[ddillon923]

Hi Martin and everyone,

I’ve been doing strict sleep restriction for about two weeks now. I’m experiencing some health issues (neck injury and vision/glasses issues) and heightened anxiety, which are the factors that started this sleep trouble about 2 months back. (I had done some restriction and stimulus control from the beginning but not strictly until two weeks ago.)

My average nightly sleep is around 5 hours (sometimes less, sometimes more) and my window is 6.5 hours, from 11 to about 5:30. I realize that this is slightly wider than would be suggested but when I get up earlier I experience increased depression — it is so dark and I am up alone for so long.

Right now I am filling my sleep window occasionally, but more often I wake 30-60 minutes before my alarm. I lie in bed afterwards accepting my anxious wooshes and am not really upset, just feeling sensations and resting.

As soon as my alarm goes off, I feel like I could go back to sleep and sleep for hours.

But I would really like to move to where I am getting a bit more sleep on average. I think the challenge right now is not sleep pressure but just nervous arousal. I am so sleepy by 8:30 p.m. that I can barely keep my eyes open and it is a huge struggle every night to stay awake until 11. During the day I do have to lie down sometimes to rest my neck and eyes, but I don’t nap. I struggle with feeling like if I do the wrong thing — rest during the day, nod off at 10 for a minute on the couch, don’t get up out of bed at 5 if I’m awake — sleep won’t “work.” I want to trust my body to heal and to give me the sleep I need but sometimes I feel like I’m teaching my body not to rest when it’s tired instead of TO rest.

What can I do to help myself move toward longer average nightly sleep? Do I just need to wait? How can I reduce the pressure on myself to behave exactly properly (as I know that really, I can’t control sleep — but I’m still afraid I’ll makea mistake?)?

• This topic was modified 1 months, 1 weeks ago by ddillon923.

[ddillon923]

I was rechecking my average nightly sleep and it’s really more like 5.25-5.5 hours. So I think I will try getting up at 5, even with the darkness…I could really use some encouragement and tips. It’s hard to bear my physical health issues in my neck and eyes and my anxious sensations and thoughts without good rest at night. Sleep restriction and stimulus control and ACT worked well for me a few years ago but I was not dealing with this other health stuff at that time, nor was I as sensitized. So this is a bit harder for me than that time.

• This reply was modified 1 months, 1 weeks ago by ddillon923.

[ddillon923]

Goodness, I am jst not getting enough physical rest for my healing body like this. I have upped sleep window to 7 hours and am just being okay with having more time awake in bed if it means resting. So much adrenaline, so much pain. This is so hard!!

[Author]

Posts