 13, 2013
Not a whole lot of new information and I didn't like the 'I am the only one who is right'-tone.
April 27, 2016
This book saved my life. I've bought three copies, as I give it out to anyone who has sleep issues. If you've tried it all to no avail, try this book. Many happy zzzz's to follow!
March 12, 2025
Life-changing sleep fix!
If you’ve struggled with insomnia, this book is for you. I’ve struggled my entire life and I keep this book “on-hold” for when I fall back into my old habits. This book is not like any other sleep book you’ve read. Highly recommend!
If you’ve struggled with insomnia, this book is for you. I’ve struggled my entire life and I keep this book “on-hold” for when I fall back into my old habits. This book is not like any other sleep book you’ve read. Highly recommend!
April 21, 2022
I never write reviews but I just had to about this book. For one reason or another around six months ago I started having real trouble getting to sleep. The more I worried about it, the less I would get, and so it become this massive problem and issue. It consumed me. All I did was worry or think about sleep. I tried SO many different things, over the counter medication, prescribed pills, CBD oil, pillow sprays, weighted blankets, aromatherapy - nothing really worked. Until I found this book. It's certainly not a quick fix. It takes real, disciplined application of all the commitments Sasha lays out in it. And through this book I also found that meditation worked wonders for me. As well as realising that the problem I had was completely self inflicted. Sasha's words didn't fix me. They made me, with a lot of other recommended anxiety reducing measures, realise there was never actually anything wrong with me! Now, I'm back to normal, pretty much the way I was before it all began. I know for a FACT that if I hadn't read this book or found Sasha and her amazing words and advice, that I would not be in the place I am today. Now, I no longer care about sleep. I just don't worry about it. And guess what, now I do sleep, very easily! If you have tried everything else, you might as well give her book a go. If it worked for me, I'm sure it'll work for you too. x
October 8, 2021
You can get the exact same advice from Dr. Google for free, but with less creepy, indoctrinating language:
"For once your intelligence is not going to be an asset. Close down that intelligent, questioning mind and trust like an ignorant, innocent child. Remember: ignorant, innocent children sleep effortlessly without questioning how or why. Just trust, be honest with yourself, follow the advice and let the programme work its magic. You are about to be shown the only way to turn your problem around.”
WHAT THE ACTUAL F**K
Oh, also, once you've stopped questioning everything, give Sasha $149 to join her online program. No, really.
In addition to numerous free online sources, there are books written by actual sleep researchers out there. Stay away from this weirdness.
"For once your intelligence is not going to be an asset. Close down that intelligent, questioning mind and trust like an ignorant, innocent child. Remember: ignorant, innocent children sleep effortlessly without questioning how or why. Just trust, be honest with yourself, follow the advice and let the programme work its magic. You are about to be shown the only way to turn your problem around.”
WHAT THE ACTUAL F**K
Oh, also, once you've stopped questioning everything, give Sasha $149 to join her online program. No, really.
In addition to numerous free online sources, there are books written by actual sleep researchers out there. Stay away from this weirdness.
October 1, 2016
The main idea in this method is to change your sleep hygiene and your negative thoughts regarding sleeping. Sounds simple, but I agree that this is the best approach. It consists of rules such as spending less time in bed, never taking sleeping pills, and not watching the clock. I agree with the author’s remarks about how doctors’ advice on sleep is useless or even harmful; the concept of iatrogenics pops up again. I read a chapter before going to bed, despite not having a sleeping problem. The author talks about how you must follow the method exactly, but I don’t think that’s necessary.
April 2, 2019
This book was fantastic. It was so helpful to me in getting my mind/thoughts adjusted so that I was no longer counting the hours or obsessing over my poor sleep. I liked what she had to say and liked not depending on some method outside of myself (like a sleeping pill). It was a fast read and immensely helpful to my sleep, at last. I also have found it surprisingly helpful in dealing with some of my anxiety issues. Not a cure, but a definite help in realizing I had more control than I realized. I also contacted the author with a question and she wrote back to me!
February 21, 2020
Cured my “insomnia” for good. Imo this woman deserves the Nobel Prize for finally cracking the code on sleep disorders. Yes, it’s repetitive but that’s precisely the point. The concepts have to be hammered in. Beating insomnia is all about turning your assumptions about sleep upside down, so the ideas bear repeating.
Sasha Stephens defines what it means to truly be a healer. She endured her own pain—15 years of battling insomnia—and shared her painstakingly gained insights with others who suffer in the same way.
Probably one of the most important books I have ever read.
