[Jayrow]

I suffered from insomnia for 6 months and have been taking medication for it. I have decreased my medication and am now only taking a small fraction (might be a placebo) of my meds. But with this reduction I am having some sleep difficulty again. I have a huge fear of insomnia returning when I stop the medication completely such that I constantly think about it even though I have slept well.

[Scott]

Hi @Jayrow!

Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing your story. What sleep difficulties are you currently experiencing? It’s understandable to have some anxiety about returning to poor sleep when you stop taking those pills but medication doesn’t generate sleep. It should be reassuring to know the sleep you’ve been experiencing is proof that you CAN sleep!

A key to overcoming anxiety about sleep is to improve the quality of your day by continuing to participate in social events, introducing some physical activity (nature walk, bike ride), etc. Try to avoid the temptation in making wholesale changes to your existing daytime/bedtime routines. Any effort we make in trying to fix our sleep issue usually results in sleep becoming more difficult.

Scott J

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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 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.

[Jayrow]

Thanks, Scott. I fall asleep just fine on my couch downstairs while watching TV. I then go up to bed and most often fall asleep (sometimes I have difficulty). Sometimes I get very anxious (I suffer form an anxiety disorder) when I go into my bed (I rarely get anxious on the couch, hence why I let myself fall asleep on the couch) and can’t sleep. I also have problems with night wakening. Invariably, I wake after 1.5 hours of sleep, which I am assuming is after my first sleep cycle. I was down to taking less than a 1/4 of my sleep aid but have had a rough week when I tried taking just a tiny piece and have returned to a state of feeling extremely anxious that my insomnia is returning. I very much want to stop this med as the side effect profile of it makes me very anxious. Thanks!

[Martin Reed]

The great news here is that the fact you fall asleep just fine on your couch downstairs while watching TV proves that you can sleep!

So, with this in mind, why does sleep seem so much more difficult when you are in bed? The answer could be conditioned arousal. In other words, you might have learned (through repeatedly experiencing unpleasant wakefulness in bed) that the bed is an unpleasant place to be and isn’t a place for sleep.

Since this association has been learned, it can also be “unlearned” — and we can do that by sleeping only in bed (not on the couch!) and only being in bed when we are asleep or when conditions are right for sleep.

So, any time you are in bed and being in bed doesn’t feel good, it can be helpful to get out of bed and do something relaxing and enjoyable until you feel conditions are right for sleep. Then, return to bed and repeat the process!

Waking during the night is actually a normal part of sleep, so nighttime awakenings themselves aren’t unusual. If you start to worry about them, though, that can definitely make falling back to sleep more difficult!

If we wake during the night and find it hard to fall back to sleep then this means that either there’s not enough sleep drive present to help us fall back to sleep (in other words, we weren’t awake for long enough before going to bed) and/or our arousal system is overpowering sleep drive.

Getting out of bed when being in bed doesn’t feel good, and allotting an appropriate amount of time for sleep can help build sleep drive and lower arousal (particularly conditioned arousal).

I hope this helps!

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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 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.

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