[Sleepless in Cheyenne]

Iv been listening to the podcast for the last week and frankly it makes me so anxious to even consider spending countless nights awake.
I just want my life back. I’m going on 23 months of insomnia ever since my shoulder surgery in April of 2020. I truly need some encouragement about this. I’m on a couple of meds and countless rituals every night. Bottom line is can I do this restricted sleep even though I’m on these meds. How quick do I wean off. I almost want to just throw them away and start with nothing. What’s your thoughts?

[Scott]

What video are you referring to that recommends spending nights awake to overcome insomnia? You can begin implementing the CBT-I techniques while taking sleep meds but if you’re wanting to reduce or eliminate the use of them, I’d recommend consulting with your physician. If you consistently implement CBT-I methods and have some patience, I believe you’ll have some success in restoring your sleep though.

I wonder if those “rituals” you mentioned have become sleep efforts. Sleep isn’t one of those tasks that rewards hard work, and in fact, the more effort we make trying to force ourselves to sleep, usually makes the issue worse.

Scott J

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.

[Sleepless in Cheyenne]

Hey Scott, thanks for getting back to me. Iv been listening to Martin’s podcast and I was referring to the sleep restriction. I find it so hard to get out of bed when I cannot sleep due to the medication. Iv been taking quetiapine and gabapentin which had helped me over several months but just like all meds, they lose their effectiveness. I just want to be free of all these meds.
I’m ready to join Martin’s coarse, but I know it will be difficult, especially still taking those meds at first because they are very sedating. I have had sobriety for 20 years but feel I am dependent on something again. I guess if I can quit drugs and alcohol I should be able to get through this program.
My rituals consist of excessive exercise, sleep hygiene, laying out all my meds and and herbal supplements at night. I think I’m very desperate and trying to sleep which Iv learned on the podcast that we can’t feed our anxious feelings.
Thank you very much for your time and suggestions.

Blessings,

Robert

[Martin Reed]

It sounds as though you recognize that it’s an intense desire for sleep/an intense desire to avoid wakefulness that is actually the cause of your struggle, just as it is for pretty much every case of chronic insomnia!

When implementing sleep restriction, you will never be allotting less time for sleep than your average nightly sleep duration — so it’s not set up (or intended) to take sleep away from you.

I hope there’s something helpful here.

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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.

[Author]

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