Sasha Stephens defines what it means to truly be a healer. She endured her own pain—15 years of battling insomnia—and shared her painstakingly gained insights with others who suffer in the same way.
Probably one of the most important books I have ever read.
September 23, 2022
The blame for insomnia is put solely on negative thinking of the insomniac, not a single word about physiological reasons (I have an autoimmune disease which is messing with my sleep) or even mental health problems (depression can wreck havoc on your sleep cycle). Would work better as a blog post, no reason to bloat it to a book full of repetition.
If it helps you to sleep, great! It did nothing for me. But, as the book repeatedly tells me, that is solely my fault, cause my thinking is too negative.
If it helps you to sleep, great! It did nothing for me. But, as the book repeatedly tells me, that is solely my fault, cause my thinking is too negative.
September 1, 2016
This book is a bunch of crap. You can read the EXACT same thing on the University of Maryland website in a more concise manner and without all of her narcissistic and preachy ramblings. If you have suffered from insomnia for any amount of time, it doesn't help and won't tell you anything you didn't already know. Don't waste your time and money on this one.
March 25, 2013
To be honest, I'm not an insomniac, but I got this book because I thought it might be useful for my mum. It seems to have some useful tips, but does also seem to put the blame for sleeping badly directly on the insomniac.
January 9, 2021
Well, I think insomnia is indeed a very private thing. Yes, the author provides 12 promises/guidelines in the book after using up more than half of the book talking about issues, her personal experience. But the promises seem so think or plain, and even a little dull.
August 15, 2025
The book is short and concise, and I didn't find the writing too bad. The recommendations that it gives aren't unique but I liked the way it lists the good practices: very easy to process and to remember. Definitely a good read for those having trouble sleeping.
July 9, 2019
Cured my insomnia for good after years of suffering
September 23, 2022
TL;DR The secret is sleep hygiene lists and simply believing you can sleep. If all that fails she recommends just pretending you don’t have insomnia, it doesn’t impact your life at all, and never under any circumstances talk to anyone about your sleep problems.
If your sleep problems are not caused by obsessing about your difficulty falling asleep, give this a pass. Honestly, even if they are, you can get better advice from any number of free websites put out by reputable medical sources.
***
First of all, this poorly written and poorly organized book is one long advert for her overpriced sleep coaching business. The book makes a lot of wild claims that fly in the face of medical and scientific knowledge about sleep. Claims like no medical condition can ever impact sleep, it’s all in your head, or recommendations to sleep in a hot room. According to her, you should stop thinking critically (I’m not joking, she really says this more than once,) eschew any and all advice on sleep from reputable sources, don’t try even simple things like a sleep mask or ear plugs, abandon any attempts to ascertain whether there is a treatable medical cause for your insomnia, never talk about or acknowledge the fact that you have trouble sleeping, and only follow her questionable and hardly effortless method exactly. Nothing else will work for you, according to Sasha Stephens, except her sleep hygiene lists and toxic positivity. Just change all of your personal habits, ignore the damage insomnia is doing to your mind and body, and BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!
This is the most badly written and anti-science book on any topic that I have managed to read in its entirety. It may have a piece of advice that will help someone with neurotic insomnia, but it’s not something you can’t get for free somewhere else for free. You can get this advice for free without being verbally bashed and condescended to by a self-absorbed, self-proclaimed sleep guru.
The writer tells a LONG (vast majority of the book) sob story about her insomnia that was caused by partying too much in college and having nothing to do during the day. She dug herself in more deeply by first abusing drugs to sleep and eventually became neurotic when the very same sleep hygiene and toxic positivity rubbish that comprises her “Effortless Method” didn’t work for her.
The next largest chunk of this book was lists of things that didn’t work for her and why you shouldn’t try them either.
There’s a chapter about how she assumes you are arrogant and causing your own problems. If her recommendations don’t work for you, it’s because you have a bad attitude or didn’t read her book correctly, or you’re just doing it wrong.
Then finally, at the very end, she summarizes everything she wrote about already, plus a sleep hygiene list and advice to just lay down and close your eyes and really believe you can sleep.
If your sleep problems are not caused by obsessing about your difficulty falling asleep, give this a pass. Honestly, even if they are, you can get better advice from any number of free websites put out by reputable medical sources.
