One of the most common complaints I hear from women whose husbands are deployed is that they’re having trouble sleeping.  Many moms feel that late night is the only quiet time they get.  A lot of us just don’t want to go to bed alone.   When we do finally go to bed there are suddenly tons of random noises to scare us awake.   Some of us even resort to sleeping on the couch for months at a time.

Trouble sleeping is normal while adjusting to sleeping alone.  However, the initial stress of deployment can lead to what is called “learned insomnia.”  Basically, we develop the habit of insomnia.

We’ve probably all heard the experts’ recommendations on curing insomnia: avoid caffeine after 4pm, develop a relaxing bedtime routine, don’t overstimulate yourself with the tv or computer just before bed, and use your bedroom for sleeping only.

However, when dealing with learned insomnia, they add the following guidelines to help you break the habit:

• Don’t go to bed unless you feel sleepy- lying there awake and stressing about falling asleep will just keep you awake.
• Force yourself to get up at a predetermined time, no matter how little sleep you get.
• Don’t try to make up for your missed sleep with a nap unless napping is part of your regular daily routine.  Limit naps to 20 minutes to an hour.

At first, you will be forcing yourself to sleep less than usual.  You can gradually get in bed earlier and earlier, about 20 minutes at a time, until you’re getting a full night’s sleep again!

Christy is a Navy wife and homeschooling mom of three, and is currently surviving her husband’s third deployment in four years.  She blogs regularly at After a cup of coffee…or two.