[David1]

I got Covid on Dec 30. From Jan 1 to Jan 6 I didn’t sleep. After that, I have had pretty sever Insomnia (but Covid is long gone). Last night I got 1-2 hours. The night before the same. Two nights ago I got 6-7 hours using Trazapam. The sleep was in about 5 hour plus times. But the next day I tried to repeat and I now have tinnitus (from the drug?).

Most of the posts I see about CBT deal with people that only get 3-4 hours of sleep each night. I am worse, and a little frazzled. I am searching for some direction.

[Chee2308]

Since you only just have insomnia, and as a former insomniac myself who has fully recovered, my advice to you are:
1. Immediately stop taking any form of medications for sleep. These never help and could make you get you addicted. Sleeping pills are extremely hazardous to you in the long term, both to your body and your sleep because they literally obliterate stage 3 sleep, making your sleep less restorative and you wake up feeling groggy which is worse than having never slept at all. Studies also show long term sleeping pills users have a higher chance of developing Alzheimer, dementia and a whole host of other problems. If you slept fine few days ago, then your sleep system is intact. Believe in yourself.
2. Don’t chase sleep by going to bed earlier. Actually the less you sleep, the longer you will sleep and the more restful that sleep is. Don’t go to bed based on what time it is but on how many hours you’ve spent awake. Most people generate 6-8 hours of sleep after being awake 16-18 hours. Since your insomnia is pretty recent, estimate the time you need to sleep based on your history and by fixing your get out of bed time, you get your bed time. Always get out of bed by that fixed time no matter how much you slept. Do not sleep in and do not compensate for lost sleep by napping or going to bed earlier.
3. Do not go down the rabbit hole of doing a ton of sleep efforts like supplements, modifying your daily routine specifically for sleep, or other useless stuffs. Sleep is natural and effortless. The less you do, the better. Even better, do nothing except fixing your bedtime and out of bed time!

Your sleep should recover after a few weeks, especially if you keep your sleep schedule religiously because sleep is essentially just a biological process that everyone goes through after being awake long enough. Don’t be alarmed if you can’t sleep. It just means you are taking longer to fall asleep after sleeping really well. Sleep drive is a lot like hunger, it builds from not sleeping/eating long enough. The longer you stay awake, the sleepier you should get assuming you don’t get anxious from not sleeping. Understand it is just a process and there’s nothing more to it.

Good luck and we all here look forward to hearing your success story!

[David1]

Thank you very much for your reply Chee Hung Yeong. I watched quite a few videos today from this website, and I appreciate the affirmation that you followed the advice and it worked for you.

I would say the biggest challenge has been the anxiety generator from not sleeping, but at the same time I’m starting to understand that it is possible to have a decent day even if I didn’t sleep the night before. And I don’t need to be so anxious about it.

It also opened my eyes about how much I was trying to prepare to sleep well by doing so many things in hopes one of them might make me sleep better. And it sounds like there’s a strong likelihood that that was actually what was making it more difficult, because I was so emotionally involved in everything.

I did take a 45-minute nap today, which I know goes against the rules, but I’m going to consider a win at least for today because it’s the first time I did that since December 30th.

As best as I can tell, the situation tends to be quite intense in the beginning and gradually gets easier to manage, and the sleep along with that gradually improves as well.

I really don’t like taking drugs. I always took less than they told me to take so far. For example, I have been taking Ativan in quarter tablets for anxiety. I hope to taper that off as quickly as possible.

[Chee2308]

Hello David!
Resist the temptation to try any sleep effort because I found after trying them, the brain will want to monitor the result, whether it’s working etc. It is this active monitoring that keeps the mind active when you are trying to sleep and makes sleep difficult. When you’ve done nothing, there is nothing to monitor and the mind can shut off easier. With regards to your anxiety, realise it is normal. You are actively trying to escape it which is making it coming back more and more. Give up the struggle by not caring how sleep anymore. If not sleeping well makes you feel like crap the next morning, then expect it to happen and imagine having it already. Don’t shun it, allow yourself to be uncomfortable with the senario of sleeping badly. Over time, you’ll get used to it until you are not afraid of it anymore! You will have become accustomed to it and realise it can’t hurt you! You got through days when you slept badly the night before, many times, didn’t you? Well what makes it any different this time or in the future?? Not sleeping well can’t harm you and studies show insomnia have no long term effects on your health and wellbeing. There may be some short term discomfort but you’ll get through it like so many times before, so what’s the big deal? People with insomnia tends to spend lots of time in bed trying to sleep, sometimes 10-12 hours, almost half their lives, and even after all that, spend whatever amount of time awake, worrying and obessesing over sleep. Haven’t you realised how ridiculous this has become? Are you going to spend the rest of your life like that? Don’t you agree that is a horrible way to live, that you won’t even wish upon your worst enemy? Forget about the obessesion and forget about sleep for a while. Life is about enjoyment and fulfilment and it’s your birth right to enjoy life in this earth, not tormented by something you cannot actively control anyway. Did you think God sent you into this world so you can sleep half the time and therefore miss out on the other things that are fun and enjoyable?? Hell No! So you can tell your insomnia to go to he** and you will enjoy your life as you please from now on. Enough is enough and you will not put up with this nonsense anymore. Strengthen your circadian rthym and build your sleep drive naturally by going to bed after 18 hours awake and then slowly scaling that back in 15 minutes intervals to 17, 16 hours until you find your magic number. Good luck! We all here are wishing the best for you.

[David1]

Thank you for your support. Last night was the first night I didn’t take anything, Prevoiosly I had tried wine, melatonin, ativan, trazadone, chamomile tea, magnesium and tylenol pm. I slept maybe a little over 2 hours, and I also had a short nap yesterday (still had the magnesium and chamomile tea, but sleep was not until much later in the night).

I am realizing how I am functional still, and I don’t need to worry, and that by knowing this, it will help me to more easily fall asleep.

And indeed, I had many other peculiar habits fueled by anxieties. Previously I was scared to sleep where my wife might not hear me. She sleeps in another room (I had Covid), and I would prepare a mat on the floor. It was very uncomfortable!

I have found some guided meditations by Jason Stephenson on YouTube have helped me relax and drift off, but sindknt play them too loud, as I can also tune them out this way.

Anyways, thank you. It’s good to know I am not alone. And great to get that affirmation that I don’t need the drugs.

[David1]

Oh, and I forgot to add that previously I was CONSTANTLY monitoring my pulse rate with a pulse oximeter, even as I was trying to drift off to sleep. It is clear my anxiety and pulse rate have lessened since I stopped using that blasted thing! I went to ER a few times (first for Covid), and they found I a very healthy.

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