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I have had insomnia for just over a decade. I developed it from being exposed to constant sunlight… I lived way up north in the Arctic. When I went to the doctor, I was treated with sleeping pills and told it would go away. Well… a decade later, it hasn’t. I believe that my insomnia is a layered problem. What started as most likely a circadian disruption, which has probably never been re-regulated, is now also a drug addiction. I went camping a few years back and I found by sleeping outdoors, I could sleep without the use of meds… now maybe I needed more exposure to the outdoors at that time to reset my rhythms because when I came back home after three days, I was back requiring meds. Does anyone have any opinions on this?
Right now, I live where there is snow on the ground so going tenting in my backyard isn’t an option, but if traveling somewhere and sleeping outdoors for a few weeks would solve the problem over sleep restriction etc… I’d do that in a heart beat.
Thanks for sharing your sleep issues here. Have you seen a sleep specialist about this? It’s perhaps unsurprising that your sleep was affected by the time you spent in the Arctic — however, after allowing for a period of adjustment you should expect your sleep patterns to return to how they used to be.
Can you tell us a bit more about your sleep as it is right now? Do you struggle with falling asleep, staying asleep, or both? When do you typically go to bed and get out of bed, and how many hours of sleep do you tend to get each night?
—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.
I have seen a sleep specialist and they said I had insomnia, prescribed more medication and left it at that. That is how every doctor treats it. Every time I see a new doctor I specifically explain how my insomnia started from my time in the arctic and that seems to not trigger anything. They just decide whether they want to put me in the depressive category or the anxious category and then prescribe accordingly. And the reason I go back to whether it is circadian rhythms is because of this random camping experience and I also spoke with a girl who said she had heard of people who would spend a month watching the sunrise or sunset and that would help them.
My sleep right now is completely medically controlled. I am terribly busy and exhausted always so I just take my pills, fall asleep relatively easily and sometimes wake up in the night hungry and so I eat or I sleep through the night. My problem has always been falling asleep. With technology and artificial lighting, etc. I am quite curious more deeply how circadian rhythms work and if they could actually stay off balance. I think because I lived in the arctic for on year, I experienced 24 hour sunlight followed by 24 hour darkness so my body had a year to keep being confused and then that mixed with medication didn’t help. I wish there was more research on circadian rhythm disorders. Because I have tried melatonin and 5HTP and magnesium and every combination of “sleep right” vitamin complexes they put together and nothing worked over long periods of time. If all it took was a month long camping trip of just complete exposure to nature’s clock- I’d do it in a heart beat so I can get my life back and stop wasting my money on drugs or supplements…I am sure you understand.
Oh and after my time in the Arctic my body did readjust after two years and I could just suddenly sleep. That lasted about eight months. Then I moved to Korea from North America and my insomnia was back the very next day and this time it never left. That was 6 years ago.
Well, a month of camping sounds wonderful to me — but, of course, there can be no guarantees that it will improve your sleep. If you have received an insomnia diagnosis from your doctor, it’s likely that you would benefit from CBT-I. Was this even mentioned by your doctor?
When you go to bed at night, do you think you find it hard to fall asleep because your mind suddenly becomes active or worried about sleep/other things going on in your life?
—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.
No, my mind is clear and fine at night.I just think about my day and not in a panicky way. And no doctor I have ever been suggested CBT-I. The closest they have ever said is to do yoga. And I don’t like yoga. I found CBT-I on my own through books I read and I tried it but it really didn’t work for me. I just think all of take different paths that lead us to having insomnia so it can’t be a one path fits all to solve insomnia. And if doctors don’t take the time to at least try to get at the root of why you can’t sleep and they just prescribe a sedative pill then the problem doesn’t get solved and most likely more problems develop. I am just trying to go back to basics. Constant sunlight triggered my inability to sleep which should indicate a circadian problem and so try nature to see if that can be resolved.
You’re certainly right that a number of different paths lead to insomnia — and that’s why CBT-I uses a number of different strategies to improve sleep.
I completely agree that simply prescribing a sedative isn’t addressing the root cause of any sleep issues. Although sleeping pills can be helpful for short-term sleep issues, they are not a long-term solution.
I wish you all the very best of luck on your journey to improve your sleep. If you ever take that month-long camping trip, be sure to report back!
—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.
I’m in Arizona to get sunshine. Has sunshine in the winter worked for anyone. Talk to me loved ones. Mike Love. Just think of all the people we meet by having this problem. Maybe some of us will fall in love. We could stay up all night and share ourselves – yes I’m talking about making love.
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