[antnego]

Hi Everyone,

I’ve struggled with multiple bouts insomnia for about five years. I’m 40 now. I’ve always been a light sleeper. Other issues I’ve struggled with are ADHD and anxiety.

When I’m not suffering a bout of insomnia, my baseline sleep is around 6-7 hours, trending more towards six.

I have several questions for those in the group:

1) What activities do you do during stimulus control? I currently read a book, but I have to flip the light on for that, which makes me more wakeful. Is it okay to read something or play a simple game on my iPhone with night shift on?
2) I had a regression last night, sleeping only about four hours and not being able to fall back into deeper sleep after that. What PSTs do you use to ward off discouragement after a setback? I had to o use stimulus control a whole
bunch last night. Overall, things have improved, I got 6.5 hours of sleep on day 3.
3) How do you tune out the noise of popular opinion? I’ve seen multiple articles linking lack of sleep to negative health effects. I know they’re only associational studies (not cause and effect), but I still get anxious thinking I’m doomed to have a heart attack or dementia from chronic insomnia. These thoughts are definitely not helpful in curbing my anxiety.

Glad there is support available, and TIA for any feedback.

[Martin Reed]

Hello and welcome to the forum! I’m very encouraged to hear that you’re giving cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) a try.

To answer your questions:

It doesn’t really matter what you do during stimulus control since the primary goal is to simply get out of bed when you’re struggling with sleep so you don’t reinforce the idea that the bed is a place for struggle. A reading light isn’t going to suppress sleep — but it might be a good idea to avoid reaching for the iPhone since they can be quite distracting and stimulating. TV might be a better alternative.

You might find this video helpful: What to do during the night when you can’t sleep because of chronic insomnia.

There will always be good nights and bad nights. Ups and downs are normal. Try to remind yourself of this as you progress! What happens from night to night isn’t very important in the context of your end goal — better sleep for the rest of your life.

Another helpful video: What to do when CBT for insomnia (CBT-I) makes your sleep worse not better.

The best way to tune out the misinformation out there is not to go looking for it — ultimately, I think it’s as simple as that!

I hope this helps.

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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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