[danielstreva]

Hi All,

Just joined the forum.
I am finishing my week 2 of Sleep Restriction and SC and I feel hopeless.
I used to have problems maintaining sleep instead of sleep onset insomnia, but after I started with SR and SC, it got so much worse and I have developed severe anxiety when my sleep window time comes. Before my sleep window comes, I feel soooo sleepy and its difficult to keep myself awake, but as soon as it comes, my heart starts pounding and I get out of bed (SC) but wont be able to think straight or calm me down for the rest if the night. Eventually I fall asleep 1 hour before the end of my sleep window, go to bed and fall asleep. So 1 hour of sleep a day makes me miserable and trigger anxiety symptoms which are unbearable. Eventually after a few nights, I then take medication (Zopiclone) which will make me sleep for 3 to 4 hours, but the day after, my sleep drive will not come easily.

Anybody going thorough the same symptoms? Do you have or used to have extreme anxiety just before going to bed and how did u help yourself?
How long have you gone sleepless for or getting 1 – 2h sleep every night?
Is it worth to ask a doctor for anxiety medication just to stop your heart from racing that much?

Thanks,

Daniel

[DrummerFrank]

I hear you man.. The point of CBT-i is to fix things for the long term though, so we may go through months of very poor sleep, or outright sleepless nights a lot of times, until recovery.. I’m finding it hard to be consistent right now myself, as I really have nothing to wake up for during this lockdown.. I’m trying to have a daily routine, but it’s tough to schedule 16-18 hours of daily activities, and not just focus on sleep during the day.. I bet things will start to get better once I’m able to go back to my 2 jobs, but right now, sleep is really just hit or miss.. In the beginning of the lockdown (Late March), I had heart palpatations that kept me up at night.. An organic magnesium supplement has greatly helped me with that, so that’s no longer an issue for me.. Perhaps that’s something you can look into.. I was going 5 days of like 1-2 hours sleep total in the beginning! Not fun, especially when you have health anxiety like I do.. I think it’s important to understand that we won’t die from this though.. Big pharma scares everyone into thinking we need that magical 7-8 hrs EVERY NIGHT, OR ELSE! The more research I’ve done on this, the more I realize that my current 2 month insomnia is actually not THAT BAD.. I’ve read up on people dealing with this for decades, multiple sleepless nights, until only passing out from pure exhaustion, and then repeating the cycle.. One thing I suggest is to not alter your day because of insomnia.. I still workout, I still try to take care of every single daily task I put in front of me.. This to me is crucial for recovery.. You’re more likely to be tired at night if you stay busy.. Staying in bed like a quitter will not build sleep drive.. I’m praying you and me can overcome this.. God bless

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forum, danielstreva.

I am so encouraged that you are giving sleep restriction a try because allotting an appropriate amount of time for sleep and maintaining a consistent out of bed time helps with sleep onset and sleep maintenance insomnia.

It does usually take more than two weeks of consistent implementation of an appropriate sleep window to notice consistent improvements in sleep. So, I would encourage you to keep moving forward.

Feeling very sleepy before the start of the sleep window and then feeling very alert when the sleep window begins is a classic symptom of conditioned arousal. In other words, since you have experienced so many nights of sleep difficulty, your mind has associated going to bed with sleep difficulty and activates the arousal response to protect you from what it expects to happen next.

Unfortunately, the brain can’t really distinguish between a real threat and an imagined one — so it can activate the full-on “fight or flight” response to protect you from the danger it thinks you are being exposed to by going to bed.

The good news is that since this association was learned, it can be unlearned — you can learn to see the bed as a pleasant place to be again. You can learn to associate the bed with sleep and pleasant wakefulness. This is done primarily through stimulus control.

Ultimately, you only want to be in bed when being in bed feels good (or when you are asleep)! So, any time being in bed doesn’t feel good, that’s your cue to get out of bed and to do something relaxing and somewhat enjoyable until you feel calm and relaxed again. Then, return to bed and repeat the process.

Not only is getting out of bed usually a more appealing alternative to staying in bed and feeling anxious or frustrated, but it gives your mind something else to focus on and this means it often becomes easier to restore a sense of calm.

Furthermore every time you get out of bed you help retrain yourself to associate the bed with sleep and pleasant wakefulness and, over time, this will reduce that sense of worry or even panic you might have experienced upon getting into bed.

Just as it took time for you to associate the bed with unpleasant wakefulness, it will take time (albeit usually less time!) to associate the best with sleep and pleasant relaxation again. Every time you get out of bed when being in bed doesn’t feel good, you will edge yourself closer to that goal.

I hope this helps.

—

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.

[Dazzio]

Hey guys
I am also in the early days of SRT, and am also a bit disheartened. I am locked in a pattern of sleeping 5.5/6hrs every second night and absolutely zero on the others! Just can’t seem to break this pattern! My sleep window is 12.30-6am. I practice stimulus control up until about 4am. But after that I feel like what’s the point and just lie in bed till 6am.
At this point I am considering reducing my sleep window to 4hrs, to see if that might break my pattern. I would be much happier sleeping 4hrs every night than 6hrs every second night!!!

[Martin Reed]

As you pointed out, Dazzio, it’s early days. You’ve *set* your sleep window, now *forget* about making any changes or evaluating it for at least two weeks. Eliminate all the mental gymnastics and keep looking forward. Consistent implementation of the process will lead to more consistent sleep!

—

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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