[Layman23]

Hello, has anyone suffered a similar problem to me? I am suffering from chronic insomnia and it is killing me! I can’t seem to sleep at all unless I take sleeping pills and even then if I stick to the correct dose I might be lucky to get 3 hours at best. For the last few months I have been experiencing high anxiety and stress due to a few health scares and a relationship breakup. I was prescribed Zopiclone which I have been taking for about 6 weeks (7.5) every night. I really need to get off them as they are causing horrible side effects. I am struggling typing this due to my hands shaking, I have muscle spasms and I am having dark thoughts about how to end this ordeal. I am aware these problems could also be caused by the lack of sleep itself as it has now been going on for months.

[stefmar254]

I  was in your situation a year and a half ago, only that for me pills worked just the first 2 days and then became useless.

Now, except for the occasional physical problems brought by sleep deprivation for a long period, I sleep rather decent.

At the beginning I made the situation worse by trying to force myself to sleep, but it’s just not working like this. I could go for days without sleeping. My situation improved the moment I stopped TRYING to sleep. I konow this sounds impossible, but it did help many people. My main mistake was that I would fix a target hour to sleep and get anxious when I wasn’t able to, while having to go to my job in the morning.

I was lucky I could quit my job without financial problems. Then after another half a year of pure misery I was so low that I just stopped caring how bad I feel. I had no expectations of sleep and I tried to think about something pleasent while in bed. I would think about soccer and sports and I would imagine myself in a forest (I love nature).  In less than a week I noticed that if I didn’t think about sleep I was able to sleep 1-2 hours in the beginning and then more.

My advice to you is try thinking about something you love, even if it keeps you excited and feels like sleep will never come. Eventually you will fall asleep without knowing.

 

 

[Deb]

My suggestions:

Hire Martin Reed – it’s worth every penny if you’re finally able to sleep again like a normal human being

Educate yourself – read Sasha Stephen’s book, “The Effortless Sleep Method” and Guy Meadow’s, “The Sleep Book.” Guy Meadow’s philosophy is similar to that of @stefmar above. He focuses on complete acceptance of sleeplessness (but not resignation) instead of always fighting it. Then when you stop struggling and get more comfortable with being in bed, your sleep gradually increases.

[Martin Reed]

Hello Layman and I am sorry to hear about your current struggles with sleep.

First, let me reassure you that you are capable of sleep — and that you are capable of sleep without sleeping pills.

You mentioned that for the last few months you have experienced high anxiety and stress due to a few health scares and a relationship breakup. With this in mind, it is no surprise that your sleep has suffered. This is normal, natural, and to be expected.

At this stage, it’s important to prevent these sleep issues from becoming entrenched by worrying too much about sleep, trying to control sleep, and doing things to compensate for poor sleep. All these interventions actually make sleep worse and can turn short-term sleep disruption into a longer-term problem.

You would likely benefit from CBT-I techniques since they will reduce sleep-related worry and anxiety while strengthening your sleep system. The end result is long-term improvements in your sleep — and, because CBT-I is skill-based, the skills and techniques you learn will stay with you forever. So, if sleep problems return in the future, you will know exactly what to do to get your sleep back on track.

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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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