[dbaldino]

Good afternoon. I have 2 questions.
1. I am going to sleep too early and then I wake up in the middle of the night. I saw Martin’s video about sleep compression and that seems doable to me. I am going to force myself to stay up a little later every night. Do you think that will help or make it worse?
2. I desperately want to get off sleep aids. I take a 1/4 to 1/2 mg of clonazepam when I wake up in the middle of the night and that puts me back to sleep. It’s a low dose so my doc said it wouldn’t affect me to stop. If I don’t take it for one night, I will sleep that night but not the following night. I am going to start tapering with two nights a week without it but not consecutively. Do you think that will help or make it worse?

I realize I am somewhere in between the “placebo” effect and “rebound insomnia” but I can’t seem to get past this.

[Martin Reed]

Going to bed later can help build sleep drive — in turn, that can make it easier to fall asleep and can lead to less time awake at night. You might find this video helpful: Is sleep restriction helpful if your main challenge is staying asleep rather than falling asleep?

It’s almost a guarantee that you’ll experience some sleep disruption in the short-term as you taper off the medication. What’s usually helpful is to create a plan and stick to it — no matter what. You might find this video helpful: Why you just can’t seem to get off the sleeping pills or supplements when you have insomnia.

You might also like my podcast episode with Sally — she was taking sleeping pills for 10 years but was able to stop taking them (and sleep well): How Sally improved her sleep after 60 years of insomnia and 10 years of sleeping pills.

Of course, it’s important not to make any changes to your medication without talking to your doctor first.

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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.

[dbaldino]

Thank you for your help!

[Martin Reed]

My pleasure!

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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.

[Author]

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