[almondbrowneyes]

I have not slept for several months and now i have have severe anxiety/fear of not sleeping every night.

My sleep issues stem from anxiety/depression with some health issues.

I need all the help therefore i restored to the insomnia coach site.

Thank you

[Daf]

Sorry. Are you saying you’ve not slept for several months?

[almondbrowneyes]

Yes that is what i am saying. It has been several months that i have high anxiety and cant fall asleep or stay asleep for more then 2 hours.

I now go to bed with the fear that i will not sleep again. It has been very hard on me and my family, especially my adorable son who sees his mom falling apart.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

[Daf]

Ah, I see.. your first post said you has not slept for several months. But you are saying now, that you do sleep.
A minor moan I often have on this site is people saying things like “I had a bad night”. And when I ask them what that meant, they may say something like “Oh, I only got 6 hours sleep”, to which I reply, “Well, there is nothing wrong with you”

If you sleep for 2 hours, you are sleeping. Just enjoy that. (I would often get nil). And just relax – this can be as good as actual sleeping, if you can stop stressing yourself out.
Also, listen to my podcast with Martin in the success area called “Success with CBTi and Mindfulness.

[almondbrowneyes]

Thank you for your advice however 2 to 3 hours is not sufficient to function. And now i go to bed with the fear of only sleeping 2 to 3 hours again!!

There are nights that i slept NIL..

I fell alone in this difficult time of my life and my family is being affected especially my beautiful 12 year old son.

I really need tips and encouragement!

It is great that these forums exist and i am grateful for any advice!

[Daf]

I know it’s tough, but I got better – and you can too.
Look at it this way… you have not lost ability to sleep. You CAN do it.
Instead of trying to sleep, just try to rest, use mindfulness approaches, it’s almost as good as sleep,….. on which matter have you listened to my podcast – the whole thing?

Kind regards
David

[Daf]

Here is the link…. https://insomniacoach.com/forums/topic/success-with-cbti-and-act-mindfulness/

[Martin Reed]

Hello almondbrowneyes and welcome to the forum. So, we can see that you are sleeping but you would almost certainly benefit from getting more sleep! So, let’s see what we can do about that!

When do you currently go to bed at night, and when do you get out of bed to start your day in the morning?

How accurate do you think the belief that you will NEVER sleep again actually is? Have you ever heard of someone who NEVER gets any sleep whatsoever or someone who has lost the ability to sleep?

—

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.

[almondbrowneyes]

Hello Martin,

I go to bed at 10 pm and and i am up no longer than 6 am. This was my sleeping routine. Of course, i would get up in between to go to the bathroom, but would fall back asleep.

Now, (since 5 months) i am suffering from severe insomnia. I cant fall asleep, or if i sleep, i am up a few hours later and cant fall back asleep. My doctor has prescribed sleeping pills but it has not helped. I am averaging about 3 hours of sleep per night.

I have heard of people that suffer from sleep for many years and that scares me!
I am not able to function on a few hours of sleep and i am off work due to high anxiety and sleep deprivation. I need to get 5 to 6 hours to function properly.

In the New Year, i joined a mediation class and hopefully things will change for me!

Your comments will be greatly appreciated.

[Martin Reed]

Meditation is great for relaxation, but it’s not going to generate sleep for you — so try to bear in mind that the goal of meditation is meditation, not sleep!

If you are averaging around three hours for sleep each night we can see that allotting eight hours for sleep (bed at 10:00 PM and out of bed at 6:00 AM) is perpetuating your insomnia. You are basically guaranteeing yourself up to five hours of wakefulness during the night, every single night.

I think you would benefit hugely from implementing cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques — and I’d encourage you to start with sleep restriction to reduce the amount of time you spend awake during the night.

You might want to start by allotting closer to five or five-and-a-half hours for sleep each night. This will build sleep drive and reduce the amount of time you spend awake at night.

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