[waterflowing]

Hi all, I’ve had insomnia for 4 months. Mine is more of having difficulty falling sleep, though at times I wake up early in the morning around 4am too (like today) and I believed it started after I developed tinnitus in late Dec 2021. I dont have hearing loss; it happened after a visit to the chiropractor.

My mum has tinnitus too for years and it has significantly affected her sleep. When I first got T, my first thought was, “oh no, will I be able to sleep? I’m only in my early 30s, how am I going to leave with T and I for the rest of my life?”

I then did some research and attended a 8-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy course. That, and T counselling helped me in coping with it. I’d like to think I have habituated. The ringing is there, but I’m no longer affected by it.

In the first month, I had difficulty falling asleep due to T. And then, there was this night when I could feel my body was getting heavy & relaxed and falling asleep, but my mind was still awake. My heart started to beat really fast and I started perspiring. It was as if my body was viewing sleep as a threat, and needless to say, I became more alert. This happened a few times per night, and consecutively for a week, until my appointment to see a psychiatrist.

She prescribed me with sleeping meds and asked me to take for a week to reset my sleep.. that didn’t happen and I’m still struggling with it.

I then signed up for Mindfulness Based Therapy for Insomnia, where I got exposed to sleep restriction therapy. I tried that and it didn’t work for me. In fact, it made me more anxious about sleep. I then read up about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I find it a challenge to really accept my condition and wakefulness. I mean, I can tell myself I’ve accepted, but subconsciously, I haven’t.

My anxiety worsened from the lack of sleep and I started to have more anxiety episodes and fleeting thoughts of suicide. I saw my psychiatrist again yesterday and she prescribed me with anxiety medicines.

I have been trying to conceive and have gone through a few cycles of IVF. I was scheduled to start a frozen transfer in May, but have postponed it to August as my body and mind are not in the optimal state. I have left my full-time job in Dec 2021 to take a break from my stressful job, but I’m totally not enjoying my break at all… 🙁

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forum! It might be useful to emphasize that acceptance isn’t about giving up — it’s about accepting that we cannot control what’s out of our control and, ideally, then committing to actions that are in our control and help us move toward the kind of life we want to live, even in the presence of all the difficult stuff that’s outside of our control.

Anxiety itself doesn’t guarantee sleep disruption — but battling with it, trying to fight or avoid it, sure can!

I hope there’s something helpful here.

—

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.

[Author]

Posts