[Celtic Barb]

I slept fine last summer. I had some health issues. Anxiety  went up an overnight I couldn’t sleep normally and that was last fall. I am somewhat better now but need help. Mild apnea got new doc. Said to lose weight and sleep restriction. I am trying it now but may not being strict enough. I had health issues because of this. May be vit b deficiency.

I have anxiety over this now pretty bad can’t use meds. I need a buddy that will help me through this. Also I know that I can sleep as I have done so.

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forum, Barb — and I am sorry to hear about your struggles with sleep. Chronic insomnia normally has an identifiable trigger, but once that trigger is no longer relevant, sometimes sleep issues can continue to be a problem. This is usually because we start to worry about sleep and compensate for lost sleep.

The strategies we then implement in an attempt to improve sleep can often backfire and make sleep more difficult. Some examples include going to bed earlier than normal, spending more time in bed, taking morning lie-ins, napping during the day, calling in sick to work, trying to conserve energy during the day, etc, etc, etc!

CBT-I techniques such as sleep restriction and stimulus control only work when implemented strictly and consistently. Did your doctor suggest a sleep window for you to follow?

We’ve all got your back and we are all here to support you, Barb. You are not alone.

—

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.

[Celtic Barb]

You made me want to cry. I have been walking this path mostly alone.  Google is not my friend. That is what I did at the start of this. I no longer stay in bed like that.   Yes I am following. I would pay for you if I could.  I have not much of guide to get where I have to go.

 

The doc said to a window to sleep which was very tight and also it did not account for awake time.  I did what he told me tougher last night and I slept even less.  Anxiety is why.  I am following it pretty good now.   Been awake for a long time today.  I was really bad. I had some recovery.

I am tired of them sending me home with a flyer or telling me to do something and no follow up or how to do it or anything.  I know I can sleep and yes the stress is less that caused it.  I know I can sleep and love it.

I don’t lay in bed now. I stay sitting through to keep from pacing via flight or fight mode. I have worried about sleep a lot.  Google is not my friend but I found you via it.  It scares me as well.

I live alone so I need help.  Docs have been useless and it took them month’s to get me help via insurance and paper pushing stuff. Now I got them but they are not trained in this as well.  One did take a class in it.

Please help.

Barb

[Martin Reed]

Hello again, Barb. Are you currently keeping any type of sleep diary or sleep log?

—

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.

[Celtic Barb]

Yes I can send a sample on FB through messenger. Not the greatest because I geuess at timing as I refuse to look at a clock.

[Celtic Barb]

I sent it to you via FBook messenger.  The doc said I need to tighen it up and I have.  That is what I gave him.  He as going to let me hang out here like that for 6 months.   I would face about anything if I knew I would be sleeping soon like I used to. Yes I know maybe not as much as I used to. I slept a lot back then.

 

I would shop and buy food early so I can survive it. This time I forgot to.   I am getting a peer person to help me so maybe they can help me at times.

[Martin Reed]

Hello again, Barb. I received your sleep log but unfortunately, it’s not terribly helpful because you left a lot of entries blank or used large ranges of times. So, we can’t really use your current sleep diary to average your nightly sleep duration or to determine when you usually get into bed and get out of bed.

I did notice that the sleep log you submitted was quite complex and asked a lot of questions! You may find it easier to keep up with a simpler sleep diary such as this one:

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/insomnia-coach/Short+Sleep+Diary.pdf

Generally speaking, the amount of time you allot for sleep should be very close to the amount of time you actually spend asleep. So, after a week, you calculate your average nightly sleep duration. Then, add half an hour to this time to get your sleep window (this should be at least five-and-a-half hours long).

You can then use the sleep window to determine your earliest possible bedtime and your latest possible out of bed time. It’s important to then stick to these times — but bear in mind that the start of the sleep window is the earliest possible time you should go to bed. If your sleep window begins and you don’t feel sleepy, don’t go to bed until you do feel sleepy. However, no matter how well or how poorly you sleep during the night, it’s important to get out of bed by the end of your sleep window every day.

—

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.

[Celtic Barb]

I have been going to bed at midnight.   I used to stay in to 8 AM but then I want to seven and the doc told me 6.  I got up at 6 today.  I am toasted exhausted now and my body doesn’t seem to get that sleepy. I Have been without sleep for a week when it started.

