[MPerea]

Hello! I’m a 48 year old healthy woman, mom, wife and teacher. I had my triggering experience (into the world of insomnia) about six months ago, and have been in and out of a state of panic ever since. Initially, I had eight straight nights of no more than two hours of sleep. I finally got some relief after meeting with a psychiatrist who put me on Trazadone and Lexipro. I have never been on prescription medication, but I was desperate for anything. That worked for awhile until….it didn’t. I’m still taking the medication, simply because I am afraid not to. I have felt, alone, lost, afraid and confused about why I suddenly encountered what felt like a phobia about going to sleep at night, and why all of a sudden I take anti-anxiety medications.

As the evening approaches, I start to feel my fight or flight responses kick in; rapid heart rate, stomach cramps, needing to use the restroom, and not being able to reign in my thoughts. I’ve missed more work over the past 6 months than I have in the previous three years. I have been obsessed with sleep, following all internet protocols and doctor’s advice (meditating, avoiding news and social media, reading countless books, keeping notes, limiting caffeine and water, and the list goes on.)

I know this sounds corny, but three days ago I stumbled upon the Insomnia Coach podcast, and for the first time in months I cried in relief. I heard people who had experienced my exact symptoms. I knew immediately what I had was insomnia. I finally wasn’t alone, and now I feel like there might be a light at the end of the tunnel. The previous two nights I implemented jewels mentioned in the podcast, “stop putting all my (day) time and energy into figuring out how to sleep at night”, and “don’t try to push away the fears about sleep, try to accept them and view them in a different light”. I have gotten a little more sleep too. If I was on the other side, I would think that my words sound like a ridiculous advertisement, but they aren’t. I can’t even believe that I’m considering paying $500 for something like this, but I am.

[Chee2308]

Trust me, we’ve all been there. I’m now a recovered insomniac for 4 years now, and I sleep great!

Just a spoiler alert, insomniac isn’t a disease or a condition. It’s just a phobia, in a nutshell. A fear of not sleeping or not sleeping well. And phobias are often overcome by, this might seem unnatural to you, more exposure to the irritant. In this case, having more insomnia to beat insomnia. Sounds twisted at first, but once you come out on the other side, you’ll understand more of the process. A fear of not sleeping is not only irrational, but unwarranted, you were sleeping as a baby, everyone knows how to do it without requiring any learned trade or skill as it is completely natural. The only reasons most people don’t sleep are because, their bodies just aren’t sleepy at that point in time OR, they’re too worked up with excitement or anxiety, in this case, people are simply losing sleep over sleep. The good news is that both conditions are temporary and reversible.

For now, just go to and out of bed at your regular times, and yes, allow yourself to feel sick to the stomach along with rapid heart rate, sweaty palms etc, expect these to happen every night or at any time of the day but I advise you to keep yourself busy with other things, acknowledge these thoughts but do nothing about them and allow yourself to feel these emotions without judgement, don’t blame yourself, and eventually they will come to pass and happen less frequently as time goes on. The ultimate goal is feeling and being okay with sleeplessness or whenever your mind keeps warning you about it. Good luck to you and wishing you a speedy recovery.

[Martin Reed]

You definitely aren’t alone — just as you discovered by listening to the podcast!

It sounds as though you are keen to explore an alternative approach to medication — and there is an alternative approach to medication that rests on moving away from (understandably!) trying to make a certain amount or type of sleep and from trying to fight or avoid the difficult thoughts and feelings that often come with insomnia.

As your experience seems to tell you, the more effort you put into sleep the more of a struggle it seems to create. What might things be like without that struggle?

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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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