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I have had insomnia for 30 years. I have relied on sleeping pills for much of that time. I have also
done CBT and sleep restriction a couple of times. I am trying it again, and am looking for support and suggestions.Check out Guy Meadow’s book, The Sleep Book, which is based on ACT. There’s a thread on this forum for people using ACT and another thread for people doing sleep restriction (SR). They are two different approaches to healing insomnia. I used both methods, but ultimately ACT helped me recover more completely.
Welcome to the forum! Ultimately, for sleep restriction to be successful, you need to be committed and consistent!
How are you getting on since you posted? What is your current sleep window, and what is your current average nightly sleep duration?
—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.
I discovered a week ago that I have been making a big mistake, which is using sleeping pills contingently. As a result, I have been sleeping erratically, though sticking to my sleep window pretty consistently. When I discovered my error, I essentially started over without any sleeping pills. Since then, I have been sleeping 5:45 to 5:50 minutes on a 6 hour sleep window, from 10:45pm to 4:45am. Then, two days ago, after three nights of solid sleep, I suddenly got only 3 hours sleep. I went to sleep at 4 am for the first time that night, and allowed myself to sleep for three hours, until 7 am, rather than getting up at 4:45 am. The last two nights, I have gone back to the 6 hour sleep window, I am very tired during the day, and have a hard time staying awake until my sleep window starts. I am optimistic, mostly because I recognize that consolidated sleep is so much better than sleep with sleeping pills. Since I have had insomnia for so long, I am going to adjust my sleep window by 5 minutes every 5 days if I am achieving sleep efficiency of 85% or better, rather than adjusting by 15 minutes every 7 days. I took Martin’s free online course abut a month ago, and found it extremely useful, giving me tips I have never had before.
I am replying to my own post. I am happy to report that tightening my sleep window is working. For the last two weeks, my sleep has continued to consolidate. I am allowing myself an additional 5 minutes after 5 days of sleep efficiency of 85% or better. I am now sleeping a solid 6 hours, with only one bad night about a week ago. And I feel fine all day, but I still get quite tired and sleepy at night. I need just a bit more sleep to feel refreshed. I will keep at it until I get there. This is 15 minutes more sleep, and even sounder sleep than I was getting two weeks ago. I am so grateful to Martin’s 10-week course. If you haven’t taken it, please do yourself a great favor and sign up today! Martin’s course is the best thing I have found in 30 years of looking!
This is great to hear — and the real benefit this time around is that you know all those improvements you are enjoying, and all that sleep you are getting, is being 100% generated by you and you alone. This should fill you with confidence and encourage you to remain committed and keep looking forward! You’ve got this!
—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.
It has been 38 days since I had a sleeping pill. During that time, I have moved my sleep window up to 6 hour and 35 minutes. I had three bad nights (less than 5 hours sleep) in the first 11 days. In the last 27 days I have had 2 bad nights. My sleep window is up to 6 hours and 30 minutes, and I am sleeping between 6 hours and 6 hours and 20 minutes every night. I feel better about sleep than I have in over 30 years. I am confident that I am well on the way to full recovery. Thanks, Martin, for providing the boost I needed to keep at sleep restriction, and finally to stop fooling myself about whether or not I was complying with the instructions.
Wow, you are doing awesome — and that’s all down to your own efforts! You should be feeling very positive about your sleep at the current time! Do keep in touch and keep us updated with your progress!
—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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