I do go out at my computer tired but go to bed awake at times but I have also fallen right to sleep too.   I am all over the place.  Last night due to google searches and anxiety of doing this I did not sleep much if any but I could have. I do not know.  I know I was up about 5 times for 15 min each.

I know about the window.  I have been worried about pacing like I did when I did something like this before and today I did pace some.

I downloaded the log so thank you.  I will look it over.  I am going back to the doc.   I guess this may be the path out of this.   I just have very high anxiety but my counselor took a course it and also said to do it.  Does it work with people with high anxiety?

Barb

[Martin Reed]

CBT-I techniques are effective at improving sleep even among people with high levels of anxiety. They just need to be implemented correctly and consistently — and the techniques are not easy.

Good luck, Barb!

—

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.

[Celtic Barb]

I understand that they can be. I want to do them. I need to do so.   I will get what info I have to fill out what you gave me. I think I have some since data last Thursday.   I do not take meds of any type.

Yes doing this scares me to hell.   I may have to hold back for a bit so I can go buy food and stuff to have around here so when I do it properly it works. I do not want to pace as the last time I was told to do stuff like this.   That got very bad for me.  It took me a long time to stop doing it and also recover mostly as I am now because I stopped doing it but I did keep an bedtime and a get up time and I stopped sitting on my bed all the time.   I started to stay up longer too.  I did start to do better but still had issues and I am tired of the issues. I am committed to doing what needs to be done. I am 64 years old and had medical issues caused by this.

I could not even talk right by studdering when I was at my worst sleep.   I stopped all the meds and then I started to sleep once in a while. AFter I did try Medical MJ I did sleep normally a few times so that is why I know I can do so.  I did not keep that up though.  I slept sometimes in time and other times not so much due to the anxiety and panic.  Me and stupid google. I had no guide in this so I have not been consistant in some things.   Thank you for telling me the info is not accurate. My friend Katy said as much to me too.

I guess when the doc told me what to do and I read the book about it I went anxiety again.  I was told not to read the book but I know this is the path out so I did.  Even my counselor said in his class about this they said to do such.   I just don’t want to be awake for a week at a time again and or pacing and go backwards.

I think you for answering my question.  I have tried to pace today since I slept very little last night but so far I have kept that mostly under control but I did stand for a while and pace some.   I did that to keep awake.  I also when I did meditation at night via this computer I would dope off. Sometimes then I could go to sleep at night and sometimes not so much.

I can’t separate my bed from my living area. I have been here close to 20 years and it has not been an isssue til recently. I did have trouble sleeping once and it lasted a week and then I crashed and slept. I guess I did a kind of sleep restriction then in a way.   I almost did this then but I slept and that was the end of it for me.

I had it when my before my son was born but that also resolved itself.

This one I took a med and had a bad reaction to it. Doc said it could trigger it so I am guessing my health issues and anxiety and the meds triggered it.  I am willing to do CBT_I.   My doc said there is a risk to it for me.   So I guess he may have wanted me to work it out but with some sleep restrictions and that is hard of course. I started to do some of it before he told me to do some. I still had more time to rest if I needed it when I did it on my own.   I did not stay in bed past 8am.  So I left me 8 hours in bed.  sometimes it felt pretty comfy but then ruminations came in too.  I find less of that on this way but I find more panic in the day time.

I am trying not to talk of it too much but for here as I found that doesn’t help as well.   I just don’t want to pace and get as bad as I was.   But I know most are saying this is what I need to do.  I will talk to my counselor.  He is not an expert in it but he did take a class in it for me.   My friend Cathy when through this and she did it in a way but she left herself 8 hours for bed time.   She did get up and out of bed when awake.  She came out of it.   She did use drugs. I can’t. I react badly to them especally after this stuff.

I will walk the walk as long as I know I will not revert back to what happened to me in the past.   I do not want to pace like that ever again.   It was a nightmare.

I got a peer person that is supposed to come here to help me with recovery. I hope it works out.

I think the CBT is needed to do this.   That is what I seem to be lacking now.

Barb

[Author]

Posts