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Hello All,
It has been about 6 months since I completed Martin’s course. The most helpful outcome is that no matter what is going on with my sleep, I don’t worry about it because I have the skills to address it in productive ways. Over these past 6 months my sleep has gradually improved as evidenced by the fact that my definitions of “good” and “not good” nights have evolved. Before Martin’s class a “good” night was 3-4 hours sleep; now that is my “not good” night and a “good” night now is 6.5-7 hours sleep.
My greatest challenge has always been dealing with over arousal or what I like to call “mind clutter”. As we all know, one can be sleepy (good sleep drive), you get into bed and your mind revs up and you end up wide awake. So I knew I needed extra help in the relaxation/mindfulness area. Someone on this forum recommended the app “Calm”. For those of us with “mind clutter”; this is a terrific resource. My early morning routine for the last 3 months has included guided meditations via “Calm”; which, among lots of other stuff, offers a course for meditation and a 10 minute “daily trip”. I was skeptical at first but between the meditation course and the daily trips I have clearly acquired some helpful skills in dealing with arousal.
So, as taught in Martin’s course, we cannot control sleep but we can acquire skills and behaviors that promote sleep. As with anything, skill acquisition takes time and practice; so be patient with yourself and align your expectations to what your body needs not what you may want. That is, even though I would love to sleep 9 hours like I did when I was younger, my body no longer needs that; in fact if I do sleep more than my body needs, my body clock goes whacky and I end up with a string of “not good” nights until I get it back in sync by using my reliable CBT skillset. Sleep to live; not live to sleep!Thanks for the update and for sharing that you’ve found practicing meditation has helped with the “mind clutter”. It’s encouraging to know that you are practicing that in the mornings and during the day because these kinds of things can easily become stealthy sleep efforts — and, as you know since sleep cannot be controlled sleep efforts are rarely helpful!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
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