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Hello! First time post here and a new member to this group. I have been suffering from chronic insomnia since late February of this year. Nothing traumatic happened or a life changing event caused it, it just started out of the blue! I was prescribed a low dose of Ambien which helped for a little while. I then discontinued using it by early March. As recently as the end of July-early August, the insomnia began again and ever since, I have had to rely on Ambien again. I currently take 2.5 mg which is about a 1/4 of a 10 mg pill. I have tried tapering off of it from the advice of my MD but find that on the nights I don’t take it, I am up most of the night and therefore end up taking a dose nightly for fear of not being able to sleep without it. I have attempted the CBT techniques in the past with little/no success. When I try sleep restriction, I basically end up sitting wide awake in another room, and am unable to get “sleepy” enough to go back to the bedroom or when I feel I am “sleepy”, I still am unable to fall asleep therefore repeating the process. Due to this, I now feel like I am going about my days in a mental fog due to sheer exhaustion. I feel I average (maybe) 5 hours of broken sleep a night and it is usually not deep sleep. I used to get at least 7 1/2 hours of sleep! I am now at the point where I am starting to think some very bad thoughts leading me to believe that I now suffer from depression due to this. I know I need some help and soon!! Any advise would be appreciated.
Welcome to the forum, Amber! It often takes some time for behavioral change (such as observing a sleep window) to generate noticeable improvements. It also sounds as though you might be describing stimulus control rather than sleep restriction. How long were you implementing these techniques before deciding they weren’t helpful?
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I implemented the techniques for at least a week before deciding it wasn’t working. Currently, I have been medicine free since last Friday and my sleep is still pretty terrible but I do not want to rely on medication anymore. I have been averaging about 5 1/2- 6 hours of broken sleep with it taking about 1.5 hours to fall asleep. I have been half restricting sleep by going to bed only when I am very sleepy. I do not get up to go to another room when restless as I do not want to rely on looking at the clock (therefore the 1.5 hours of laying awake is only an estimate). Should I set a timer instead if I’m still up after an hour’s time? Or is there a different method to try?
I think it can be useful to allow wakefulness to exist for as long as it chooses — there’s nothing we can do to make wakefulness go away, and the more we try the more we can get tangled up in a struggle.
What I would suggest is simply doing something more pleasant if nighttime wakefulness feels unpleasant — and that more pleasant activity might be something you do in bed or out of bed.
I hope this helps!
—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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