[StefV]

Hello my friends!

Finally sitting down to write out a hopefully encouraging post about the success i achieved doing Martins program. I ended the program in February, and things have drastically improved for me.

Everything started in April last year after a traumatic medical event. I was taken off a medication that had made me suuuuper sleepy 24/7 abruptly and started not being able to get to sleep which was something i had never dealt with before. Instead of letting it pass like it would have, I reacted in the ways we all do.

I started with blacking out every light in the bedroom, made sure the room was cold. That didn’t work so i started “sleeping” in the living room, which also wasn’t helpful. I started with OTC meds like benadryl which would normally knock me out but this time just made me heavy and disoriented.

After a few weeks of that i ended up going to a walk in mental health place where i live. I’m no stranger to anxiety, so i knew that was the cause but didn’t know how to make it stop. They got me started on mirtazapine, and then seroquel. Both worked briefly and then stopped. I started that zig zag pattern of sleep one night and not the next. I would plan my life by it.

In July i was started on clonidine which actually did work extremely well for me, all the way until November. I took it in addition to the seroquel.
In November i had worked up to the max dose of clonidine and it started to not work. Having not actually addressed the problem in the beginning i absolutely freaked out. I wanted to get off the seroquel because i was gaining so much weight, and my doctor told me it was ok to cold turkey stop it. I did this at the end of November and experienced the worst insomnia yet. It felt like i slept for maybe 5 hours total for an entire week.

At that point i ended up admitting myself to the psych ward because i couldn’t cope and figured they would knock me out. They tried, but anxiety won again. They gave me temezepam AND ambien AND clonidine and i still woke up every hour of the night. After 2 nights i was discharged on prozac only. On the way home i told my husband i was going to drop all the meds and just accept whatever happened. You won’t believe what happened… that night i slept without extra meds at all. For like 8 hours.

I wish i could say that was the end and it’s been perfect since, but obviously that’s not the case because no one sleeps perfectly.

I discovered martin (and sleep coach school) about 2 weeks later. Decided to go with martins program because what did i have to lose?

I tried the no clock after bedtime, and the sleep restriction. Neither really worked well for me. Not looking at the clock made be MORE anxious, and while sleep restriction worked well it was hard to stick to after a few days and i would fall asleep before my window or get up at the end and end up falling back asleep on the couch.

So what DID work for me?? Well partly treating my anxiety with prozac lol i wont lie about that. But also all the education, support, and kindness in the program from martin and the client forum. Slowly but surely i went from one good night a week to just one bad night. I convinced myself to go on a trip in March as well. I was extremely anxious the night before, and had a rough night or two there , but i DID IT. i showed myself proof that i could do big scary things like travel outside the country again!!

The final test, in my mind, was if i could accept whatever happened the night before my big karate test to get my brown/black belt. Crazy enough the night before i slept perfectly! A solid 9 hours! The night after though i was hyped on so much adrenaline i couldn’t sleep until like 4am lol. It was fine though, i just hung out and watched tv until i felt sleepy.

Currently, i am generally sleeping 8-9 hours per night. Some nights i stay up a little later but there is no more struggle and fear anymore. Its been great 🙂

I’m sure i left out lots of little details. Any questions I’m happy to help. 💜💜💜💜

[Martin Reed]

Hello Stef and thanks for sharing this update with us all — and for your kind offer to answer any questions 🙂

You’ve been through a lot, no doubt about that! You’ve learned a lot, too. Thank you for sharing how you benefitted from your commitment to workable action.

You committed to actions that mattered to you, independently of sleep (and even in the presence of difficult thought and feelings).

As you did that, you took back all the power and influence insomnia once had over your life. As insomnia lost its power and influence, as your focus was on doing things that mattered to you (rather than endlessly battling away with insomnia and difficult thoughts and feelings), sleep was given the opportunity to take care of itself.

Of course, this doesn’t mean it was all plain sailing — there were ups and downs, challenges, and difficulties. You got through them because you stayed committed to workable action. (You were kind to yourself, too!)

For those interested in your story, I’m also linking to our recently published podcast episode: How Stephanie got her life back from insomnia by letting go of the fight she thought she had to win (#72)

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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.

[Paull]

Hi Stephanie I was much inspired by your pod cast episode I saw recently. You have been through so much but you sound and look so happy. I am only about 6 weeks into my journey. I had my original episode 5 years ago after having a kidney stone and not sleeping because of the pain. I came home from the hospital and couldn’t sleep. I dealt with it for about 6 weeks using Biofeedback. I am trying to adopt your let go approach. In spite of this I sense the anxiety still hanging around. Last night for example I fell asleep for 2 hours and then awoke and realized I wasn’t going to be able to sleep. Got up and listened to pod cast till morning. I generally feel pretty good and hopeful. I am half way into Martins 6 week program. Any advice for me? God bless . Thank you.

[SpeedOfLight]

I’m very glad you are out of your insomnia! I’m currently working on ending mine through CBTi, via the Stellar sleep app. I want to discuss one part of your story.

“On the way home i told my husband i was going to drop all the meds and just accept whatever happened. You won’t believe what happened… that night i slept without extra meds at all. For like 8 hours.

I wish i could say that was the end and it’s been perfect since, but obviously that’s not the case because no one sleeps perfectly.”

Yup, the “just don’t worry about it, bro” advice does not always work, even though many people present it as the profound piece of advice that will work when nothing else has. Sometimes real intervention is needed. I think sometimes your brain becomes wired to resist sleep, and properly rewiring it requires intervention.

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