[Jennifer Ellison]

I am doing so much better after three months with Martin’s coaching. I am a 20 year insomnia sufferer who has tried it all. The natural way ( supplements, Sleep Hygiene, acupuncture, weed, tonics of all sorts) and the traditional sleep meds ( anti-depressants, benzos, Ambien, Sonata etc , etc.) . I’ve been under the care of psychiatrists and had cognitive therapy. Nothing really worked for very long until now. I have also lead a very active life. I take good care of myself and am a very successful person, even with the insomnia always in the background. Somehow with only 2-3 hours of sleep on many nights., I have managed to succeed at a very challenging career, raise 4 really cool kids, hold my marriage of 25 years together and remained extremely physically active, hiking 30 miles a week and other sports related activities. For many years I resigned myself to insomnia and just lived with it. Something changed after my dad died last year. I set a goal to tackle my insomnia. After many months and failed attempts I literally stumbled on CBT-I on a Google search and found Insomnia Coach and Martin. For years I searched the internet for solutions . There’s much on Sleep Hygiene, but CBT-I remains buried and even my “shrink” had never heard of it. Right before Christmas I found Martin and literally enrolled on December 23rd desperate to get started even with a house full of grown children and their partners returning home for the holidays. When I started with Martin I tapered of Xanax for about 2 weeks into the course. Then stopped all-together. I have not taken any form of sleep mediation for 10 weeks now. I feel so much better. When I started with Martin I had to taper off Xanax for about 2 weeks into the course. Then stopped all-together. I have not taken any form of sleep medication for 10 weeks now. I feel so much better.

No joke, the CBTI road is hard and long. But let me reassure you that if you are a long time insomnia sufferer like me, its not as bad as the years of terrible sleep and the day and days of awful fatigue and brain fog. I have certainly struggled even as recently as three weeks ago. But even after the first two weeks I knew this was the right thing for me and that I would prevail. Right now my sleep efficiency is 87% and am finally filling up my 5 1/2 hour sleep window on most nights. I sleep straight through the end of my sleep window on most nights, mostly without waking and my days are amazing compared to just a few weeks ago. CBT-I is absolutely the best thing I’ve ever done to improve my sleep. Some people take longer than the 8 week prescribed course to show truly great improvement. That was true for me. But Martin stuck with me and I with him and honestly there is no way I could have done this without his coaching. For those of you struggling after weeks of CBT-I, don’t give up! If I can sleep well after suffering for so many years, you can too. For those questioning if this is right for you, go to the Mayo Clinic Website. They list CBT-I as the first line of therapy for insomnia…Before Medications. Wish I knew that 20 years ago.

[Martin Reed]

Thank you so much for sharing your transformation, Jennifer — I just know that your story is going to help, encourage, and reassure a lot of people.

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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.

[hiker]

Hi Jennifer, I can definitely relate to your story. I have been dealing with insomnia on a consistent basis for 40+ years. Tried, let’s see….sleep studies, CPAP, 20+ Rx antidepressants /sleep meds, psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, sleep restriction, continued good sleep hygiene, etc etc. And I do best when I just accept it: “Okay, I’m tired, I’ll just do the best I can.”

So it is encouraging that someone like you, who has travelled a similar long road, got help from Martin’s course.
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Hi Martin, I am sure you can understand why I am skeptical that your course will help me, though I must say Jennifer’s account is impressive. My wife is very sympathetic but understandably not enthusiastic about my spending yet more money to find a cure which has seemed non-existent.

Many people offer a “money back guarantee” if a product doesn’t work. But maybe you mean it. You do offer a free seminar and work hard to respond on the forum. I do want to believe your course can help.

[Martin Reed]

There is a money-back guarantee for my online course. If you remain on schedule, implement all the techniques you’ll learn, and see no improvement in your sleep then you will get your money back. All the “legalese” for this can be found in the terms of service, under section 10.

—

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.

[Jill Fisher]

Hi Jennifer,
Great news for you!! Your story is inspiring to me. Just wanted to know – ( if you don’t mind sharing) is your sleep window- still only 5 .5 hours after 2 months on the course?

(I am really struggling still after doing the course. And think i probably need to really restrict my sleep window again).
Thank you
cheers Jill

[Mac0908]

Really inspiring post. Enjoyed it.

Just curious if you don’t mind sharing… What originally started/triggered your insomnia all those years ago?

[EddaK]

Jennifer, that is absolutely awesome! I am so happy for you. I am at the very beginning of learning and implementing CBTI and am sincerely hoping and praying for similar results.

