[Filippo]

I want to share an experience that has marked my view of myself. For many years, with my family, we spent many weekends at a campsite on Palomar Mountain. Lovely place in the middle of nature, huge old trees, little pond, meadows, granite, the works. Few, friendly people around.
a quiet paradise. We slept in a little shed. It’s 10pm. Wife and kids in bed. I am watching the fire. Healthy tired. Healthy sleepy. Sleep drive at 110%… At this point I retire and lay down in the comfort of the silence and smell of nature and sleep. This was so perfect for many years. Then for no apparent reason mistery unfolded. I would feel the sleep wanting to own me but once in the cot, after 10 minutes of laying my internal engine would slowly rev up to the rpms of 10:30 am work day. Fully awake. Ready for anything, anything at all but sleep.
I tried to understand. I measured every aspect of my nights there. BP with a holter, logging SP02 through the night; I bought a ZEO with the head band to see what was happening up in the control room. I took infrared videos of me laying down. Went to a sleep doctor. Could not figure it out. Had to stop going for the night limiting my stay to day time as one night at the campsite would ruin my circadian rhythm for the next 2 days… Even the altitude interpretation (5000ft) proved not relevant after I realized that I could sleep with no issue at similar altitudes in other places…
This mistery attack to my sleep and my faith in my sleeping abilities has slowly but consistently migrated to most of my nights. Sleepiness turn into wakefulness. Sleep is hard to come and easy to go. When it goes it does not seem to want to come back for a long time.
I am 69 now and this stuff started about 15 years ago. But in reality I have never been a good sleeper.
Anybody out there with a similar experience?
Thank you for reading me. Be well

[Martin Reed]

Your description of your experience with insomnia — particularly the ongoing detective work — is not unusual at all, and I am sure you will relate to many of the guests on the Insomnia Coach podcast.

If we can get to a place where we are able to replace the ongoing detective work with actions that help us live by our values and move us toward the kind of life we want to live, and where we are able to drop the often irresistible urge to control sleep or put effort into sleep, we can start to change our relationship with sleep and this, in turn, usually creates better conditions for sleep!

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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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