[Ruth]

Hello – I’ve come here looking for help after struggling with insomnia for years. For over a year I have taken CBD + THC + some CBN, which has helped a lot off and on. Recently however, I began a week of bad insomnia even while taking these. So I started searching online for help and found CBTi and began a self-coached program (www.talkplus.org.uk). I stopped taking the gummies and only take a full spectrum small mg dosage for anxiety because of breathing issues. After one week of the CBTi program (and no longer taking CBD) things are still pretty bad. It is now 4:55am, and I slept not at all last night. I am being strict with: no screens after 6pm; only reading/writing/sudoku in a room other than my bedroom after 20 minutes not sleeping in bed; recording sleep efficiency. After 1 week in the program, I am getting 50% sleep efficiency. I have just enrolled in the free course through this site. I am looking for any help and tips available! I am sincerely trying to stay positive while going through this difficult process. I want a permanent fix!

[Martin Reed]

Hello Ruth and welcome to the forum. What are you trying to achieve by doing things like not using screens after 6:00 PM and getting out of bed if you’re awake for 20 minutes? Were you doing those things before insomnia showed up, when you were sleeping well?

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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.

[Ruth]

Hi Martin, thanks for replying. Since problems with insomnia began the last couple of years, I read that it’s good to avoid screens within a couple hours of bed. Since getting off gummies very recently, and having insomnia worsen, I figured avoiding screens in the evening might be a good idea. Re: getting out of bed after 20 minutes awake, that is just me following stimulus control.

[Martin Reed]

It sounds as though avoiding screens hasn’t had much of an impact on your sleep — so, if using screens after 6:00 PM is something you enjoy, perhaps that’s something you can reclaim from insomnia?

What is your goal when you get out of bed after being awake for 20 minutes? If it was working, what would be different?

—

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.

[Ruth]

It’s a good question about screen time: if avoiding it isn’t helping, then why am I avoiding it? I am just listening to the studies that show it can be stimulating so it’s best to avoid it. I’m trying to cover every base in hopes that things will change.

My goal in getting out of bed after 20 minutes of not sleeping is to disassociate the bed with tossing and turning and sleeplessness. If it was working, I would have better sleep.

I feel confused by your questions, because it seems like you’re questioning the “rules” of CBTi. 😊

BTW, last night, after finding info on your site about accepting sleeplessness and not fighting it, every time I woke up I said to myself, “it doesn’t matter if I sleep or not.” I slept for 9 hours! But then, the night before I didn’t sleep at all, so my sleep drive was strong!

[Martin Reed]

Questioning the rules — ah, yes that is something I like to do!

Ultimately, I think it’s worth thinking back to when sleep was no problem whatsoever. How many rules did you have in place back then? Is there an insight there?

Of course, some rules can be helpful if we are tangled up in a struggle trying to make sleep happen, trying to get rid of wakefulness, and trying to fight or avoid the difficult thoughts and feelings that can come with insomnia.

A helpful rule, for example, might involve having an earliest possible bedtime and a consistent out of bed time. This can help you move away from chasing after sleep.

Another helpful rule might include doing at least one thing that’s important to you every day, independently of sleep. This helps keep you moving toward the life you want to live, even when all this difficult stuff is present.

An unhelpful rule might involve taking things away from your life, doing less of the things that matter, in an attempt to make sleep happen or to control what your mind thinks or what feelings it chooses to generate. That’s because you can’t control that stuff, and the more you try, the more difficult it can become.

I don’t think there’s any need to get out of bed just because you’ve been awake for a certain amount of time. If you find yourself really struggling with nighttime wakefulness, you might want to do something else that will help you experience the wakefulness with less struggle — and I think it’s OK to do something else in bed, if you’d rather not get out of bed.

I hope there’s something useful here!

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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.

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