[Nige]

I have suffered from chronic insomnia for about 11 years now. I retired three years ago and what amazed me was that my insomnia got worse rather than better. You would think that losing all the responsibility, stress, traveling, etc pressures would mean sleep would come more easily, but the exact opposite was true. When I was working I would often fall asleep at around 2am and would have to get up for work at 6.30am. Now, I am finding it difficult to get to sleep before 4am or later, having gone to bed but gotten up several times in the night before finally sleeping at whatever time it is. Very weird. Don’t know if anyway has had a similar experience, but it does seem to fly in the face that stress is a big part of insomnia.

[Edgar]

Hi.
I think the best cure for insomnia is distraction, and work is a good tool for that. Also, it makes you tired which is a good thing.
Stress is a problem if you are the anxious type who can’t sleep due to obligations, worries etc. But very often the problem with sleeplessness is that the mind has “tasted” insomnia somewhere in the past and remembered it for good. When you’re left with fewer distractions, not many things to take the mind off of insomnia onto something else, the mind is free to focus on insomnia all it wants.

I often sleep better during work than I do during vacation. So I’m not surprised by what you have experienced, and I’m sure you are not alone in this.

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forum, Nige!

It is not uncommon for insomnia to get worse upon retirement — and that’s because when we are working we are forced into having some sort of structure to our days and nights (for example, we have to get up by a certain time in order to get to work on time).

When this structure is removed, we can end up going to bed at all hours and getting out of bed at all hours — and this irregularity disrupts sleep drive, disrupts the body clock, and leads to heightened arousal.

Have you tried implementing cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques? I am confident that you’ll find this very helpful since they help address the thoughts and behaviors that are making sleep difficult while strengthing sleep drive and your body clock and weakening the arousal system.

—

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.

[Author]

Posts