[Emma]

hello everyone,

I recently had my gallbladder removed, and then had a stomach infection 2 weeks later which resulted in me being readmitted into hospital.

I slept badly one night after discharge from hospital and since then I have not been able to fall asleep by myself for nearly 4 weeks.

I started to sleep one day on and then one day off. However, I then stated to experience nervous system issues and was placed on Xanax for 10 days in order to settle my system.

I am now feeling very anxiois, mainly about my health etc and am looking to change my sleeping habits for the better .

 

 

 

 

 

[Steve]

Hi Emma. Sorry to hear about your recent sleep troubles. I think ,y insomnia was also caused by surgery. You bring up a good question which I am going to ask Martin on here.

 

Martin – Is it possible that surgery somehow has caused our insomnia and if so, can CBT-i help that? I have noticed several people on here saying that after their surgery, they could no longer sleep.

[Martin Reed]

Hello Emma and welcome to the forum. Your story is actually not all that unusual (as suggested by Steve). Sleep disruption is completely normal when we experience a life-changing event or trauma. What you experienced definitely qualifies as both!

Sleep usually recovers once we “get over” or “get used to” whatever the initial trigger was (some other examples might be moving house, changing job, getting married, losing a friend or family member, getting divorced, having a child, etc).

However, sometimes we become very concerned about this sleep disruption even though it’s completely normal because — after all — we rarely (if ever) struggled with sleep before.

When we worry about sleep, we make sleep more difficult. Then, when sleep becomes more difficult, we often implement behaviors to try to improve our sleep or compensate for lost sleep. This can include things like:

• Canceling plans with friends
• Calling in sick to work
• Trying to conserve energy
• Going to bed earlier
• Napping during the day
• Staying in bed later
• Developing sleep rituals

Unfortunately, all these behaviors make sleep worse — and, before we know it, we are perpetuating the sleep issue and this can trigger a vicious cycle of increasing worry and anxiety about sleep, more compensatory behaviors, and worse sleep.

The good news is, you have caught your insomnia relatively early — so it will be easier for you to tackle and get your sleep back on track if you take action sooner rather than later.

It sounds to me as though you would be a good candidate for cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia — have you discussed this with your doctor by any chance?

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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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