[Jillrosen]

I am just finding this site after recent bad bout of insomnia. My insomnia stems from unrelenting night time anxiety, turning into full blown panic attacks that keep me awake often the whole night. Will these sleep strategies work even with this high level of hyperarousal?

[Luke45]

Hi Jill,
I share in the kind of high level of nightime arousal you experience, when I experience insomnia. That is always the cause of it. I have only ever had a few bouts of insomnia in my life, and they have generally lasted from about 1 month to six weeks.

Yes, the advice on this page works. The most valuable advice has to do with not going to bed before you are ready for sleep. The signal for that would be something like nodding off in front of the TV, or while reading a book.

When we have insomnia, our first and incorrect instinct is to try and actively defeat it. So we may think, “I must go bed at 8pm or 9pm, so I have plenty of time to get a full night’s sleep.”

Discard that idea. It will only lead to more arousal. Stay up as long as need be. Better to get even just four hours of sleep, than to be awake all night.

It seems counterintuitive, but it is the best method. As well, keep the same getting out if bed up time and maintaining your schedule are also very important.

You will adjust. Your brain will adapt and it will find its way back to a normal pattern of sleep, or it’ll establish a new one. Change is inevitable, but you are stronger and more adaptable than you may realize.

As a last piece, I’m going to append a quote from a doctor with the AMA on insomnia that echoes the above. This has helped me to calm down.

“Acute insomnia, whether you are given a medication for it—that is, a sedative to help you sleep—or not, does go away in weeks to months, usually less than three months,” said Dr. Rosen, even if you do nothing.”

That’s why it is important to not “stress about it and keep your routines like you always have, and the insomnia is likely to resolve,” she said. “Certainly, some people find this distressing. If it’s a reactive insomnia—for example, if someone died or there’s a major life stressor—some people find it a lot better to cope during the day if they have gotten some sleep at night, but either way, the brain corrects itself.”

I hope this helps, and I if it means anything, you are not alone. Many people share in this issue, which is part of the human condition.

With sincere love,
Luke

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forum!

Anxiety and panic attacks can be really difficult — no doubt about it. Since most of us don’t like experiencing anxiety or panic attacks, we often do all we can to fight or avoid those things.

Unfortunately, we cannot control what goes on inside our minds and so all our attempts to fight or avoid difficult thoughts and feelings can end up making them even more difficult.

To answer your question, the presence of this difficult stuff doesn’t mean that what is shared on this website won’t “work” — no matter how intense it might be.

Responding to all this difficult stuff in a different (and perhaps more workable) way will likely be very helpful if you feel that the way you are currently responding isn’t getting you any closer to where you want to be.

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.

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