[Phil]

I have anxiety constantly and I’m always overthinking and when l finally get to sleep when l wake up couple hours later I can’t get back to sleep.
It just gets worse.

[Scott]

Hey Phil!

Sorry to hear of your struggles! If you find yourself experiencing anxiety about unpleasant nighttime wakefulness, could you consider ways to make those wakeful moments more enjoyable? What thoughts occupy your mind during these anxious times? How do you manage the relationship with those unhelpful thoughts?

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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.

[Phil]

Scott
I do the breathing exercises and keep repeating in my mind “don’t think” and try to stop all thoughts.
My waking up at around 2 am and feeling anxiety is because my cortisol levels are high is the only thing I can think of.
I got out of bed last night at 3:20 am went to kitchen and ate a bowl of cereal with almond milk hoping the carbs would help with gut feeling anxiety but it didn’t help as l sat on the couch in the dark doing breathing exercises until daylight.
I can’t break the cycle of this every night.

[Scott]

It would be ideal if we could cease experiencing unhelpful thoughts since they often bring discomfort, yet our minds tend to wander freely, dwelling on whatever they choose, whenever they choose. It’s our reaction and internal struggle with our thoughts that’s the problem, rather than the thought itself. Once we recognize that we don’t need to entertain every unhelpful thought that arises, our perspective about our thoughts shifts. When confronted with another sleep-related thought, one approach is to acknowledge it by saying, “I’m having another thought that I won’t sleep tonight.” This practice helps create a buffer between you and the thought, highlighting that thoughts are simply words passing by that don’t need engagement.

What matters most is your reaction to those thoughts. Do you confront them head-on, attempting to combat or evade them or simply let them pass? Similar to any new exercise, the more you consistently practice this technique with patience, the greater the benefit it will have for you.

—

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.

[Phil]

Scott
How do I react to those thoughts and get rid of them or stop them?

[Scott]

Unfortunately, we’re unable to stop our thoughts but we can choose to believe them or not. Thoughts are simply words passing through. They don’t cause you any harm unless you react to them in an unhelpful manner. As mentioned earlier, one approach is to acknowledge it by saying, “I’m having another thought that I won’t sleep tonight.” Practicing this technique consistently helps diffuse the thought. If you had a thought that you were a pink elephant, does that generate anxiety or do you simply let that thought pass, regardless how many times you have that thought? Sleep-related thoughts, and any unhelpful thought for that matter, is the same as the pink elephant thought – fleeting words passing through the mind.

—

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.

[Phil]

My anxiety from lack of sleep has me to the point of asking doctor for sleep meds. I’m not getting enough sleep at 4 to 4.5 hours and waking up with anxiety as nothing has changed.
I just need some sleep for a while as l am desperate.

[Martin Reed]

What you are going through sounds really difficult, Phil — and your struggle is not unique or unusual. Here’s the thing about anxiety — sleep doesn’t care about the presence of anxiety! We can sleep when we feel anxious and we can sleep when we feel stressed and we can sleep regardless of any thought or feeling.

What tends to make sleep a lot more difficult is our struggle with our thoughts and feelings. When we try to fight or avoid certain thoughts and feelings we engage in a battle with our minds — and we’ll always lose that battle.

As Scott suggested, a more workable way of responding to difficult thoughts and feelings might be to acknowledge them and allow them to be present — being more of an observer of them rather than an opponent of them might help you move away from endlessly struggling with them.

This approach isn’t easy and it requires ongoing practice, but if your current approach doesn’t seem to be working for you, perhaps a new approach might be worth exploring?

I hope there’s something useful here and I wish you all the best.

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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.

[Author]

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