[DrummerFrank]

So here’s a quick background on me.. I’m a 35 year old fit male, that eats healthy and exercises quite a bit (just hiked yesterday!).. I’ve never suffered with insomnia until this worldwide lockdown.. Since about March 24th, I’ve had a new appreciation for people that have dealt with chronic insomnia for much of their lives, and if you’re a hypochrondriac like myself, it’s very hard to unprogram the mind from the various sleep myths big pharma feeds us.. I’ve unfortunately fallen down this rabbit hole, and have begun obsessing over how many hours of sleep I get each night since the lockdown, and most times question whether or not I’m actually getting real sleep (I’m a light sleeper that still hears my surroundings).. Reading comments from people that say they haven’t slept for weeks, months, or years can be quite scary, and I started to think that could become me, or is already me because I’m a light sleeper like I said.. What’s the best tip to overcome this problem? Is it just to not look at the clock at night? It’s tough when I have to pee during the night and walk past the clock.

[Martin Reed]

Sleep disruption at the current time is completely normal and to be expected — because sleep is very sensitive to our overall levels of stress and well-being.

Ultimately, if you are able to avoid the thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate sleep disruption, your sleep will almost certainly recover all by itself.

Here’s a short video about this that you might find helpful: What to do when stress, worry, and uncertainty lead to sleep disruption and insomnia.

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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.

[NikkiInTheDesert85]

You responded to my sleep phobia post. Thank you so much for the comment, I too, have been sleeping over at my moms house since this started in late March. I wanted to know what helps you when you are having anxiety and fear about sleeping? How have you be holding up? I hope you are getting some rest. My sleep is so fragmented and unrefreshing that I now fear it more because the actual act of sleeping does not make me feel good, I wake feeling wose then if I did not sleep at all. I just want this to be over with, I have been dealing with it in varying degrees for the past 15 years, I want this to end so that I can start living my life. I really want to apply to law school next year, however, this horrible sleep phobia is preventing me from taking the necessary steps. It’s also preventing me from traveling with my little girl which I want to do so badly. I have Disneyland gift cards in my wallet totaling a few hudrent dollers, however, I’m too physically and mentally off to enjoy such an adventure. I have been telling my daughter since she was 3-years-old that we will go, well, she’ll be 13-years-old this year. So I have put off Disney for 10 years because I’m terrified of sleep, I feel so ashamed of myself. Any advice that you can give is greatly appreciated.

-Nikki

[DrummerFrank]

Hey Nikki.. So last night was a really bad one for me.. The previous 2 nights, I was able to sleep pretty well on my own, but then last night, the phobia came back into my head hard, and I was unable to sleep.. Now tonight, I’m already thinking I should go back to my parents and sleep with them.. I’m starting to become pretty hopeless over conquering this fear and it’s extremely frustrating because I’m normally a pretty brave and opinionated person, that doesn’t have many fears! I keep thinking I’m going to go into this string of sleepless nights, and become a zombie.. My health anxiety is thinking I will die if this continues on, but I know consciously that this is ridiculous rubbish, as many people have braved this out for decades and decades.. There is no evidence that sleeplessness can kill.. All it does is mess with our quality of life, but good luck convincing my subconscious of this fact! I may need a phone call session or 2 with Martin to clear away some of these sleep myths and fears that are plaguing me.. Martin…. Do you do one off phone call sessions? Or do I need to do the 2 week one? Thanks!

[NikkiInTheDesert85]

Hello

Thanks for replying back to me, as I stated before, our fears are different. I’m afraid that I will die while sleeping, however, you’re afraid of not getting enough sleep, which I’m also afraid of sometimes. So I doubt a phone call from Martin will do me any good, I was really thinking about forking over the cash for his program. Nevertheless, my problem is phobia based. I will be sleeping at my apartment for the first time tonight after a month and a half of being at my mothers house and I’m hoping it actually helps me because I just fill phycially and mentally horrible, I think of sleep all day everyday and my sleep schedule is just shot to hell, up all night and sleep during the day. And when I wake up I don’t feel rested and I wake up a lot. I just really don’t know what to do at this point. I’m happy to hear that you get some days of good sleep and think that you should try staying at your place so that you can get used to sleeping in your own environment. That’s what I’m going to try and do, starting tonight.

-Nikki

[Martin Reed]

Many sleep-related phobias and concerns are down to mistaken beliefs about sleep. To help with that, I’d recommend this podcast with Dr. Jade Wu:

Busting sleep and insomnia myths with clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist Dr. Jade Wu.

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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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