[bananasNEPA]

Hopefully someone has some words of wisdom. First, I don’t think I have slept more than 6 hours since I was in my 20’s (I am 59) and I was always an early riser (around 530-6 am). I guess my first occurrence of insomnia first started about 13 years ago where I couldn’t get to sleep because my brain wouldn’t shut up.  My family physician put me on a low dose of Xanax and that seemed to do the trick.  About 2-3 years ago my insomnia changed from not being able to get to sleep to not being able to sleep through the night (generally I have no problem getting to sleep).  Initially I would get about five hours to now where I am lucky to get four hours of solid sleep.  What I find unusual is that most nights it is four hours and then I just wake up, no feeling that something woke me up.  I can’t remember the last time I had a dream.  I have read many articles, youtube, etc about what to do to stay asleep and I have been doing them all for months with no success.  I am currently on 2 mg lorazepam (family dr) and I have tried some herbal remedies (valerian, melatonin, and a milk mixture with four different spices) with no success. I even saw a sleep medicine doctor at a prestigious university medical center about two hours from my home which in my opinion turned out to be a waste of time since the doctor just entered everything I had written down into the computer – the entire visit was less than 30 minutes!  The doctor’s (or maybe the computer’s) recommendation was to do CBTI however I live in an area where there isn’t anyone with any level of expertise with CBTI.  I have checked out some of the online CBTI apps and will probably try one of them but I am hoping someone out there knows of something to try. Thank you in advance for any recommendations.

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forum. It’s impossible to force yourself to stay asleep through the night, just as it’s impossible to force yourself to fall asleep within a certain amount of time, or sleep for a certain amount of time. Although we can ‘set the stage’ for sleep, we can’t control sleep. Trying to do so only makes sleep more difficult.

Waking during the night is normal and tends to occur as we emerge from each sleep cycle. The difference between ‘normal’ sleepers and those who struggle with nighttime awakenings is that the ‘normal’ sleepers pay no attention to these awakenings and they don’t worry about them. As a result, they tend to fall back to sleep almost immediately — and often don’t even remember waking up.

CBT-I is the best treatment option for insomnia because it helps address the thoughts and behaviors that tend to disrupt sleep and increase sleep-related worry and anxiety. Of course, I am biased because I run an online course that uses cognitive and behavioral techniques to improve sleep — but I have worked with clients who have suffered with sleep issues for decades and we have managed to improve their sleep within a couple of months.

What I will suggest is that if you look for online CBT-I, you choose a program that comes with a lot of individual support and guidance from a human sleep coach or other professional. That’s because some of the techniques can be challenging to implement, so having someone who is always available and who has your back as you progress can make the difference between success and failure.

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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.

[goose]

CBI-I trained counselors are hard to find.  I live in a large metro area and there are maybe 1 or 2 who have cropped up in the last couple of years.  Before that I couldn’t find any.  Online courses can be helpful if you don’t have anyone close by.  I do agree that one on one support would be better because they can tailor the treatment to your specific problems.

By the way, I understand what you are feeling.  Its so hard when you don’t sleep, and then you try and try harder, which makes it worse.  I’m in the early phases of CBTI training, and the best thing so far is that the therapist actually understands how I feel!  Before that I never knew how common my thoughts/fears were.

[Author]

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