Question: What can I do if I’m having trouble sleeping during lung cancer treatment? 

Answer: Difficulty sleeping is a common side effect of lung cancer and its treatment. You may have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or still feel tired after sleeping. This can have many causes, including the physical side effects of treatment, changes in your routine, and/or stress and anxiety.  

The following are some strategies to help improve your sleep: 

Maintain a regular sleep schedule 

Try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day. Create this routine by matching the amount of time in bed with the amount of time you sleep. It is not helpful to increase your time spent in bed (going to bed earlier or staying in bed later) if you are not sleeping during that time.  

Only lie down when you feel sleepy and reserve your bed for sleep and sex. You should leave your bedroom if you wake up in the middle of the night and cannot fall back to sleep after 15-20 minutes. If you are awake in the middle of the night, you should engage in activities such as reading or journaling that don’t stimulate or arouse you. Be careful not to start work or housework – sleeplessness should not be a time to catch up on chores!  

Improve your sleep environment and behaviors 

Make sure that your bedroom feels safe and comfortable. Restrict light with blinds, curtains, or a sleep mask, and limit noise by using earplugs. Playing soft sleep sounds, like white noise, a fan, or rain, can also be helpful. Turn away or dim any clocks so that you cannot see the time in the middle of the night. In addition, remember that what we do during the day impacts our night. Try to limit: 

  • Caffeine intake
  • Alcohol intake
  • Time on screens
  • Exercise within 4 hours before bedtime

Change how you think about sleep 

Sleep anxiety often worsens sleep problems. Start by exploring how you think and what you believe about your sleep. Negative thoughts such as “I’ll never get to sleep,” “Tomorrow is going to be miserable if I don’t fall asleep now,” or “I need to get 8 hours of sleep tonight to feel rested” could add to your sleeplessness. 

If you are thinking negatively, it can be helpful to challenge your attitude about sleep. More helpful thoughts might sound like, “I’m probably getting more sleep than I think,” “Drowsiness will come soon,” and “Since I have survived sleepless nights before, I can do it again.” “Thought reframing” is a tool that you can use along with other relaxation techniques like breathing exercises. Challenging how you currently think can be difficult to do alone at first. For more help, look for a therapist trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). 

Difficulty sleeping is a common side effect of lung cancer and its treatment. It is important to talk to your healthcare team if your sleep concerns you. Your healthcare team discusses the strategies above and other ways to help improve sleeping habits.  

Please note that the information included in any published answer is for educational pursuit only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult their healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. Nothing from GO2 for Lung Cancer should be construed as an attempt to offer or render a medical opinion.