[Macadamia]

2005 to 2011 – took benzodiazepines, 2011 to 2014 – slow withdrawal from benzos which left me with tinnitus (deaf) in one ear, 2014 to present – don’t sleep about half the time even though taking more sleep meds. Gone to many doctors and tried many things. Really struggle to have quality of life with the sleep maintenance insomnia.

[Martin Reed]

Sorry to hear about your ongoing struggle with sleep, Macadamia. When you wake during the night, why do you think you find it hard to fall back to sleep? Have you tried cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques?

—

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.

[Macadamia]

I have no idea why it is hard for me to fall back to sleep. My brain is just awake. I’m trying CBT-I now, but I’m struggling with it. I’m tired all the time.

[Macadamia]

I started the CBT-I program on Aug. 30. I’m going to start keeping a record here of how I feel each morning while doing the CBT-I.

I am also taking sleep meds. – 20 mg. Doxepin and 1 mg. Lunesta prescribed by a sleep doctor/neurologist. They help me sleep, but my sleep isn’t always maintained. Sometimes I will be sedated, yet awake during the night.

I slept about 7 hours last night. However, I woke up feeling tired and groggy. My brain is not clear. I have little energy.

[Macadamia]

Had to take a 15 minute nap I was so tired.

My caffeine usage in the morning since starting CBT-I has increased.

[Macadamia]

I am waking up 30 min. to an hour before the end of my sleep window. I try to get back to sleep. My alarm goes off, and I am exhausted. I feel sedated. Doxepin has an approximate 17 hour half-life. Lunesta’s is 6 hours.

So tired this morning when alarm went off, I slept in an hour. This extra hour of sleep allowed me to function during the day.

Since starting CBT-I, I have been taking short naps early in the day to be able to function without being sleep-deprived.

[Martin Reed]

Hello Macadamia

Since you are a client, I would recommend contacting me directly with any questions or concerns you have as you progress through the online course.

If you are still feeling fatigued after seven hours of sleep at night, this could be a residual side-effect of medication and would be worth discussing with your prescribing physician.

Napping during the day reduces sleep drive and can also prevent sleep drive from recovering to a sufficient level for sleep the following night — so, if you are not satisfied with your nighttime sleep it’s usually best to eliminate daytime naps (or, at the very least, limit them to around 20 minutes and take them as early in the day as possible).

I would not suggest documenting how you are feeling every single day since this can lead to a preoccupation with sleep. When we spend too much time thinking about sleep and evaluating our sleep, we can actually make sleep more difficult.

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.

[Author]

Posts