***
First of all, this poorly written and poorly organized book is one long advert for her overpriced sleep coaching business. The book makes a lot of wild claims that fly in the face of medical and scientific knowledge about sleep. Claims like no medical condition can ever impact sleep, it’s all in your head, or recommendations to sleep in a hot room. According to her, you should stop thinking critically (I’m not joking, she really says this more than once,) eschew any and all advice on sleep from reputable sources, don’t try even simple things like a sleep mask or ear plugs, abandon any attempts to ascertain whether there is a treatable medical cause for your insomnia, never talk about or acknowledge the fact that you have trouble sleeping, and only follow her questionable and hardly effortless method exactly. Nothing else will work for you, according to Sasha Stephens, except her sleep hygiene lists and toxic positivity. Just change all of your personal habits, ignore the damage insomnia is doing to your mind and body, and BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!
This is the most badly written and anti-science book on any topic that I have managed to read in its entirety. It may have a piece of advice that will help someone with neurotic insomnia, but it’s not something you can’t get for free somewhere else for free. You can get this advice for free without being verbally bashed and condescended to by a self-absorbed, self-proclaimed sleep guru.
The writer tells a LONG (vast majority of the book) sob story about her insomnia that was caused by partying too much in college and having nothing to do during the day. She dug herself in more deeply by first abusing drugs to sleep and eventually became neurotic when the very same sleep hygiene and toxic positivity rubbish that comprises her “Effortless Method” didn’t work for her.
The next largest chunk of this book was lists of things that didn’t work for her and why you shouldn’t try them either.
There’s a chapter about how she assumes you are arrogant and causing your own problems. If her recommendations don’t work for you, it’s because you have a bad attitude or didn’t read her book correctly, or you’re just doing it wrong.
Then finally, at the very end, she summarizes everything she wrote about already, plus a sleep hygiene list and advice to just lay down and close your eyes and really believe you can sleep.
September 8, 2022
Some takeaways from the book:
1. Spend less time in bed. If you're not sleeping, leave (and go clean or do something not fun--that's my own advice). Do you feel sleepy? What does sleepy feel like in your body?
2. Go to bed at the same time, wake up at the same time.
3. If you don't get a good night's sleep, keep going. You'll survive.
4. "We tend to focus on what we do not want" and "what we focus on tends to get bigger." (pg. 69)
Don't focus on the bad night of sleep. Focus on how comfy the bed is or how you got some really good sleep two nights ago.
5. Anything unfamiliar is likely to disturb your sleep for a while. So don't try something for a week and say it doesn't work. Give it multiple weeks to become familiar to you.
"You may be one of those people for whom these things don't work straight away. You probably have an active questioning mind which isn't going to trust something new and judge it to be safe and effective simply on the word of a complete stranger . . ." (page 102).
"Chronic long term insomnia is caused largely by the fear [or belief] of not sleeping." (page 161)
"There is no such thing as a 'broken sleep mechanism' or a 'faulty sleep response.'" No one is physically or psychologically UNABLE to sleep. We are all born with the same natural sleep response." (page 63).
"Remember: ignorant, innocent children sleep *effortlessly* without questioning how or why." (page 64)
Ways to shut down thinking:
-Focus on the Inhale/Exhale
-Do a Body Scan
Sedona method?
There are five ways to approach the process of releasing, and they all lead to the same result: liberating your natural ability to let go of any unwanted emotion on the spot, and allowing some of the suppressed energy in your subconscious to dissipate.
The first way is by choosing to let go of the unwanted feeling.
The second way is to welcome the feeling, to allow the emotion just to be.
The third way is to dive into the very core of the emotion.
The fourth way is by dissolving the opposing polarities we all carry.
The fifth way is by seeing through the feeling to the effortless Awareness that is right behind it.
1. Spend less time in bed. If you're not sleeping, leave (and go clean or do something not fun--that's my own advice). Do you feel sleepy? What does sleepy feel like in your body?
2. Go to bed at the same time, wake up at the same time.
3. If you don't get a good night's sleep, keep going. You'll survive.
4. "We tend to focus on what we do not want" and "what we focus on tends to get bigger." (pg. 69)
Don't focus on the bad night of sleep. Focus on how comfy the bed is or how you got some really good sleep two nights ago.
5. Anything unfamiliar is likely to disturb your sleep for a while. So don't try something for a week and say it doesn't work. Give it multiple weeks to become familiar to you.
"You may be one of those people for whom these things don't work straight away. You probably have an active questioning mind which isn't going to trust something new and judge it to be safe and effective simply on the word of a complete stranger . . ." (page 102).
"Chronic long term insomnia is caused largely by the fear [or belief] of not sleeping." (page 161)
"There is no such thing as a 'broken sleep mechanism' or a 'faulty sleep response.'" No one is physically or psychologically UNABLE to sleep. We are all born with the same natural sleep response." (page 63).
