[Netbrainer]

Hello,

I’m a 60 year old professional and have had insomnia since my little surprise package was born 14 years ago. He woke every 2 hours and when that was over, I was still waking up every 2 hours whether I needed to or not. (Now he comes upstairs to bed at 2:00 am and THAT wakes me up!)

So my sleep pattern has changed a bit over the years. Now I only wake 1-2 times per night and cannot get back to sleep for 1-2 hours or sometimes not at all.

I’ve developed that bad habit of surfing YouTube to give me something to do while I lie awake, hoping I’ll get sleepy again. So now I think my brain has programmed this in as my new sleep routine, waking me up at weird hours as though it’s time for my nocturnal surfing session.

If I try to avoid the phone, my mind races and goes through every distressing thought it can find. That’s worse than the phone, because I go into fight or flight and all of those stress hormones make me more alert than ever!

[Martin Reed]

I have worked with so many people who can trace the initial trigger of their insomnia to parenthood! The fact of the matter is, there are probably as many initial triggers of insomnia as there are people in the world — but long-term sleep disruption is only sustained by a change in the way we think about sleep and by a change in our sleep-related behaviors.

These thoughts and behaviors perpetuate sleep disruption because they can reduce sleep drive, disrupt the body clock, and increase arousal.

So, with all this in mind, anything we can to do build sleep drive, strengthen the body clock, and lower arousal is likely going to be helpful!

Based on your experience of waking and then finding it hard to fall asleep, I’d suggest exploring whether the amount of time you usually allot for sleep is appropriate (is it close to your average nightly sleep duration, or are you often allotting a lot more time for sleep than you usually spend asleep?). Having a sleep schedule that is similar to the amount of time you usually spend asleep can help build sleep drive and reduce nighttime wakefulness.

To help with the nighttime arousal, you might find it helpful to just get out of bed whenever being in bed doesn’t feel good and doing anything you find relaxing and enjoyable instead. If conditions start to feel right for sleep again, you might then return to bed — and repeat the process as necessary. Not only does this give you a more appealing alternative to remaining in bed when being in bed doesn’t feel good, it also prevents you from reinforcing a negative association between the bed and unpleasant wakefulness.

I hope this helps!

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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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