[cat_ncsu]

Hi everyone! I’m new to the forum and happy to be here.

I have had periods of acute insomnia, or at least trouble sleeping, on and off for 20+ years. I have studied sleep pretty thoroughly, and even knew about CBT-i, but have always gotten back to more normal sleep before trying CBT-i.
My insomnia does seem correlated with stress, and a year ago or so I was diagnosed with mild apnea. For the past 3 months, I have had the worst insomnia ever for me, often sleeping only 3-5 hours a night. The anxiety-insomnia cycle was really going! I recently went on vacation and slept great (even without any apnea treatment). When I came back, the insomnia was back within a week!
So about a week and a half ago, I committed to CBT-i. I can see a slow (even if rocky) change even in that short time. Consistent meditation and journaling have seemed to be keys (gratitude, metta, and affirmations!). It was also just great to feel in charge of something (being in bed), since I obviously can’t control sleep itself!!
I am really enjoying the YouTube videos. Thanks for all you do!

[Martin Reed]

Well, we know you can sleep and sleep well — since you did just that when on vacation!

I wonder whether there was a difference in the amount of effort you put into sleep or the amount of pressure you put on yourself to sleep when you were on vacation?

Perhaps there was also a shift in attention away from sleep (something you can’t control) onto all the great activities you were engaged in when on vacation?

That experience sounds like it could be the source of some helpful insights!

Thanks for sharing that you’re enjoying the Insomnia Coach YouTube channel and that you’ve been implementing some new habits to help create good conditions for sleep to occur!

—

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.

[cat_ncsu]

Yes, during vacation (almost 2 weeks) I just let myself sleep as late as I wanted, until the last 3 days when I felt caught up and was waking up more so I set an alarm and slept better. I also had been experimenting with some sleep meds before the vacation, and stayed off of them after the first 2 nights of the trip (it was just ZzzQuil Pure Zzs those first nights, not the prescription one I had already stopped).
I didn’t yet know about CBT-i, so I didn’t implement sleep windows or anything. Of course, I was also away from my bed and routines. I would sometimes still feel awake at times in the night, but either read, listen to a book on tape, or just breathe, all in the hotel bed. And then usually I would go back to sleep.
I didn’t worry about associations with the bed since it was a temporary one.
But according to the CBT-i approach, most of these things are not so good! I’m not sure if it makes sense to put the sleep window idea aside. My main challenge is still anxiety but I can feel it decreasing with time on average.

[Martin Reed]

CBT-I techniques can be helpful if we are engaged in a lot of effort to sleep — when there’s no effort, sleep happens all by itself!

—

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.

[cat_ncsu]

Yes, I’ve found it useful to examine everything I might have added to my routines or habits since the insomnia ramped up. I’ve slowly eliminated them, except for getting out of bed in the AM around the same time every day (or sooner if I’m awake and ruminating), and earlier than I used to.

[Author]

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