"Remember: ignorant, innocent children sleep *effortlessly* without questioning how or why." (page 64)
Ways to shut down thinking:
-Focus on the Inhale/Exhale
-Do a Body Scan
Sedona method?
There are five ways to approach the process of releasing, and they all lead to the same result: liberating your natural ability to let go of any unwanted emotion on the spot, and allowing some of the suppressed energy in your subconscious to dissipate.
The first way is by choosing to let go of the unwanted feeling.
The second way is to welcome the feeling, to allow the emotion just to be.
The third way is to dive into the very core of the emotion.
The fourth way is by dissolving the opposing polarities we all carry.
The fifth way is by seeing through the feeling to the effortless Awareness that is right behind it.
June 17, 2021
I'll be completely honest. I barely read any of this book. So why five stars?
Because the advice in here is just that good.
Like other reviewers have complained about, the author has a very lengthy preamble before the actual sleep hints in around Chapter 10, and this early stuff can mostly be ignored. However, the actual advice quite literally changed my life.
At the time I decided to buy this book, I'd been suffering from pretty crippling insomnia for several years. I not only had a LOT of trouble going to sleep, but I had so much trouble staying asleep or just getting any quality rest at all. I was absolutely miserable and burned out and god, all I wanted was the ability to just sleep for a straight eight hours, more than anything else in the world.
Most of the advice in the book isn't particularly new, but there were several things that helped greatly. One, in particular, was that when you wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep, you should get out of bed and sit somewhere else and do something quiet, like read a book, until you feel tired enough to go back to sleep. She also focused a lot on having healthy self-talk and trying to eliminate any internal dialogue of "oh my god I'm so tired I just need to sleeep" during the day because all that negativity does is stress you out when it's time to actually sleep.
It might sound absurd, but following those two pieces of advice in particular along with the rest of the Sleep Method caused me to start having significantly better sleep in barely a week. And now, about a year after I first read it, I have almost zero trouble falling asleep and I'll only wake up and find myself unable to fall back asleep maybe once a month, if that. My sleeping isn't perfect, but it's worlds better than what it was.
So, there's a lot of this book that didn't really need to be there, but the actual advice is seriously worth the price tag. Can't recommend enough.
Because the advice in here is just that good.
Like other reviewers have complained about, the author has a very lengthy preamble before the actual sleep hints in around Chapter 10, and this early stuff can mostly be ignored. However, the actual advice quite literally changed my life.
At the time I decided to buy this book, I'd been suffering from pretty crippling insomnia for several years. I not only had a LOT of trouble going to sleep, but I had so much trouble staying asleep or just getting any quality rest at all. I was absolutely miserable and burned out and god, all I wanted was the ability to just sleep for a straight eight hours, more than anything else in the world.
Most of the advice in the book isn't particularly new, but there were several things that helped greatly. One, in particular, was that when you wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep, you should get out of bed and sit somewhere else and do something quiet, like read a book, until you feel tired enough to go back to sleep. She also focused a lot on having healthy self-talk and trying to eliminate any internal dialogue of "oh my god I'm so tired I just need to sleeep" during the day because all that negativity does is stress you out when it's time to actually sleep.
It might sound absurd, but following those two pieces of advice in particular along with the rest of the Sleep Method caused me to start having significantly better sleep in barely a week. And now, about a year after I first read it, I have almost zero trouble falling asleep and I'll only wake up and find myself unable to fall back asleep maybe once a month, if that. My sleeping isn't perfect, but it's worlds better than what it was.
So, there's a lot of this book that didn't really need to be there, but the actual advice is seriously worth the price tag. Can't recommend enough.
August 11, 2025
First of all, I found this book to have a very negative outlook basically saying that everything you have done prior to opening this book was wrong and that this book is the answer to everything.
Secondly, there is good advice in this book which makes it definitely worth buying, however the author thinks extremely highly of themselves and demands that you read every sentence in detail, now given that the author states that most insomniacs are intelligent this seems counterintuitive, especially as the author likes to hear themselves speaking.
Thirdly, the author says stop doing research and reading books to cure your insomnia, well how does the author think we came across their book, and I am reading a book to help my sleeping issues. Personally I’m going to research and do what I can to try and help, for instance I was reading, ‘Sleep: Change the way you sleep with this 90 minute read’ now that book has some good information that isn’t mentioned in this book.
So, in conclusion this book is good, however it is not the complete package!
