[krusso]

Hi all, I’m a 57 y.o. female & my biggest sleep challenge is FALLING asleep.  I don’t know what the cause of my sleep issue is.  Not sure what has helped me sleep either LOL ugh…It was an link in an insomnia support group on Facebook that I just decided to try to see if I could get some help.  I’ve tried everything from warm milk ALL the up the insomnia ladder to Seroquel.  Melatonin gives me migraines & Benadryl upsets my restless legs.  Magnesium gives me “the runs” & I was told by my Walgreens pharmacist that ALL types of magnesium not only gives you “the runs” but it doesn’t make you “sleepy” or “drowsy” it relaxes your muscles but if you’re looking for something to make you “sleepy” or “drowsy” magnesium really won’t help.  Also, I don’t want my insomnia to be an evening filled with taking multiple supplements that won’t help.  Been there done that.  My main worry about my insomnia is I’ll never sleep again.  On a REALLY bad night I’ll get 4 hrs sleep, so at least I’m getting half a night of sleep.  Thank you for listening & I look forward to getting some help & even helping some of you out there 🙂

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forum, Karen — glad you managed to get registered in the end! So, your biggest issue is falling asleep at the start of the night. Is this correct?

If so, can you tell us what time you normally go to bed at night, and when you normally get out of bed in the morning? How long does it normally take you to fall asleep? Do you nap during the 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 Clarity 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.

[krusso]

Yes, I have major problems falling asleep after I go to bed which is usually 11 pm.   I usually get out of bed around 8:30 for an average time.  Even if I fall asleep around 2 am, I can’t seem to sleep until 9 am which would give me 7 hrs sleep.  Yes, I nap but I call it “relaxing” AND I set my alarm so I relax for 1 1/2 hrs sometimes I can’t sleep so I get up after relaxing for an hour.  But yes, I do nap.  As to how long it normally takes me to fall asleep, that varies from 30 min – 3 1/2 Hours….

[Martin Reed]

If you had no daytime routine or commitments, and you could go to bed whenever you wanted (and sleep as long as you wanted) do you think you’d still struggle with sleep? For example, let’s say you were able to go to bed around 5 am every day and stay in bed until around noon — do you think you’d be able to do so?

—

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 Clarity 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.

[krusso]

If I were able to go to bed at 5 am every morning, no, I wouldn’t be able to STAY in bed until noon.  I’d get WAY too restless.  Also, there’s a BIG difference between “going to bed” & “falling asleep.”  When you “go to bed” most people assume you’re “going to sleep” – NOT true!  I USED to be that way, where “go to bed” meant “go to sleep” but not anymore.  But I assume you mean “sleep.”  A more detailed answer is no.  When I fall asleep at 5 am I literally can’t sleep until noon.  That’s why it’s SO important that I’m asleep at the latest by 1 am, because when I finally return to bed & fall asleep by even 3 am, I’m automatically awake by 7 or 8 am which gives me 4-5 hrs sleep.

My body has its set time for falling asleep & waking up & I can’t change that.  The ONLY time that changes is when either I’m sick or had a procedure like an endoscopy that type of thing.

The other reason I really need at least 7 hrs sleep most nights is because I have a severe lung infection I’m on antibiotics for & our bodies need sleep in order to product hormones that perform tissue repair – in other words, healing.

 

[Martin Reed]

The reason I asked the questions I did was to determine if perhaps you may be experiencing delayed sleep phase syndrome. That doesn’t seem to be the case.

It sounds as though you are putting a lot of importance on falling asleep by 1:00 am at the latest. Putting pressure on yourself to fall asleep by a certain time (or simply trying to force sleep) immediately makes sleep more difficult because it activates the arousal system, and this can override the body’s natural sleep mechanisms (such as sleep pressure/drive and the natural sleep/wake cycle).

Trying to sleep is a fruitless exercise because, put simply, we cannot sleep on command. When we try to do this, we not only activate the arousal system, but we also keep the mind active so it can keep checking on whether or not we’ve fallen asleep. Unfortunately, this tends to keep us awake — but, if we do fall asleep, when the brain suddenly realizes the body is sleeping it might jerk as awake to tell us!

I completely understand your desire to get at least seven hours of sleep, particularly since you have a severe lung infection. It’s worth repeating however, that just as we can’t force ourselves to fall asleep, we can’t force ourselves to get a certain amount of sleep. So, putting pressure on yourself to get a certain amount of sleep can also make sleep more difficult.

When you get into bed and are unable to sleep, how long do you wait before getting out of bed? Have you tried any of the techniques (such as the half hour-half hour rule) described on the stimulus control page?

—

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 Clarity 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.

[krusso]

I agree & understand with everything you said – it all makes complete sense & I also consider myself an “insomnia expert’ by default, sadly.  I usually give myself 1/2 hr to 45 min to “just relax” I don’t even THINK the word “sleep” to me it’s just “relaxing & resting” R&R, if you will.  So it’s less than an hour, usually before I get out of bed if I realize I’m still awake.

[Author]

Posts