[jlopatka]

Hello,
I never had sleep issues until about 3 or 4 months ago. I allowed major personal issues and financial issues to come to a head and had what you may consider a nervous breakdown after about two months of poor sleep. I am working on both the personal issues and financial issues, but the finances will remain an ongoing issue anywhere from 6 months to over one year. I was diagnosed with major depression and prescribed Zoloft, anxiety medication and sleeping pills. After one month I am only taking Zoloft. While it may have helped with depression (along with psychologist and therapy), the anxiety remains throughout the day. I occasionally take a Klonopin (clonazepam) which helps with reducing anxiety and even sleep if taken at night, but I don’t want to become dependent on or tolerant to a benzo, or worse, addicted. Some nights I fall asleep within 30 minutes, others I can stay awake for 3-4 hours. I’ve had one or two nights of zero sleep over the past two months, but I’ve also had two nights of regular sleep (7-8 hours). I average about 4 hours per night. I have been unable to take a nap for the past 3 or 4 months, meaning I will lay down with my eyes closed but I won’t fall asleep even if I allow 2 or 3 hours for the nap. I started speaking with a sleep psychologist who practices CBT – insomnia and she prescribed sleep restriction. My concern is that I’m only sleeping 4 hours on average and the minimum sleep allotment time is 5 to 5.5 hours. I don’t see what will allow me to sleep longer than 4 hours. Please help with any suggestions, recommendations, etc. Thank you!

[Martin Reed]

Remember that your initial sleep window is just that — an initial sleep window. It isn’t something you will be following indefinitely!

If you are currently averaging four hours of sleep each night and you are allotting five-and-a-half hours for sleep, you will be reducing the amount of time you spend awake, building sleep drive, and still giving yourself the opportunity for up to one-and-a-half hours of additional sleep.

As you start to fill your initial sleep window with sleep, you’ll be gradually extending the sleep window so you will always have the opportunity for a bit more sleep.

I hope this helps!

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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 Clarity 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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