[Bryce]

Hello,

I started graduate school for Physician Assistant studies this past August (2022). Before this, I slept great (and never worried about falling asleep or having anxiety related to sleep). I acquired a military scholarship with the Navy, and am eager to serve once my schooling is over. With that being said, I feel as if the pressure of being in school and being in the service has put a new cloud of anxiety over me that has caused me sleep disturbances. I have tried many relaxing techniques before bed and read through Martin’s 14 day free email subscription with little success. Once I get into bed, my heart starts racing and my mind starts running. It takes me 3-4 hours generally to fall asleep; with some nights of no sleep at all :/ I was hoping anyone who has similar problems with anxiety-induced sleep disturbances could offer any tips/tricks that have helped them. I have tried OTC medications like Melatonin and herbal supplements, but with no success. Guided meditation and relaxing music also have been tried with no luck.

[Chee2308]

Hello Bryce and happy new year!

I’m sure we can all relate to your situation in many ways. You admitted you slept great when you never thought or cared much about it. And this is the key which really rests on only one word: indifference. If you could forget or at least ignore your insomnia, then it cannot exist. That is the weirdest thing. Basically, you have defined your insomnia into existence inside your mind. You defined insomnia as sleeping anything less than 3, 4 or whatever hours. But insomnia isn’t just numbers or even sleep itself. A more accurate definition of insomnia is the FEAR OF WAKEFULNESS. This makes it more of a phobia than a physical ailment.

The fact is nothing about your body or its sleep ability has changed. It’s your thoughts toward sleep that has. Then what you are really afraid of is just your own set of thoughts.

Instances of short term insomnia are extremely common and it happens in everyone. They’re just conveniently forgotten now when you become too caught up with the perceived effects of insufficient sleep.

The fix is usually quite simple. Do exactly what you did before. Go to bed at X o’clock and out at Y. Get on with your day as usual and don’t dwell on what happened between X and Y until it’s X again. Rinse and repeat. Resist the urge to change anything or do anything to sleep. Because it is those little things you do, which keeps the fear going and your mind will keep thinking there’s this monster called insomnia you need to manage and keep under control every night. This also means avoid trying to relax away stress or anxiety in the hopes you sleep better. It WILL NOT work, the result is usually random because there’s really no connection at all. Your body will recover naturally if you let it. Be okay with wakefulness at any time and any night. In due course, you will become indifferent like all recovered insomniacs ultimately do. Good luck to you.

[Martin Reed]

Do you feel as though any part of your struggle might stem from all your understandable attempts to fight or avoid certain thoughts and feelings, Bryce?

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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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