[Victoria D]

hi all, I suffer terribly with insomnia whenever I sleep at home, regardless of which room, mattress, heat etc. I try. However as soon as I sleep away from home whether in a hotel or parents / friends etc I sleep great (albeit On sleep meds which I use each night anyway – mirtrazipine). All factors are the same except location. I’m stumped and very tired. Thanks for you help

[Martin Reed]

Hello Victoria, and welcome to the forum. Finding it hard to sleep at home, but then sleeping fine when away from home is actually quite common and is usually a symptom of conditioned arousal.

In other words, because you have experienced so many nights of bad sleep in your own bed, you have associated your own bed with bad sleep. You have learned that your own bed is a place for wakefulness rather than sleep.

The good news is that since this association has been learned, it can be “unlearned”. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is usually a very effective way to address conditioned arousal and once again make your bed a strong trigger for sleep.

You might also find this video helpful: The three causes of chronic insomnia (and how to fix them so you can improve your sleep).

I hope this helps.

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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 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.

[Victoria D]

Thanks Martin. Good to know there is hope for me yet. I went to sleep at a neighbors house last night just to test the theory again now that I’ve made the link and sure enough i slept well! I watched the video link which is helpful to name the condition but obviously now I need to work out how to fix it. I’m looking forward to getting your two week course started. How much is your CBTI course please and how do you run it? V

[Martin Reed]

Hello again, Victoria. I am sure you will find the free insomnia sleep training course helpful.

If you would like to work with me one-on-one, I currently offer two options —  my phone coaching package or my eight-week online course.

With the phone coaching package, we start with a one-hour call (voice or video — your choice) and come up with an initial two-week plan to help you implement appropriate strategies that will guide long-term improvements in your sleep (such as a regular sleep window, getting out of bed when unable to sleep, etc).

During the two weeks you will keep weekly sleep diaries. After the first week, you will email me the first sleep diary and I’ll offer email-based feedback and guidance. After the second week, you will email me the second sleep diary and we will have a half-hour follow-up call. You can contact me via email at any time during the two weeks for questions, support, or additional guidance.

You can book the phone coaching package here: https://insomniacoach.com/phone/

The online coaching course works like this:

1. After enrollment, you will fill out a sleep history questionnaire and watch the first video that covers sleep education. This will help address any unrealistic expectations or beliefs about sleep that can actually disrupt sleep. You will begin filling out a sleep diary each day at this point, too.

2. One week later, when your sleep diary is full, you will submit the diary to me through the client area and watch the next video session. This will teach you how to allot an appropriate amount of time for sleep so more of the time you spend in bed is spent asleep rather than awake. This helps weaken any learned association between the bed and wakefulness, and it also reduces any sleep effort or sleep pressure you are putting on yourself. I will also analyze your sleep diary at this point and provide you with comprehensive feedback, suggestions, and support through email, based upon any issues I see from your initial week of sleep diary data. You will be filling out sleep diaries throughout the course.

3. One week later, you will submit your next sleep diary and watch the next video session. This video will teach you why it’s important to get out of bed when you can’t sleep and the exact procedure to follow. This will also help create and strengthen the association between the bed and sleep and weaken the arousal system that has created an association between the bed and wakefulness. I will also email you another round of personal support and feedback based on your sleep diary.

4. Two weeks later, you will submit two weeks worth of sleep diary data. Your next pre-recorded video will cover relaxation techniques for you to start practicing to help calm you further before bed. I will also be providing you with another round of personal feedback based on your sleep diaries.

5. Two weeks later, you will submit another two weeks worth of sleep diary data. The next video will teach you about sleep hygiene. You likely know many of these tips, but this is a good opportunity for a refresher (note that sleep hygiene comes very late in the course since it isn’t an effective treatment for insomnia by itself). You will also get another round of personal support and feedback based on your progress at this point.

6. Two weeks later, you will submit your final set of sleep diaries and you will learn about relapse prevention. By now you will very likely be experiencing positive improvements in your sleep. The goal of this session is to prevent any one-off sleepless nights that will occur in the future from triggering another period of chronic insomnia. You will also receive your final round of feedback.

You will have ongoing access to me via email and text message throughout the eight weeks of the course. In other words, contact isn’t limited to each round of feedback you get after completing each session. Any time you have a question or concerns during the eight weeks, you can contact me and I will be there to advise, guide, and support you.

You can enroll here: https://insomniacoach.com/enroll/

I hope this helps! Feel free to contact me directly (or post here) if you have any other questions.

—

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.

[Victoria D]

Hi   Martin

I’m keen to get started on the two week free course. Please could you let me know how I can get started? Many thanks Victoria

Ps I’ve now had three fairly decent nights of sleep in my own bedroom, hurrah

[Martin Reed]

You can enroll in my free two-week sleep training course 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 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.

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