See my latest blog: Sleep Better by Doing Less
By Angela U. Seymour, LPC
If you have ever spent a night tossing and turning, you know that the harder you try to fall asleep, the more wide awake you feel. Chronic insomnia is often maintained by a "vicious cycle": poor sleep initiates worry about not sleeping, which in turn elevates your brain's arousal levels and leads to further poor sleep.
While traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is effective for many, its strict rules can sometimes increase anxiety. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Insomnia (ACT-I) offers a different, gentler path. Instead of fighting for sleep, ACT-I teaches you how to "do nothing" and let sleep come to you naturally.
Sleep is a natural act governed by your internal body clock and sleep drive, the biological pressure for sleep that builds while you are awake. Most cases of insomnia are sparked by a precipitating event, such as a period of high stress, illness, or a major life change.
However, even after the initial trigger is gone, the problem often persists due to an elevated arousal state and the behaviors we adopt to "fix" it. We begin to worry about our lack of sleep, which triggers the brain's survival mechanism, keeping us alert and awake. To cope, we might start napping, going to bed too early, sleeping on the couch, sleeping in, or canceling plans. These perpetuating behaviors actually backfire; they lower our sleep drive and strengthen the negative association between our bed and our anxiety.
ACT-I is based on the idea that sleep is a natural process that cannot be controlled. Here is how its core principles help restore rest:
Acceptance and Willingness: Acceptance means being willing to experience the discomfort of being awake—including the racing heart or the frustration—without trying to change it. Paradoxically, this willingness leads to less struggle and lower arousal, which, in turn, encourages sleepiness.
Mindfulness: This is the ability to objectively and non-judgmentally notice your thoughts and physical sensations as they unfold. It helps you observe wakefulness without becoming "entangled" in it.
Defusion: We often "fuse" with our thoughts, treating them as facts (e.g., "If I don't sleep now, I'll ruin my meeting tomorrow"). Defusion teaches you to see thoughts as just "brain noise" or fragments of words, creating space for them to exist without needing to remove them before you can rest.
Valued Living: Insomnia often causes people to stop living—they might avoid social plans because they are "too tired". ACT encourages you to commit to actions that align with your values, regardless of how you slept, which reduces the power insomnia has over your life.
ACT-I is often more flexible than traditional approaches. While CBT-I uses strict rules known as Stimulus Control Therapy (SCT), ACT-I encourages a more "nocturnally intuitive" approach.
The next time you find yourself awake and your mind is "sprinting" to solve the problem of your sleeplessness, try this grounding exercise to return to the present moment:
Stop the Struggle: Respectfully decline your mind's invitation to problem-solve or push away worries. Perhaps even thank it for trying to help you.
Focus on Sensation: Bring your attention to the physical sensations of your body against the bed.
The "Duvet" Technique: Specifically, try to notice the duvet's touch on your toes or the texture of the sheets against your skin.
Observe Without Judgment: As you notice these sensations, observe them dispassionately. If a worry pops up, label it as a "thought," then gently return your focus to the feeling of the fabric on your skin.
Grounding exercises such as this reduce worry about sleep, which in turn helps you relax, and with relaxation, your sleep drive will take over. Following your breath or doing passive progressive muscle relaxation are also good grounding exercises to try.
The goal of ACT-I is not to "make" you sleep—since sleep is a natural act that can't be forced—but to create the ideal internal environment of low arousal where natural sleep can emerge effortlessly. By learning to be present with your discomfort rather than struggling against it, you preserve valuable energy and reclaim your quality of life.
If your insomnia is rooted in specific mental health conditions, an integrated approach involving medical and psychological care is often necessary for the best results.
If your goal is to come off your prescription sleep aid, do so gradually and only in consultation with your prescribing provider as you master the techniques of ACT-I.
It can take up to 8 weeks of consistent practice for ACT-I to become fully effective; please be patient with the process.
Refrain from checking the time while in bed, as this increases arousal. Trust that your alarm will wake you when it’s time to get up.
Take the pressure off "sleeping" and focus on resting. Lie with your eyes closed and allow yourself to rest—this reduces performance anxiety and helps conserve energy, even if you don't fall asleep.
Caffeine can stay in your system for 7 hours or more. Limiting your intake to before midday will help ensure your arousal level is low when it’s time for bed.
Resources:
For more detailed information on the principles of ACT-I, you can visit the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science.
For a book on ACT-I, The Sleep Book: How to Sleep Well Every Night, by Dr. Guy Meadows
For a video on some basic ACT-I principles, The Sleep Workshop with Sleep Guru Dr. Guy Meadows.
For my folder on the wellness app Insight Timer that includes insomnia handouts and guided sleep practices: https://insig.ht/KMKngyMaN3b
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About The Author: Angela U. Seymour, LPC, is a licensed professional counselor who is a Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist. She specializes in helping those with anxiety, depression, and trauma. She has extensive training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Other treatment approaches she is trained in include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Somatic Therapy, and Mindful Self-Compassion Therapy (MSC). She likes to use a combination of treatment techniques to help clients, as each client's needs are unique.
Disclaimer: This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute clinical advice or establish a therapist-client relationship. If you are struggling with intense distress or trauma, please seek professional support from a licensed mental health provider or contact the National Crisis Line 988 or https://988lifeline.org/.