[janicelee]

Hi there, it’s been exactly one year since I first started having sleeping problems. At first, it was induced by stress and environmental changes and I would occasionally have a bad night of sleep- trouble falling asleep until the early morning hours. It only occurred maybe one night every 2-3 weeks. Gradually, it became getting more frequent. It turned into severe insomnia starting in Dec 2021. I started pulling all-nighters because I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep and I would stay up for 36 hours at a time. The next night I still wouldn’t be able to sleep without a pill. I started taking Ambien (5mg). Now, I pull about 4-5 all-nighters a week (no naps during the day) and rely on sleeping pills to sleep. If I sleep well one night (4+hours) that means I don’t get any sleep the next night. For the past 2 weeks, I’ve been taking a lot of Ambien (now taking 10mg) and am now trying to quit because I can’t fall asleep without a pill anymore. Anyone have advice for quitting and dealing with rebound insomnia? Is this rebound insomnia or is it because I wasn’t able to sleep without pills before I starting taking Ambien anyway? Is it okay to quit cold turkey?

[Martin Reed]

Quitting medication would be a question for your doctor. What I can say is that all the sleep you’ve been getting (even after taking Ambien) is sleep that you have generated by yourself. No pill can generate sleep.

A pill can generate sedation and when we take a pill we might allow ourselves to put less effort into trying to sleep (because we delegated that task to the pill). Consequently, we can easily believe that the sleep that then occurred was created by whatever we took.

However, every single human being will sleep — pill or not — once they have been awake for long enough.

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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.

[janicelee]

Hi Martin,
Thanks for the reassuring comments. I will definitely talk to my doctor about quitting pills. It’s been a hard journey but your youtube videos have really helped me. I feel less alone knowing there are others struggling with the same thing. You are amazing and please know you are helping so many people!! Thank you!!

[MelH89]

Hey there, yes it’s more of a psychological dependency. You tell yourself that its the pills that make you sleep so you believe it. I was on Zopiclone 7.5mg every night for 9 years straight and I got off of it in May. Wasn’t hard. Once you set your mind to it you can do anything. I found CBT-I and listening to Martin’s podcasts very helpful. You can bear this and sleep well again. By the sounds of it you haven’t been on Ambien very long so the rebound insomnia shouldn’t be terrible.

[MelH89]

Don’t quit cold turkey. Wean yourself off of it with help from your doctor. Get into some CBT-I (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia) which will help you change your thought patterns about sleep.

[Author]

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