[aplkzz12]

This all started a few days ago on Sunday, when I went to bed and started worrying about some school work I had to do the next day. I kept thinking about it and the next thing you know, boom it’s 5 AM and you have school in 2 hours.

At that point, my body just refused to sleep at all for the remainder of those 2 hours, and what was once anxiety about homework soon turned to anxiety about not sleeping. And as you may have figured it out, it led me to not sleeping the entire night.

Fast forward the next day, I arrive home from school and take a nap from 12 PM all the way to 6 PM, thinking maybe I can get some rest later tonight. Nope.

I hopped in bed at around 11 PM and started browsing the internet for a little bit to control my anxiety about sleeping. Not realizing how fast time passes, I was once again awake at 5 AM with no sign of falling back asleep. And I didn’t. I almost started panicking due to this anxiety.

I’ve just arrived from school again and I’m not gonna take a nap hoping for some sleep tonight, it’s honestly gotten to the point where my brain thinks I’ll die from not sleeping and I’ll never sleep again, shit like that.

What is the best way I can get through this?

[NeuroShock]

Hello! I also had thoughts of dying from not sleeping, and I’ll never sleep again. But it was all just nonsense due to my sleep anxiety.

You need to challenge those irrational thoughts. You can imagine yourself waving a magic wand like a Hogwarts student.

“I’ll never sleep again”. Riddikulus! You just had a 6-hour long nap yesterday. You obviously haven’t lost the ability to sleep. Just the ability to sleep at night!

“I’ll die from not sleeping”. Riddikulus! Many people on this forum use a technique called Sleep Restriction. They set a strict sleeping schedule that deliberately deprives them of sleep by only allowing them to go to bed between a certain time like 12.30 am to 6 am. That’s only 5 and 1/2 hours. Personally, I’ve only had between 3 to 5 hours’ sleep per day in the last 3 days by following this technique. But I don’t worry about sleeping so little, because I know I won’t die from it. When your brain goes without sleep for long enough, it will sleep, unless there are torturers physically waking you back up by chucking you in a swimming pool or something.

Look under the “resources” menu at the top of this page and sign up for the Free Insomnia Sleep Training course.

I hope you get rid of your insomnia soon. Good luck!

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forum. The good news is, everything you’ve shared proves that you are still capable of sleep — but you are not giving yourself the opportunity to sleep at night.

You slept for six hours during the day, waking up at 6 PM, so it was never going to be easy to fall asleep again just five hours later. You were awake for less time than you spent asleep, so sleep was going to be almost impossible at 11 PM because you were not sleepy enough for sleep.

The best thing you can do at this point is probably to avoid sleeping during the day and sleep only at night. Only go to bed at night when you feel sleepy, and make sure you get out of bed at the same time each day. Within a few days, it is very likely that your sleep will recover.

I hope this helps!

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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 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.

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