[chloe]

I have been suffering with Insomonia all my life. Although manageable at first, having had many stressful periods in my life lately it has now embedded itself and I am getting literally 2-3 hours a night. im exhausted and moody – it has led to weight gain and inactivity which has also fed back into the anxiety and I am now pretty desperate. Finding Martin Reeds podcast and the success stories of others using his methods has filled me with hope!

[Scott]

Hi @chloe, welcome to the forum.

What time are you going to bed at night, getting out of bed in the morning and, on average, how many hours of sleep are you achieving a night? Have you began implementing any of the evidence-based techniques Martin explains and, if so, do you have any questions regarding those specific methods? What is the biggest challenge you’re facing with sleep disruption at the moment?

Scott J

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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.

[chloe]

Thank you for responding. It really varies but I suppose the overriding factor is waking after 2 hours sleep with racing heart beat and alertness. I then lie awake for hours and might get another hour early in the morning if im lucky. I get out of bed every day at 7. usually going to bed when I think I feel sleepy (although I very rarely feel the kind of sleepy I used to) around 11.30pm. When I wake in the night, sometimes I get out of bed and go downstairs and make myself a tea – try to calm down and do some breathing exercises which sometimes does help. However it is dark and very cold here at the moment so id rather stay in bed which just perpetuates the anxiety i suppose.

HAving listened to Martins podcast, I think i am conditioned now to thinking of the bed as an anxious space. and need to break this negative thought pattern. That really made sense to me. However im abit confused as he says if i am calculating my sleep window – 4 hours – i must go to bed when i am sleepy – does that mean i must get up at say 4.30am? in the dark and cold?! when often i will have only had 2 hours sleep in that time?

I wonder if i got a kettle in my room and got up to read in the night in a chair rather than going downstairs would that be okay? it might be less arousing than going walk about down the house but still work to break the cycle of the bed being a place for not sleeping?

I thought i would carry on trying to implement some strategies on my own with the help of Martins emails and the forum. If this doesn t help than i was going to enrol in one to one coaching in the new year when children are back at school.

what i feel i have realised is that i probably am an anxious person which i would never have described myself as in the past. def glass have empty kind of person. the insonomia loves that stuff!

would welcome your thoughts?

[Scott]

@Chloe – you’re absolutely correct – if you’re lying in bed frustrated, tossing and turning, our mind can begin to associate our bed with poor sleep but we can unlearn this relationship by getting out of bed and doing something more pleasurable and only returning when you’re sleepy. If you feel like bringing the kettle into the bedroom would be more beneficial than traveling downstairs in breaking the arousal cycle, then give it a go!

I believe Martin is referring to your sleep restriction window. Typically, your sleep restricted window would be your average nightly sleep plus 30 minutes but not be less than 5 and 1/2 hours allotted for sleep. A key to the sleep restricted window is go to bed at the beginning of your sleep window if you’re sleepy and get out of bed to start your day at the end of the sleep window each day. Consistently implementing this technique will build a strong sleep drive at night and should override your arousal system so you can enjoy uninterrupted sleep at night. See Martin’s video that provides more detail here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k78UM6lHG_A

I’m glad to hear you’re experimenting with these evidence-based techniques and I’m sure you’ll continue to find them beneficial. Keep in mind that people adapt to these methods differently and find success at different times during the process so I encourage you to stick with it, even when you feel it’s not working, and I think you’ll begin to have success.

Hope that helps,
Scott J

—

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.

[chloe]

thanks so much scott – getting less anxious at night now which is helping. just reading this forum and realising im not on my own is something in itself! fingers crossed!

[Sleephead]

Hang in there. Although I am not at the point of saying I have succeeded as I have only begun the CBT-I techniques, I do see some improvement. Similar to you, I have been enduring insomnia for a very long time. I find Martin’s videos and snippets extremely helpful and reassuring. Listening to success stories are a real treat for me. I find it encouraging. You are not alone

[Scott]

@Sleephead – outstanding news on the improvements you’re experiencing! It’s sounds like you’re doing a great job of implementing the evidence-based techniques. If you have questions along the way, feel free to ask.

Scott J

—

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 Chloe, I second the responses you have been getting.

I also have been dealing with insomnia for many years. If you can stick with the sleep hygiene and Martin’s suggestions, you will see some improvement.

My only caution is that this does not mean you will sleep wonderfully every night. For example, even though I have had a good run for several weeks, I have not slept well the last three nights. Maybe it’s the pandemic, which never goes away for any of us; or worrying about political gridlock, polarization; or maybe….who knows, it just happens.

And it can sometimes feel like oh no, here we go again, I’ll never get over this, I wish I was dead, etc etc. until I realize that it is the typical scattered, morose thinking that pops into my head when I haven’t been sleeping well. And I remember that trying extra hard to sleep and freaking out if I don’t pull if off–well, you know how that goes.

Maybe my go-to guide when I am in a sleep rut is to realize that all sorts of weird, dark thoughts are going through my head. And I can just watch them pass by without buying into them.

And sure, I hope I sleep better tonight. But if I don’t, I have handled the next day many times before and always got through, and it doesn’t mean I will have trouble sleeping all the time. The more i can let go of obsessing over sleep, the better off (I know, seems impossible not to obsess when you’re so exhausted, but that’s just a thought passing through).

[Author]

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