[micpoc]

Hello all, this is my introductory post. I have been experiencing insomnia for close to two months now. Falling asleep is not an issue, but staying asleep is. Hope to learn more.

[Scott]

Hello @micpoc, welcome!

What time do you usually go to bed at night, when do you get out of bed to start your day in the morning, and how many hours of sleep would you say you get on an average night?

When you wake in the middle of the night, what is your reaction, if any, to that awakening and what do you do after you wake?

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.

[micpoc]

—What time do you usually go to bed at night
In general, it has usually been whenever I feel sleepy. Since this began, I have tried both going to bed earlier, which just made me awaken earlier. Last night I tried what I understand to be “sleep compression” by using four hours as my guide for trying to get up at 5:30 by going to staying up and out of bed until 1am. I couldn’t quite make it, went to bed around midnight, and awoke between 3 and 3:30am.

—when do you get out of bed to start your day in the morning,
Ideally, I would like to get up about 45 minutes–1 hour before sunrise, which right now means about 5:30 or so.

—how many hours of sleep would you say you get on an average night?
When this first started in late June/early July, it was about four–five hours. It has decreased to about 3.5-4 hours now, at best.

—When you wake in the middle of the night, what is your reaction, if any, to that awakening and what do you do after you wake?
AT this point, my reaction is “OK, I am awake”, rather than pure frustration I felt after a month of it. I have tried a few strategies:
– Rather than try to keep my eyes closed, I try to keep them OPEN; at first, this seemed to get progressively harder, and made falling asleep easier… now, it does not really work anymore.
– I tried sleeping in another room, but the only option (couch in living room) has too much light.
– I have also tried to limit my screen use/blue light exposure.
– I tried a melatonin supplement, which worked PERFECTLY the first night; afterwards, not much or at all.
– Starting tonight (assuming it is going to happen again), I am going to try reading a very dull book in another room.

[Scott]

Based on what you describe, it appears that you’re trying a lot of different tactics to try to “fix” your sleep issue, understandably so! Unfortunately, sleep is one of those rare things in life that doesn’t reward our efforts. The more we try, the more elusive sleep becomes! If you’re only going to bed when you’re truly sleepy, that’s great and I encourage you to continue that practice, along with the other CBT-I techniques.

The items you mentioned at the end of your post are really considered “sleep hygiene” elements, and although good to practice in general, they aren’t really helpful by themselves. Sleep hygiene can lead us to create these “rituals” or routines that really heighten our awareness and anxiousness about our sleep issue. They can also prevent us from engaging in enjoyable things in our life, such as having a glass of wine with dinner, going to a night-time social with our friends, etc.

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.

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