[Norm T]

I’ve been struggling with insomnia for most of my adult life. I believe my sleep cycles have been most damaged by my having worked shift work for 40 years. I thought that when I retired and could get into a regular sleep/ wake schedule, that my sleep issues would be gone but after 2 years that hasn’t happened.
Simply being able to fall asleep is my biggest sleep issue. Staying asleep is also starting to become a problem.
My concern is the longer term effects of poor sleep on both my physical and mental health. Poor sleep seems to equal increased anxiety which means even more poor sleep, for me at least.
I just came upon insomniacoach.com while searching online for help.

[Scott]

Welcome to the forum!

What do you think is causing your inability to fall asleep? Are you experiencing any sleep-related anxiety or maybe not going to bed when you’re actually sleepy? There could be similar reasons why you’re unable to fall asleep and have frequent awakenings during the night so we’ll need to determine the root cause. Those who experience chronic insomnia usually do so because we’ve changed our thoughts and behaviors towards our sleep issue.

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.

[umbra]

I understand the growing anxiety about your sleep. It’s very easy to start worrying and then, pretty soon, the anxiety itself contributes to the very sleep issues you’re having! I wonder if you’ve signed up for the free insomnia sleep training course here? I found there are lots of good insights in the course regarding the effect our thoughts have on our sleep as well as how to let go of ideas about what’s “normal” for us as individuals (I, too, am prone to anxiety, and have difficulty getting to sleep. Worrying about not getting the “standard” of 8 hours a night was a big one for me — until I learned that everyone really has their own standard — one less thing for my mind to spin on now!) I think learning about sleep, what may be causing our insomnia, and exploring ways to re-think our situation and try out potential solutions makes a big difference. I hope it will for you too!

[Chee2308]

Sleep is not a worry anyone should be overly concerned about. It takes care of itself if you just let it. Sticking to a regular sleep timetable is all that’s needed and your body will do the rest. It’s when you actively try to intervene or control sleep, believing something is wrong when there isn’t, that insomnia persists. It would be like force feeding yourself 10000 calories a day or breathing 400x a minute, because you became convinced more is better and something horrible will happen if you don’t do this. Just let your body decide how much it needs. The only things you can do are indirect things such as ensuring a good environment for sleep, regular hours, keeping yourself happily engaged during your wakeful hours and not stressing over sleep. Good luck!

[Author]

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