[Georgina]

I joined and then forgot about what I used as a nickname and password. I was so glad to hear from Martin with the information.

Looking forward to seeing what this site has to offer.

Thanks,

Georgina

[Martin Reed]

Hey Georgina – glad we got you in! How about telling us a bit more about your insomnia and typical sleep pattern?

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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.

[Georgina]

Good Morning,

I have had insomnia for about 9 months. It all started with severe back pain, then lots of stress doing renovations on a cottage getting it ready to sell, plus other stresses going on. I just couldn't sleep and finally was put on anti-depressants and sleeping pills. Previous to this, I had always been able to sleep well. I got off the anti-depressants, and the sleeping pills did not help much, so I stopped taking them too. Of course, I had a terrible day of withdrawal, but that is in the past now. I am presently seeing a natural path doctor who is treating me for adrenal fatigue. On good nights I get about 5 hours sleep and bad nights, maybe 2 hours. I was so glad to get on the sleeping training you are offering Martin. It is helping me very much and I am restricting myself now to going to bed later in the evenings. I previously would go to bed at 8:00. I would start worrying about sleeping and then would feel that I was awake so much of the night. As well as your training program, I am also reading a wonderful book on my kindle. It is called “Overcoming Insomnia and Sleep Problems” by Colin Espie. I would highly recommend this book to other folks that are having sleeping problems. You can look it up on amazon.com to get info on it. This book gives a lot of information on the stages of sleeping. It is a very positive book and I find it very encouraging. I am now keeping a sleeping diary to get a handle on my sleeping pattern. I stopped taking naps, I am getting outside for walks to get more light and have found listening to ocean waves is helping me relax as I get into bed. I have been praying about my problem as well and I feel very positive that I will get a healthy sleeping pattern back into my life. For all those people out there, I know how you feel but do not give up. There is light at the end of the tunnel and you will be able to sleep better. Georgina

[Martin Reed]

It sounds like you're making great progress – keeping a sleep diary is always a good idea, too!

Keep in touch, and long may your improvements continue.

—

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.

[owl2020]

Glad you are making progress. I think going to bed later (e.g., when you are tired) and exercising more are two of the more helpful things you are doing. I also find a slow stroll in the early evening helpful to tire and relax me. However, make sure the stroll ends at least 2 hours before bedtime and note this is not a “fast” walk. I have had insomnia about a year and I range from a low of 3 hours sleep to a high of 6 hours sleep. Hopefully your 2 hour nights will become less and less frequent, as mine did over time. I found functioning on 2 hours to be awful; 3 hours minimum is better but not by a lot. I am hoping my worst nights will eventually become about 4 hours (which is what I got last night). There doesn't seem to be any quick solution to insomnia so you have to be prepared to “tough it out” for awhile and not giveup. Sometimes when I get several nights of little sleep I get somewhat depressed, but I keep in mind that when my “sleep deficit” builds up enough I will get a night of 5 to 6 hours sleep. So my advice is be prepared for temporary setbacks but stay on the course you have chartered.

[Georgina]

I thought I was supposed to be Georgina. :huh:

I didn't type that second post. (number 3). Just the first post is mine.

[Georgina]

ok now, so I am the first Georgina and my story is different than the other Georgina….

I looked after my mom from 2001 to 2004. She had alzheimer's and was a sundowner and up all night. So I had to stay up all night so she wouldn't wonder away, and we slept all day.

I have never slept at night since, that is 10 years ago. I can sleep if I take a whole lot of pills, like a couple gravol, some allergy pills and a tranquillizer, but usually I only stay sleeping for about 2 hours, then I am up. I do catch up during the day. I sleep nearly all day long. If the sun is shining in the window, I get very sleepy, but as soon as it is dark, I am wide awake.

I don't know if things will ever change. I am already 71 yrs old. 🙁

[Georgina]

Didn't realize there are two Georginas on this forum, so I will call myself Georgina 2. It is presently 11:30 and I am trying to keep myself up until 12:00. The hard part is trying to figure out what to do in the evenings to keep myself busy. It is so tempting to go to bed but I really want to do the sleep restriction. Is there anyone else out there trying this also? Georgina2

[Caers]

Hey Georgina and Georgina 2

I only try to keep myself up when I haven't slept all night, or much at night, and want to stay awake until the evening. It doesn't really work well though, I usually fall asleep during the day anyway, and I often take naps during the day for other reasons. I find staying up late on purpose doesn't help me.

Have you found it helps, since your last post?

[Georgina]

The sleep restriction did not work well at all, so I am back to going to bed about 9:30, read for a short while and then do a relaxation tape. I turn the light off about 10:30 but have trouble getting to sleep. I get about 3 to 4 hours sleep on the average. I am presently waiting for cortisol level test results to see if my cortisol levels are high. It was done through DiagnosTech in Kent, Washington. It consisted of doing four saliva tests throughout a day. I don't fall asleep during the day, but lie down to rest my back, as I have sciatica pain. The pain is what started my lack of sleep in the first place. My back is much better and does not hurt when sleeping. It would be wonderful to have a full night of deep sleep. Georgina 2

[owl2020]

Sorry the sleep restriction didn't work for you, as I found it helpful and I am usually able to fall asleep in 5 to 10 minutes (I go to bed around 12:30 and get up around 6:30). The problem I continue to have is on “bad nights” I wake up usually after 3 to 3 1/2 hours sleep and can't get back to sleep. CBT recommends that you get up and do something if you can't get back to sleep within 20-30 minutes and then go back to sleep later. However, I have found it doesn't make any difference if I get up and do something or just lie in my bed. Either way on “bad nights” I get 3 to 3 1/2 hours sleep. On “good nights” I can get back to sleep fairly quickly, and wind up with anywhere from 4 to 6 hours sleep. I've been told this is because after 2 or 3 “bad nights” my “sleep deficit” builds up enough that I can fall back to sleep and get 4 to 6 hours. So it is almost like some type of internal body clock which I can't do much about. There have been occasions when I have gotten 2,3 or even 4 nights in a row of 4-6 hours sleep, but sooner or later I go back to 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Does anyone else have this type of sleep pattern? Has anyone else found a good strategy for getting back to sleep if you wake up during the night? By the way, I had a cotisol level test and found it was in a normal range, so that is not my problem. Maybe you will find otherwise Georgina2.

