[Mark60]

I was never a great sleeper, but a combination of things (jetlag, mosquitoes, the humidity in HK and a faltering marriage, to name a few) made my insomnia become chronic. I tried to fix this using zopiclone to help me get back to sleep after waking in the night. Surprisingly perhaps, this worked quite well for many years as I only used small amounts. Last year however my stress and anxiety levels went up and I started using zopiclone at bedtime. This quickly led to using much more of it and becoming completely dependent on it for sleep, but the sleep I got was very poor quality and only a few hours a night. I’m still caught up in this mess and trying to taper off zopiclone. But it’s very difficult and I’m facing many sleepless nights. Also it has led to me feeling depressed and worried about many things that have a way of going around my head in the night, completing a vicious circle of insomnia. Very grateful for any useful advice.

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forum, Mark! You are 100% correct — tapering off medication can be very difficult! Are you implementing any other changes that can help create better conditions for sleep while doing that?

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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.

[Mark60]

I’ve reduced my alcohol consumption, especially close to bedtime. And try to get some exercise in every day, although tbh I’ve always done that. Not sure what else I can do. I’m finding tapering itself and insomnia so difficult it impacts on so many aspects of my life. I’m averaging 2 to 3 hours of broken sleep a night, since November last year.

[Martin Reed]

It sounds as though your focus might be more on the sleep hygiene stuff, which isn’t usually very helpful for chronic insomnia. Addressing the behaviors and thought processes that perpetuate sleep disruption is often more helpful (and often a bit more challenging to implement).

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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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