[Sailguy]

I have had difficulty sleeping since I was a child. I am 65 now. I am on numerous sleep medication.  If I go to the doctor he just dispenses more meds. My pattern now is go to bed at exactly 10 pm after many sleep rituals. Fall asleep rather easily then wake up at midnight, 2am then wide awake at 3:30. Then panick and take more sleep meds to knock myself out. So I guess my problem is very early morning awakening and prescription medication use. Is sleep restriction recommended for this type of insomnia. Should I attempt to reset my circadian clock and how do I say no to relief in a bottle when it is so easy to use. Wondering what sleep meds others are taking and if they are effective. It seems my doctor will prescribe virtually anything.

Thanks for reading this

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Martin Reed]

Hello Sailguy. I am sorry to hear that the only ‘solution’ you are being offered is sleep meds.

Sleep rituals aren’t usually helpful because they are another way of putting effort into trying to sleep. As soon as we try to sleep, we make sleep more difficult.

What kind of rituals are you employing?

When you go to bed at 10:00 PM, are you sleepy enough for sleep? If not, it’s usually a good idea to wait until you feel sleepy before going to bed.

You didn’t mention whether you have a regular morning out of bed time. Do you have a set arise time, or do you get out of bed at a different time every day?

On a typical night, how many hours of sleep do you think you get?

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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.

[Sailguy]

My rituals include a set period of time for tv, for reading for trying to relax in general. But I am constantly watching the clock. As I turn out the lights I turn on the radio for companionship. I usually fall asleep pretty rapidly. It is hard to say if my body is naturally sleepy or if its from the sleep meds I start taking earlier in the evening.  In the past I have had long periods of difficulty falling adleep. But that is far more transient. Now, as I said, I am taking ambien and restoril at 3:30 am. I usually knock myself and sleep until 7am when I get out of bed. I know that technically I am getting enough hours but I feel totally drugged and worry that for a person my age all these drugs could lead to cognitive impairment.  I have not been able to find any quick fixes for my type of insmomnia but feel certain that sleep in a bottle is not the way to go. Does cbt-i sound appropriate for me? I am not sure how to use the techniques without waking myself up more.

Thanks fot reading this

 

[Martin Reed]

Hello again, Sailguy.

I can certainly offer you some guidance points, based on what you’ve shared.

First of all, I would recommend reserving the hour before the start of your sleep window as your buffer zone. When the buffer zone starts, you no longer check the clock until your alarm goes off in the morning and you only go to bed when you feel sleepy enough for sleep.

If you have to, remove or cover the clocks in your house and move your phone or alarm clock to the other side of your bedroom and turn the face away so you can’t see the time.

If you find that the radio helps you fall asleep, then that is fine (although not ideal). However, what I would suggest is seeing if you can run the radio on a timer so it switches off after a certain amount of time. That’s because the changes in volume that are typical during broadcast programming disrupt sleep and even if you aren’t consciously aware of this, this will be reducing your sleep quality and increasing the likelihood of nighttime awakenings. If you need some sound as a distraction, a white noise machine is usually a better option.

If you are taking Ambien and Restoril at 3:30 AM it is little surprise that you feel so lousy when you get out of bed at 7:00 AM. Did your prescribing physician offer you any guidance as to when to take these drugs?

Nothing you have described so far suggests that CBT-I would not be an effective option for you. Have you discussed CBT-I with your doctor?

—

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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