[SergioRenato7]

I have Insomnia, anxiety and mild depression which is mainly caused by the other two.

I never had sleep problems beofre until my 20s I tried a few drugs(not sure if this caused it), but then a month later I was staying so up late depriving myself of lots of sleep to the point I was hallucinating. Then one day I was so tired I said I’m gonna go to bed and try and sleep for 8 hours and I woke up after 4hrs. I went back to sleep and had a crazy vivid nightmare. I don’t usually remember my dreams. This carried on for the next few days, where I was waking up every 3-4 hours from crazy vivid dreams. The dreams calmed down a bit but then during the day I started having panic attacks for the first time ever. I had intense anxiety for a few days but that calmed down but persisted as did the dreams and fragmented sleep. A month later I got used to having fragmented sleep and vivid dreams every day with the odd nightmare here and there, and anxiety spikes throughout the day and I just carried on with my life.

 

Fast forward two years I still have it. I made no attempt to fix it as it wasn’t life ruining. But it didn’t sort itself out. I have been living my life the same way I was prior to when this all started. Now the past month my anxiety spiked and I have for some reason developed a fear of sleeping and worrying about my dreams. Instead of managing to sleep at least 3-5 hrs before my first awakening. I now only manage 1-4. My dreams aren’t any worse but when I get in bed my anxiety won’t calm down and I just lay there until I eventually just nod off. I wake up multiple times before I feel rested. But once I reach 6 hrs of sleep. I really struggle to fall asleep again, and if I do fall asleep again it is only 20-40 minutes.

So my insomnia and anxiety is starting to get to the point where it is really intruding on my life but I have no idea what to do. Meditation, diet, dream journals, exercise, supplements don’t seem to work. I’m avoiding prescription drugs because I think they only mask the symptom. But when my anxiety has been so bad and I’ve only managed 2hrs sleep I have felt suicidal. So I’m feeling desperate about finding a solution and if anyone has any suggestions on what to do or ideas as to what the problem is that would be greatly appreciated?

[Martin Reed]

Six hours of sleep is within the recommended range — so I wouldn’t be too concerned if you are able to get this amount of sleep each night. It’s best to gauge whether you are getting enough sleep based on how you feel during the day rather than how many hours of sleep you get.

It sounds as though your arousal system is very strong, and this is countering your body’s natural sleep/wake cycle and sleep drive, making it hard to fall asleep. This is very common among individuals with insomnia.

Are you still having vivid dreams that disrupt sleep, or do you feel that the anxiety you have when you’re in bed is the chief cause of your insomnia?

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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 Clarity 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.

[SergioRenato7]

The dreams are still vivid. They aren’t bad but I have had a few bad dreams in the past month and even this week. This past month I have been experiencing anxiety whilst I’m in bed and this has led to more frequent wake ups, 4-5 usually.

But before this past month I had no anxiety when I was in bed but would just wake up for no reason from a dream that wasn’t even scary. I would also only wake up 2-3 times, sometimes just once, and the dreams where still vivid but less frequently.

So I think the anxiety is playing a large part in the cause of my insomnia.

[Martin Reed]

Anxiety is very common among individuals with sleep issues. One reason why CBT for insomnia is so helpful is that it reduces the power of anxiety while strengthening the body’s natural urge to sleep. You have mentioned that you tried CBT; did you see a therapist face-to-face? Why do you think it didn’t work for you?

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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 Clarity 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.

[SergioRenato7]

I used free information I could find from the Internet on CBT most of which involved writing out and talking about traumas and fear etc, also dream journaling as well. These didn’t work and they just seemed to make me remember negative thoughts and bad dreams more and this made me more anxious if anything. I don’t really have memories of traumatic or negative experiences running through my mind so I don’t see the point of this aspect of CBT. Ive tried the sleep restriction and better sleep habits without success but if meditation is classed as CBT then I’m going to be doing that since it at least improves my focus throughout the day. Otherwise I haven’t actually spoken to a therapist in person. I don’t know how one goes about it. Do I see my GP or do I pay a specialist? There are expensive courses out there like the Linden Method but I’m not really in a position to be splashing cash on expensive programs, and even occasional sessions with a specialist sound like they’d be a bit too expensive for me.

[Martin Reed]

I have never heard of dream journaling as a component of evidence-based CBT-I. Please be careful about online resources — make sure they are from qualified sources so you don’t try something that could make your sleep worse.

Sleep restriction needs to be followed correctly and consistently in order for it to work. However, it does work. Relaxation techniques should be included in any legitimate course that uses CBT-I techniques (like my own insomnia coaching course).

I think you should talk to your GP about CBT-I. Perhaps he or she can refer you to a CBT-I practitioner.

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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 Clarity 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.

[Anafernanda Barrera]

Hi, I feel the same way, except I am 25 and have been experiencing this since I was about 17. I always had night anxieties since I was a young child but it got worse when I got to college and started to learn about how detrimental it is to lose sleep – that made me more anxious and more conscious of “trying” to sleep, spending more time in bed, which, as Martin says, makes sleep worse. I also think it didnt help that my schedule was different every day. Anyways, I just started Martin’s course after almost 10 years fo seeking a solution and I think this is a really pivotal point. So far I feel more capable of living life on less sleep which has reduced my anxiety about not getting 8 hours a night, in turn I have increased my average nightly sleep in just 2 weeks. I will say, like any other intervention, the progress is not linear and I do get discouraged but all in all I feel good about the end result in 8 weeks if I’ve already seen an improvement in 2. Also SCREW THE ONLINE ADVICE I strongly believe that all my years in seeking advice from the wrong sources made my sleep worse – something I often email Martin to vent about. I will say, as a health professional,  it helps to pay for a program rather than get it for free because you’re like 10 times more like to stick to the advice and take it seriously -there’s a much greater sense of accountability to change behavior. Good luck.

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