[SUSIE]

Thankyou so much for sharing your experience. I too have lived with insomnia on an off for many years going back to childhod. I found Martins podcast a couple of days ago and for the first time in a very long time i’m feeling a real sense of hope. I’ve just signed on to the forum and reading through the posts is deeply moving. Just hearing about other people who have gone through the hell of insomnia and recovered is wonderful. One of the hard things about insomnia is how alone i feel at times. No one i know seems to understand the hell that it can be. Thankyou again for sharing.

[pfeiffrk]

Hi Jennifer,
Your podcast was awesome – thank you so much. I have had trouble sleeping for around 5 months. I am on week 9 of CBTI and my experience so far with CBTI is almost identical to yours.

I am able to build sleep pressure and eliminate onset insomnia but after 2-4 hours I am up.

When I awaken I am not anxious and I then drift in and out of very light sleep – I never go back to deep sleep.

On your podcast I heard you identify that your daytime focus on sleep was causing nighttime arousal. I also saw you mention that you do yoga and meditate to help with your arousal system.

I have a few questions regarding your success in this area.

Was changing the actions for sleep research and discussion enough to change your thoughts and help with the nighttime awakenings or was there more to it than that. I am looking for as much detail as you can give me on how you “let go”.

There are times I can expel sleep thoughts on days that I feel ok, but I want to expand that and I am not sure what the right way to go about it is.

Thanks,

Ryan

[Jennifer Ellison]

HI Ryan,
Thanks for reaching out. So sorry for the delay. I thought I had responded to you -but, turns out my message didn’t post. My apologies. The podcast was indeed fun and an honor for me. I’m glad you found it helpful.

As for your question: the nighttime arousal and wakefulness after 2-4 hours of sleep was absolutely the most challenging for me and to some degree still is. On the nights I have trouble with sleep, the problem of not being able to return to sleep is the issue. However, it has and continues to improve and become less frequent. so don’t give up on this. Sleep will win.

Now to your question.. Yes, Yoga and meditation and the relaxation audio provided by Martin were and still are things I turn to as daily practice for the purpose of relaxation during the day. I find that a daily practice that involves one or more of these was key for me in diminishing the arousal system. Just so you know, I never practiced yoga nor mediation before my CBTI training which started in December 2019. I added it to the CBTI course during my 13 weeks in the program. So i’m fairly new at this and don’t have all the answers. I have a very active mind (in mediation circles they call it a “monkey mind). I recognized I needed to train my monkey mind to be active when appropriate . This was not just for sleep purposes but for overall well being. Meditation and mindfulness training has been of great help. However, that’s not all of it. “Letting go” for me also included an acceptance that it was “ok” whether I sleep through the night or not. I’ve learned to let go of judging myself for this and re-frame the wakefulness when it happens. . This took time. If i have a night now when i wake and can’t easily return to sleep i often read in bed. When I put the book down, I think thoughts of gratitude for this quiet and peaceful time I’ve given myself in the middle of the night. I always read something inspired, positive and hopeful. (anything by Pema Chodron lately. ).

Additionally, I got to a place where I recognized that it was simply time to let go of all the daily efforts around sleep. No listening to podcasts, online research, no more sleep diaries, no daytime ruminating or worry about how it might be tonight.. just let it be. When I wake in the night, I immediately tell myself, “it doesn’t matter if I return to sleep or not” tomorrow will be what it is… I can handle it…. and that’s that. While you may think you’re not waking up anxious, you actually are probably thinking on some level ..” shi@#t… I’m awake.” This was true for me. I also let myself stay in bed more than I used to if awake. If I feel relaxed in bed,I stay there. For me the constant getting out of bed and returning 30 minutes later, often was more frustrating than laying awake in my comfortable bed where the conditions are right for sleep. So now if I wake up and I’m not frustrated, I just stay in bed. I find this is better for me.

On the nights you do sleep through the night or wake up and fall back to sleep easily, perhaps remind yourself that your body is capable of this. Celebrate it a bit in the morning! Maybe just a conscious practice of gratitude for a restful night. I found my confidence increased in my ability to return to sleep when I paid some attention to the successes. Martin was key in encouraging me to acknowledge the good nights more than I was.

You’re right that on “good” days, when you’ve had sufficient sleep it’s easier to expel sleep thoughts than when you feel intense fatigue. Me too. I think that’s normal. On those days, (and this still happens to me) I keep busy with anything other than worrying or ruminating about last night. I remember that tonight is another fresh opportunity to sleep well. That what happened last night is in the past and has no bearing on tonight. Also, when I get that wonderful feeling of “sleepy” whether during the day or not, I pause and pay attention. I want my mind to remember what this feels like so that when I wake in the night, I recognize the cues for sleepy more easily.

Ryan, there’s probably more I could say, but wonder after you read this if other questions pop for you? if so, don’t hesitate to reach out.

You can do this! If you’ve fixed the falling asleep component, you’re already so much better off than you were before. You will beat this!

Take good care,
Jennifer

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