[Soxfan]

Hello. So I finally came to the moment that I was done taking sleep aids every night and going to bed super early in order to chase sleep. I have watched a lot of the YouTube videos and feel I have a good feel for what to do.I started sleep restriction 3 days ago with a sleep window of 6 hours. So far my sleep has been fairly poor with maybe getting 2 or 3 hours per night. Is this pretty normal for most people entering sleep restriction to get way less sleep per night than before sleep restriction? I must admit my anxiety about sleep seems pretty ramped up since starting it. Just looking for some advice and encouragement to stick with this. Thanks for any help

[Scott]

Hey @soxfan,

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on exploring CBT-I techniques. Sleep restriction may seem counterintuitive but the idea is that it significantly builds your sleep drive. The timing of the benefits from it varies from person to person, but if you implement this technique, along with a consistent out of bed time in the morning, it can help build your sleep drive, making it easier to fall asleep at bedtime. Typically, it requires more than just a few nights of implementing sleep restriction to see positive results.

When you worry about sleep, what is going through your mind?

Scott J

—

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.

[Soxfan]

Thanks for the reply. So my worry right now is “I really hope I fall asleep at night” and some performance anxiety. Like now it’s my bedtime and I need to go to sleep. I actually fell asleep right away last night and slept for my whole sleep window. But that was after two fairly poor nights. I’m also dealing with some anxiety about breaking up with my sleep medication after a couple years of taking it every night. But I am now 4 nights medication free which is a huge thing for me. I am determined to make this work!

[Scott]

@Soxfan – be excited of your accomplishment last night as that’s a primary goal of implementing the sleep restriction window. Achieving a quality night’s sleep without your sleep medication should be reassuring that sleep IS possible without a dependency on them since medication doesn’t generate sleep. What is it about the thought of not falling asleep that seems to generate anxiety? The biggest mistake most people make when an anxious moment occurs is to battle the “what if’s” thoughts. Are you having any – “what if I don’t sleep tonight” – type of thoughts? If so, what are those thoughts or concerns?

Scott J

—

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.

[Angeli]

hello
Soxfan!

First of all congratulations on your courage to free yourself from drugs. I also went through this process of freedom from addiction. But don’t forget that the body has a time to clear itself of the drug. You are doing 2 very difficult things. Weaning your body and mind off medications and Sleep Restriction. Taking RS increased my anxiety and decreased my sleep. I just couldn’t meet my 6 hour sleep window. I only slept 2 or 3 hours. But I had to go through the darkness to reach the light. Little by little I learned CBTi, trusting, reading the answers to the posts on this forum and trusting my body’s ability to sleep (regardless of medications). I implemented my sleep window in 15 days. In 2 months I was already sleeping soundly. For the CBTi to work I had to drop everything I was doing to help me sleep. Nowadays, I have a sleep window of 6.5/7 hours always at the same time.
Sweet Dreams! (sorry for the english)

[Soxfan]

Yep I definitely get those what if I don’t sleep tonight thoughts. Then I start running all the worst case scenarios through my head. I ultimately pull through every day after a poor nights sleep though. And that’s what I gotta focus on. Thanks for your encouragement.

[Soxfan]

Thanks for your words of encouragement and sharing your story. I just gotta remember that this is not a sprint but a marathon.

[Scott]

@Soxfan,

Those anxious thoughts are like quicksand – the more you struggle with them, the deeper you’ll sink. The more you fight to keep those thoughts from making an appearance generates more anxiety and that creates a vicious loop. “What if” thoughts typically don’t revolve around anything good happening. You can’t stop “what if” thoughts from rearing their head but you can manage your response to them. Have you thought about changing your relationship to those thoughts and respond with something like, “Ah, thanks for sharing that, mind!” or “So what if I don’t sleep well tonight”?

Thoughts are just thoughts and shouldn’t be given credit unless they’re helpful in making your life better. Why do you feel you take the negative thoughts so seriously? You’ll always be stuck this anxiety loop about your sleep if you try to fight or run from those thoughts.

Hope that helps,
Scott J

—

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.

[Chee2308]

Hello soxfan,
There is no “good” or “bad”, because sleep is just sleep, and there isn’t really a lot of ways your body can do it wrong, kinda similar to eating or breathing. As long as you keep to a regular bedtime schedule and trust your own body, you should do very well and you’ll be on your way to leaving insomnialand. Best wishes to you, try not to stress over the occasional bad nights or the waking up too early, the important thing is try not to struggle, accept and be friends with wakefulness as much as you can, you will pass with flying colors.

[Author]

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