Secondly, there is good advice in this book which makes it definitely worth buying, however the author thinks extremely highly of themselves and demands that you read every sentence in detail, now given that the author states that most insomniacs are intelligent this seems counterintuitive, especially as the author likes to hear themselves speaking.
Thirdly, the author says stop doing research and reading books to cure your insomnia, well how does the author think we came across their book, and I am reading a book to help my sleeping issues. Personally I’m going to research and do what I can to try and help, for instance I was reading, ‘Sleep: Change the way you sleep with this 90 minute read’ now that book has some good information that isn’t mentioned in this book.
So, in conclusion this book is good, however it is not the complete package!
August 3, 2020
I will upgrade my review rating - if the advice works - rightfully, the book sets expectations this could take a year so I will be patient. Discovered this from a NYT article about the long journey to improve sleep that I've often shared with people (and refrence myself when I'm in a rut) and decided to read this book as source material the journalist references. The book seems like a light weight bridge between good sleep hygiene advice (common) and an intro to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for poor sleep. CBT has a bunch of studies that show it works, but I haven't found a program I could access easily to try CBT for my own sleep. I do believe the advice in the book, and identify as a poor sleeper, that by truly reframing myself as a good sleeper may work. Overall - good advice, quick read but could use a tight editor to pull this together more structurally and clean up the writing.
March 14, 2021
A lot of what's already been tried, so not *new*
Of all of the chapters and suggested techniques, there were only a few that were new to me. The entire first suggested section is useless to a person who goes to sleep, but wakes up wide awake and wired after only 10 or 20 minutes of sleep. At that point your body has been tricked into thinking it needs to move...this is only touched on briefly in the next "special" section, where there were a few new techniques. Has it been effortless? Not particularly. Has it worked? Not yet. Have I already ensured the basic sleep habits? Yes, they're pretty much the standard requirements when sleep issues arise, better to already have established sleep hygiene or sleep boundaries. Will give more time to see how a few of these *new* ideas go, so far hasn't really made much impact, but it's a battle of years versus only weeks of change...
Of all of the chapters and suggested techniques, there were only a few that were new to me. The entire first suggested section is useless to a person who goes to sleep, but wakes up wide awake and wired after only 10 or 20 minutes of sleep. At that point your body has been tricked into thinking it needs to move...this is only touched on briefly in the next "special" section, where there were a few new techniques. Has it been effortless? Not particularly. Has it worked? Not yet. Have I already ensured the basic sleep habits? Yes, they're pretty much the standard requirements when sleep issues arise, better to already have established sleep hygiene or sleep boundaries. Will give more time to see how a few of these *new* ideas go, so far hasn't really made much impact, but it's a battle of years versus only weeks of change...
November 16, 2022
Author says, "this isn't sleep restriction". Half way thru the book she outlines the program. Get up at the same time every day. If you get up in the middle of the night don't stay in bed. Go to be later. That sounds like sleep restriction. There were some other somewhat helpful suggestions. Although I did only skim the first part of the book I was hopeful because she kept saying how it wasn't going to be sleep restriction but I don't see any other way to look at it. If anyone else who has read it has another take on it I'd love to hear it.
April 20, 2025
I've been doing everything the author recommends for a couple of weeks, which hasn't been a big change, because I was already doing 90% of what she recommends, anyway. It's mostly about good sleep hygiene.
The last 10% might be making a difference. Time will tell. However, the real change for me was the realization that there are many approaches that go beyond relaxation techniques, sleep hygiene, and drugs. These are things that I'll explore beyond the reading this book, and for the first time in my life, I'm starting to feel some hope that my sleep might someday be within my control.
The last 10% might be making a difference. Time will tell. However, the real change for me was the realization that there are many approaches that go beyond relaxation techniques, sleep hygiene, and drugs. These are things that I'll explore beyond the reading this book, and for the first time in my life, I'm starting to feel some hope that my sleep might someday be within my control.
January 24, 2018
Concise and complete
I like the author's approach of precisely diagnosing the underlying thoughts and beliefs which cause isnomnia and the actionable plan of changing these thoughts and beliefa. Also includes a very straightforward account of all the principles and quirks which are proven to contribute to restful sleep. A simple read which includes all the information required to heal this horribly unpleasant condition.
I like the author's approach of precisely diagnosing the underlying thoughts and beliefs which cause isnomnia and the actionable plan of changing these thoughts and beliefa. Also includes a very straightforward account of all the principles and quirks which are proven to contribute to restful sleep. A simple read which includes all the information required to heal this horribly unpleasant condition.
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