Why "I'll be Happy When I Sleep Again" is a Trap

About this episode

The episode discusses the misconception that fixing sleep will lead to lasting happiness and explores the concept of hedonic adaptation.

You’ve probably had some version of this thought: “Once I fix my sleep, everything will be better. I’ll feel like myself again. I’ll finally be happy.” It makes sense. Sleep feels like the one thing standing between you and the life you want. But this belief, as natural as it is, contains a trap. And understanding the trap is one of the most freeing things you can do while working through insomnia. The hedonic treadmill Psychology has a well-researched concept called hedonic adaptation. Here’s how it works. You have a baseline level of happiness. You believe that reaching some future goal will permanently raise that baseline. But when you actually achieve the goal, you experience a temporary spike in happiness, and then you return to roughly where you started. The new thing becomes normal. You adapt. And then you look for the next thing. A famous 1978 study found that lottery winners weren’t happier than a control group just a few months after winning. People who became paralyzed from accidents weren’t substantially less happy than non-disabled people once they adjusted to the change. Good or bad, we adapt. Think about your own life. There was probably a time when you thought…

People in this episode

Host: Ivo H.K.

Topics covered

• insomnia
• hedonic adaptation
• happiness
• mental health
• self-improvement

Keywords

• insomnia
• happiness
• hedonic treadmill
• mental health
• self-improvement
• goals
• adaptation

More episodes of Former Insomniac by End Insomnia

• What to Actually Do in the Hour Before Bed · June 13, 2026 · 5 min
• The One Habit That Sets Your Body's Sleep Clock · June 6, 2026 · 5 min
• Why Spending More Time in Bed Often Makes Insomnia Worse · May 30, 2026 · 5 min
• You Don't Need 8 Hours of Sleep (And Insomnia Won't Kill You) · May 23, 2026 · 5 min
• The Hardest Part of Recovering from Insomnia Isn't What You Think · May 16, 2026 · 5 min
• The 6-Second Practice That Calms Your Nervous System · May 9, 2026 · 6 min