[pgaglias]

Before the Covid outbreak, I used to have a normal sleep/wake schedule and not even think about it. I would go to bet at 11 and wake up at 6 or 7. Now, sleep has become a daily challenge for me. I feel like I am being tortured every night into the wee hours of the morning and average 0 to 2 hours of sleep per night. I tried some sleep meds that only left me feeling sick and hungover the next day. I am on a mission to put an end to this. I have tried the method of getting out of bed if I am not feeling sleepy, but find I am doing that all night long and find myself still not sleeping doing it. Usually around 4 am I go off into some twilight stage of sleep. I worry about this all day long and dread the evenings. Anyone else experience this type of insomnia?

[Jess84]

Are experiencing really shallow sleep instead of the deep restorative sleep because that’s all I
experience now and don’t know how to break the cycle.

[Scott]

Hi pgaglias!

Like other stressful life events, it sounds like your concerns regarding COVID has triggered some significant sleep disruption. The good news is that you were getting great sleep pre-COVID so there’s no reason to believe that’s impossible to obtain again. When we have a couple nights of poor sleep, we strive to fix our sleep by changing our behaviors and, unfortunately, sleep doesn’t respond to our attempts. We can’t force ourselves to sleep – sleep just happens. When we negatively react or change our thoughts toward sleep, it heightens our awareness that we aren’t sleeping well and that perpetuates the issue. Regardless how you slept the previous night, try carrying on with your life normally the following day because that’s the best reaction to a poor nights sleep. You have more control over the quality of your day than you do on how well you sleep so I’d encourage you to avoid the temptation to begin changing your daily activities to accommodate for poor sleep. Have you made any changes to your day/night in an effort to fix your sleep?

Getting out of bed when you aren’t able to sleep is important so you don’t create an association with your bed and wakefulness, it’s not meant to generate sleep. Are you doing pleasant activities when you’re out of bed (watching tv, reading a book, listening to a podcast, etc) instead of worrying and only returning to bed when you’re sleepy?

Hope that helps,
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.

[Martin Reed]

Are you still going to bed around 11:00 PM and starting your day between 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM? If so, you might find it helpful to allot a bit less time for sleep since that can help build sleep drive and reduce the opportunity for extended periods of nighttime wakefulness.

—

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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