[rjryall]

Hi,

 

I have just joined the forum and hope to learn from sharing here if there is any hope for my pathetic ability to get good quality sleep.

My problems started with the onset of menopause and an autoimmune disorder Hashimoto. That is all managed now but sleep still remains an issue. I have been on 10mgs of sleeping tablet for 6 yrs plus melatonin and a variety of homeopathic concoctions without a great deal of improvement. My biggest problem now is my mental attitude toward it all – no belief in myself to be able to sleep without pills and almost a self loathing because I spend too much time with myself at night as i toss and turn and get to a stage where i am tempted to down the whole bloody bottle of pills just to get away from myself. Then of course I have to deal with myself at work as my productivity is hindered and tolerance is low.

des[erately looking for some help.

Cheers

RJ

[Deb]

I felt pretty pathetic too, with my “stupid” sleep problem. It started last October during some stress. For two months I tried pills, relaxation CDs, hypnotism, etc., but nothing worked. I was miserable and feeling hopeless. I finally learned that insomnia is caused by anxiety. It is a learned condition, where we learn to associate going to bed with anxiety. Therefore, insomnia needs to be unlearned. The treatment for this is CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) which reverses the negative conditioning. It’s not easy to do so I suggest hiring Martin Reed or a cognitive behavioral therapist who knows how to do this specialized treatment for insomnia.

Get off the pills if you can because they are only prolonging the struggle. The longer you go without proper treatment the stronger the association between going to bed and anxiety is growing, making it more difficult to recover. I started working with Martin a few weeks ago and I’m finally getting better.

Here’s a couple of good books that might help you as well:

The Effortless Sleep Method by Sasha Stephens

End the Insomnia Struggle by Colleen Ehrnstrom

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forum, RJ. I am sorry to hear about the difficulties you are facing with sleep. Let me start by reassuring you that you have not lost your ability to sleep and that you are still able to sleep. In other words, your current sleep difficulties do not need to be permanent.

Sleep problems are often triggered by stressful events or times of change — such as a health issue or menopause. Although this is completely normal, it easy to start worrying about our sleep during these moments — and this immediately makes sleep more difficult and perpetuates the problem. So, instead of our sleep recovering once the initial trigger has passed, we continue to experience poor sleep and an ever-increasing level of frustration, worry, stress, and anxiety.

You know that sleeping pills and melatonin supplements aren’t working. Have you investigated the effective, evidence-based long-term solution known as CBT for 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.

[Author]

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