[Mariasofia]

Hi there
I found this forum a few weeks ago when I was trying to find more information and tips to help me sleep. I’ve suffered from insomnia on an off since I was a kid, and it’s taken many different forms. Sometimes I’ve had even a year of good sleep, sometimes slept poorly for months on end. Currently I’m really struggling, can’t stay asleep, wake up 5 times a night, and wake up way too early. I think I have some kind of genetic predisposition for this, and I’m definitely highly sensitive, which unfortunately means more arousal and therefore, anxiety. This current bout started when I flies to Australia for Christmas (from UK – 12h time difference), and has not eased even though we have been back home for nearly a month. Does anyone else have similar experiences after jet lag?

[Martin Reed]

Some people are definitely more predisposed to sleep issues — and temporary sleep disruption is normal, to be expected, and affects everyone.

When sleep doesn’t recover and becomes a longer-term problem it’s because of the sleep-related thoughts we have and the sleep-related behaviors we implement in a bid to improve our sleep that actually perpetuate the problem.

In your case, it’s completely normal and to be expected that sleep will be disrupted when traveling — especially if you are crossing timezones. The body will usually recover all by itself after a few days. If it doesn’t, it’s worth exploring whether your thinking about sleep has changed (for example, more sleep-related worry or research starts happening) and whether your behaviors have changed (for example, spending more time in bed, trying to conserve energy during the day, modifying your day after a hard night, experimenting with sleep supplements or other sleep rituals).

If you can recognize changes in your thoughts or behaviors, then you will almost certainly find cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques helpful since they address these thoughts and behaviors and arm you with all the skills you need to get your sleep back on track and prevent short-term sleep disruption from becoming a long-term problem again in the future.

I hope this helps!

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