[R.E.M]

Hi everyone,

I have been on an online CBT-I course for 6 weeks. I have only had insomnia for a bit more than 3 months but it feels like forever. Sleep restriction was hard. I struggled severely with stimulus control (my brain convinces me that if I stay in bed I will eventually fall asleep, even though everytime i choose to stay in bed it never works…but I can’t bring myself to get up as it feels like I will be losing out on my chance of sleeping again) I also struggled waking up and getting out of bed at my set time (Before I had insomnia, I struggled with this as well and always spent hours in bed on my phone, so its a hard habit to break for me).

With a huge struggle, I started sleeping through the night for at least 6 hours, which was the most refreshed I felt in a while although I was having a bad night at least once a week. Then I had an evening stress, where the thought ‘I bet i’m not going to sleep tonight’ slipped into my head and I didn’t destress myself before going to bed as I was scared of getting less than my set sleep time and hence I didn’t sleep that night (I’m slightly struggling with the fear of stress ruining my sleep). Ever since that, I’ve been having issues with sleep maintenance insomnia, getting up before my alarm or waking up after 3 hours of sleep and not being able to get back to sleep.

It doesn’t help that the CBTI programme is now on break due the holidays and I have been stupidly lax with it… not going to bed at a set time, or doing stimulus control or getting up at the same time everyday. I feel like i’ve completely erased my progress and feel angry at myself. This is meant to be the gold standard of treating insomnia and I’ve sort of half arsed it? I feel like if i did better, then it would have had more of sustained effect. I’m not sure what to do now, and the sleep therapists automated replies never answer my questions about fearing stress and fearing how it will affect my sleep, which is a big part of why i keep relapsing. Since i’ve messed up my schedule so bad, i’m thinking of restricting my sleep window back to 5.5 hours again…as hard and terrible feeling it was.

Just feeling lost, disappointed, and a bit depressed and could use to encouragement or advice.

I hope everyone had a good holiday and you are keeping safe.

Thanks!

[Scott]

Hi REM,

Welcome to the forum!

Like yourself, I found sleep restriction difficult when I was experiencing insomnia, but remaining consistent and persistent is absolutely the key to success with these evidence-based techniques. It can take time for a new sleep window to lead to noticeable improvements in your sleep and, in the short-term, sleep can even worsen. Your commitment to the evidence-based techniques could determine how soon you begin to see positive results in your sleep but everyone adapts and sees results differently so try to be patient. When you began sleeping for at least 6 hours consistently, that should be proof that you haven’t lost the ability to sleep and implementing those techniques are beneficial. I like to compare starting this type of sleep program to starting an exercise regimen – at first, you may find it difficult to remain committed, you’re tired, body is sore, you’re not sure what you’re doing has any benefits, etc. but if you continue to be steadfast with your instructions, you’ll begin to see positive results.

Hope that helps,
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.

[R.E.M]

Thanks for the reply Scott. To get myself back on track, I’ve started going bed at 2:00/2:30 and attempting to wake up at 8. i’ve also started using the DARE method to get me through nights where I don’t fall asleep right away or wake up in the middle of the night or earlier than my alarm. I’m hoping that the tighter sleep window will get rid of my sudden early morning awakening.

Do you have any tips for feeling like if you change your routine, sleep somewhere different or have a stressful impacting sleep? I always immediately assume my sleep will be affected, which makes me want to avoid these things. Is there anything I can do? Thanks

[Scott]

That’s great, REM! Creating and being committed to a sleep window every day, like you’re doing, is a critical component of these evidence-based techniques.

As you pointed out, worrying about life events disrupting your sleep usually makes sleep more difficult but what if you implemented the advice from Barry’s DARE method into your daily routines also? Do you think that would be beneficial? One of the turning points for me during my insomnia was my attitude towards my thoughts and how I perceived they’d impact my sleep. Although I hadn’t read the book at the time, instead of being consumed by my thoughts and allowing them to determine my actions during the course of the day, I took the approach of, “so what, it’s going to be fine”. The better you make your day, the less pressure you put on yourself to sleep so I’d encourage you to go about your day as planned regardless how you slept the night before.

Scott J

—

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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