[Angel R.]

I am aware insomnia itself is not fatal at all. But, long term insomnia for decades (I have only had it for about a year and I will be getting professional help very soon) can cause health problems. Can having insomnia for decades indirectly be fatal?

• This topic was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Angel R..

[Chee2308]

The short answer is no. There is no evidence chronic insomnia causes major health problems. There are people who have had it for decades and are still otherwise healthy but they could have ended it much faster if they had done the cbt-i techniques for insomnia

[Edgar]

I think it’s a matter of semantics. In theory no, but it’s hard to measure.
Insomnia makes you more susceptible to heart attacks, strokes, epilepsy, depression and accidents. When one of those things happens (not saying it has to), the official COD will of course never state “insomnia”.
That’s why it’s especially important for us poor sleeoers to keep our other things in life in check (no smoking, no drinking,eating healthy…).
My grandfather was a terrible sleeper all his life, but otherwise lead a healthy life, and lived to be 84.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by Edgar.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by Edgar.

[Chee2308]

Hi Edgar, I totally agree with your answer. In general, people should be doing all that (eat healthy, no smoking, no alcohol, regular exercise) even if they sleep fine. But I’d imagine it’s a lot worse if an insomniac were to do all those things. However, insomniacs are probably much too obsessed about their sleep to be enjoying things like eating rich foods excessively, or drink excessively etc.

[Angel R.]

I appreciate both of your responses. Believe it or not, I might’ve cured my insomnia or at least made it significantly better. I noticed that when I didn’t sleep well I wouldn’t exercise, listen to music, watch movies, play videos game, or do anything enjoyable. I started to do what I would do normally (when I would sleep well) and literally within the first day, the anxiety over sleep went away. The obsession with sleep led to said anxiety and in return, that same anxiety caused my insomnia. It has been 5 days and I have slept like a baby and I am very optimistic I will continue to do so since my sleep anxiety is currently non-existent. I don’t want to celebrate victory too early, but, I think I may be on to something.

[Edgar]

@ Chee – absolutely agree. Sleep is a time when the whole body recovers, gets rid of toxins and all that. It’s only logical to assume that a normal sleeper’s body and brain can handle more abuse than an insomniac’s body and brain.

@ Angel – living like you don’t have insomnia, i.e. ignoring it as much as you can, is the best thing you can do. This approach helped me with my first bout of insomnia a long time ago and the insomnia didn’t return for a long time after that. Glad to hear your sleep is improving.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by Edgar.

[Chee2308]

Hey Edgar and Angel! Yes Insomnia is beatable! I am glad both of you are in the process of putting this ugly episode behind your lives and sleeping better. I too developed insomnia 2 months ago after a brief illness and now on the mend. I too have been sleeping almost like I used to for past 6 nights while implementing sleep restriction, but I did experience more frequent awakenings than usual. However, I do find myself falling asleep pretty quickly after these awakenings so I guess I am doing fine. The anxieties about sleep do come back once in a while, however, not as bad as before. I also find myself experiencing moodiness and slight depression due to the lack of sleep. But I fully expect my mood and depression to go away once I start sleep better.

[Martin Reed]

What a HUGE insight, Angel R.!!!

The more we can go about our days as normal, regardless of how we sleep, the less we worry about sleep — exactly as you have experienced!

The less we worry about sleep, the easier sleep usually becomes — exactly as you have experienced!

Thank you so much for sharing this big insight — and good on you for giving yourself the opportunity to experience these improvements by going about your day as normal and not modifying your days in response to difficult nights of sleep!

Here are a couple of videos related to this:

Adding more enjoyable moments to your life and planning fun activities reduces the power of insomnia.

If you have insomnia, what happens tonight is far less important than what you do today and tonight.

Finally, I would also like to confirm that there is no evidence that chronic insomnia causes any health problem whatsoever!

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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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