[Georgina]

Thanks for your response about sleep restriction. I have also found that it doesn't make any difference if I get up and read in another room or just lie in bed. Last night I started out with a relaxation tape, went to sleep but woke up in about an hour with a very dry mouth and couldn't get back to sleep. I think I got about 2 hours sleep, as it felt like I was awake most of the night and I try and not look at a clock. It was a bad night, like you mentioned, as the night before was better and I got about 4 hours sleep. It seems every third night is a bad night. I had been out gardening most of yesterday and was really tired. I thought with all the exercise and sunshine it would make a difference but it didn't. Do others find this also happens when you exercise or do you sleep better? Friends and family just can't understand how I can go to bed and just lie there without drifting off. They have absolutely no idea what insomnia is like. I will find out about my cortisol levels in about a week's time when my doctor gets back from vacation. I haven't slept with my husband for 9 months. He doesn't understand that his snoring or heavy breathing keep me awake too. I have another bedroom that I have fixed up with a fan going, window open and no clock. I am going to be positive, as I know I am capable of sleep. I just need to stay asleep. Georgina 2

[owl2020]

I think that exercise late in the afternoon and early evening is most likely to help with sleep, particularly a walk at a slow pace (but don't walk within at least 2 hours of bedtime). I try to do 2 or 3 walks a day. However, walking a lot is no absolute guarantee of a good night's sleep; one time I really walked all over the place and I thought I would get a great night's sleep. However, I only got about 2 1/2 hours sleep. So there is not one factor that controls the amount of sleep you get. The various things you do to sleep better can help but they all have limitations. Also my partner snores, so we have to sleep separately. If you have sleep problems you just can't have someone snoring next to you. A number of couples sleep apart, so this is not unusual. However, unless you have insomnia it is difficult to understand what a person with insomnia is going through. Insomnia just drains the strength out of you and can make you feel depressed. If you have a few bad sleep nights in a row you feel like a zombie, just doing the minimum to get through the day. Since I have the same problem as you I can understand what you are going through. I always hope for a “good sleep night” that will restore my mental and physical strength; the “good sleep nights” keep me going and help make up for the “bad sleep nights”, but only to a limited extent. Some people take the attitude that if you have insomnia you must be doing something wrong to cause it. I have spent so much time trying to find ways to improve my sleep over the last year that I find that attitude annoying. I'm open to trying anything halfway reasonable to help with my insomnia, but I don't see where I am the cause of my own insomnia. Anyway, this forum is helpful in that we can vent about our sleep problem with people who really understand the problem. I wish more people would join these discussions; that is how we can learn more about what works and what doesn't work for insomnia.

[Georgina]

I swim three times a week around 10:00 a.m. in the morning. Sometimes it is difficult to think about going, but once I have had a swim, I feel more energy and more alert. I also have taken walks and find that it doesn't seem to affect how I sleep. I am like you and have tried everything I can think of to help me sleep, one being enrolling in Martin's sleep training. I don't get as anxious now as I used to when I would only get a couple of hours sleep. I realize I will have better sleep nights. Something seems to wake me up and I really don't know what causes that. I received an email from Martin and he mentions that some folks with insomnia may have abnormal breathing, which wakes them up. Last night, was a good night. I am guessing that I got about 4 to 5 hours. I just know that I wasn't lying in bed all night wide awake. It is very frustrating when you go to bed and you don't know how your night is going to be. Sleeping used to be so easy for me before and I just want it back. Georgina 2

[owl2020]

I also had a good night last night – I got between 5 1/2 and 6 hours sleep. These are the type of nights that keep me going, since I know I will probably have some not so good sleep nights in the future. You mention that you got an e-mail from Martin that indicates your waking up may be due to abnormal breathing. He may be talking about sleep apnea, which I have been diagnosed with. With sleep apnea you may actually wake up and fall back to sleep a number of times during the night without realizing it; in theory it could also finally cause you to just wake up and not get back to sleep. However, I have a friend who has bad sleep apnea who could not tolerate the CPAP device that is used to treat it and he sleeps 7 hours a night. I also could not tolerate the CPAP device (a mask connected by a tube to a machine that helps “normalize” your breathing while asleep), although I take a “Sleep Apnea Relief” capsule every night put out by one of those internet companies that specializes in herbal remedies. The man who concocted the capsule claims he had been using CPAP but disliked it, and now doesn't need it with the capsule. I don't know if it really helps me, but I take it every night. So you may want to be tested for sleep apnea, although that involves an overnight stay at a facility where you will be connected to a whole bunch of wires. Then if you have sleep apnea you will have to decide if you can tolerate the CPAP device. So sleep apnea may or may not cause you to wake up and stay awake if you have it. Being overweight and drinking alcohol a lot are two possible causes of sleep apnea, but there can be other reasons. Clearly there are other factors that can cause you to wake up during the night. I wake up because I need to urinate in my opinion. The key factor is whether or not I can then fall back to sleep; on good nights I can on bad nights I can't. Why this is so is the million dollar question with regard to my sleep insomnia; I don't know what the answer is. So you may or may not want to look into sleep apnea, but be aware of the limitations I mention above. If you have it and can tolerate the CPAP device it may improve your sleep but there is no guarantee of that.

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