[Phsu]

Hi All,

I started cbti, specifically sleep restriction about 3 weeks ago and for the first two weeks it went pretty well. The time it took for me to fall asleep stabilized and became shorter but there were nights where I laid in bed for awhile before I feel asleep but I think it is due to my sleep window being too long and not going to bed at a consistent enough time +/-30min.

Then last week I got my first zero hour sleep which hasn’t happened since my insomnia started 2 months ago. The following day I got 1 hour, next day another 1 hour and on the 4th day I got kind of desperate and at 2 am I took for the first time my doctor prescribed Trazodone. I slept poorly for about 3.5 hours but now I have kind of opened up this Pandora’s box and not sure how to continue.

Currently I have decided to stick with sleep restriction but with the last two nights after I took Trazodone, I got maybe 45 minutes each night and now I am feeling very anxious, tired and less hopeful.

I will give it more time and tighten up my sleep window, be very consistent when I go to bed and implement stimulus control more thoroughly but I don’t know how much longer I can take.
It feels harder because my anxiety usually seems to be stronger than my sleep drive. Feel kind of like I am regressing and into a worse position.

Any words of encouragement or suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks you,

[jaylogan]

Hi,
How consistent are you with wake up time?
I followed the wake up time very strictly – even during days of poor (<few hours to 0 hours) of sleep. I found that if i ever try to catchup (say sleep off the wake up time), it creates a setback.

Please note that i have no expertise, just a fellow sufferrer offering my experience in hope it helps others.

Hope you are able to stick to this and get better!
-jlogan

[Martin Reed]

Congratulations on your decision to start implementing cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques such as sleep restriction!

It sounds as though you experienced some improvements in your sleep very quickly — within the first couple of weeks, you found that the time it took for you to fall asleep stabilized and even got shorter, although there were some nights when it took a while to fall asleep (and this might be due to the length of your sleep window).

It can be helpful to recognize that you are on a journey and that it is completely normal to experience ups and downs along the way. Just as a ship sailing around the world will encounter storms and rough seas, it will pass through those storms as long as it continues on its journey.

If you continue to move forward, if you continue to implement techniques that build sleep drive, strengthen the body clock, and lower arousal, you will get through this storm and you will continue to make progress. As Jay suggested, consistency is key!

Your insomnia is testing you, Phsu. Will you let it win?

—

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.

[Phsu]

Hi Jay and Martin thanks for the replies.

Jay,
Sorry I didn’t reply before at that time i was really anxious and found that i get more anxious looking at anything insomnia related.

To your question i always get up at 645 even with no sleep.

An update to my initial post. About 4 days after i had shorten my window to about 1 am i slowly got more sleep, from 1 hour to about 4. Then on day 5 and for the next 10 days i fell asleep within 10 min to almost my wake up time. I just went to bed with no expectations and i had started going to bed around 1115. I was getting 6 to 7 hours of good sleep but 2 nights ago i got no sleep again.

I was more tired that day and wenr to bed earlier at 1045. After not falling asleep as quickly as the previous nights my anxiety increased and i made another mistake of trying to ride it through and try to fall asleep but i couldn’t and didnt sleep.

The next night i went to bed at 11 and was more anxious this time, i can feel my pulse more clearly and it was quicker. This time though i would get up after laying there for awhile, I did this a few times and at around 3 am I slept till 6 am.

Last night i tried to close my window more again and i went to bed at 1215 feeling sleepy but with 15 min the anxiety and quickened pulse came back and i tried SC but implemented halfway. Around 330 i nodded off and i thought I had slept 3 hours again and when i looked at the time it was only 430. So here i am replying with at most 1 hour of sleep.

These no sleep nights are major setbacks to me and for it to happen so quickly again and with now a stronger sense of anxiety than before. Those 10 days of sleep, better than my past 20 years in terms of quality and quality. But it almost felt like it was a dream and one to not repeat.

I am sad, anxious and frustrated that my results are so inconsistent.

I will start again by going to bed later at 1 am and maybe switch to a audiobook or podcast as i near my bedtime and implement SC more even if it narrows my window to just an hour or two.

I am trying to stay positive and persist but going through this i feel so down at times.

To Martin,

Thank you for the words of encouragement and the comment of looking at this as a journey and the inevitable ups and downs.

Thank you

[Martin Reed]

Hello again, Phsu! You might find it helpful to explore the thoughts that seem to be generating anxiety — when you have a difficult night, what is going through your mind? What is it about the idea of being awake during the night that seems to generate a lot of worry and concern?

—

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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