[Dom21]

Hi there,

Around a week ago I had one sleepless night where my brain raced and wouldn’t switch off. I managed to get to sleep around 5 AM in the morning and slept for a couple of hours. The next night was slightly better (2AM) and the next night I got my usual nights sleep (10PM ish till 7AM ish. After that every night has been horrific, last night only getting to sleep at 8AM! Surprisingly I’m managing to function which is worrying me more as I feel I should be more tired. I’ve done everything such as getting up, reading books, having a hot drink etc but no avail my mind just won’t switch off.

I’m 22 and quite healthy – work out regularly and eat well. I’ve never had problems like this before. There was no gradual change, I just went from sleeping well to this. I’m getting very stressed about it. I have bought some Phenergan today which apparently helps.

Any advice would be much appreciated to break this vicious cycle!

Thank you ?

[Scott]

Hey @Dom21

Welcome to the forum! Have you had a sudden change in anything in your life recently – new job, new relationship, break-up, etc that could be the culprit of your racing mind that night? It can be challenging to take this approach, but the best reaction following a poor night’s sleep is…no reaction. I remember when I experienced insomnia, my thoughts about the issue perpetuated during the day and were even worse at bedtime. One of the critical things I changed that helped manage my thoughts was my attitude towards them. Instead of trying to push them aside or stew on them all day, I managed to address them by saying, “so what if I didn’t sleep well last night, it’s not the end of the world”.

Also, when people experience a couple of nights of disrupted sleep, they begin to make changes in their daily routines (going to bed earlier, lying in bed later in the am, taking a nap, etc) to accommodate for a lack of sleep. Are you finding yourself making changes to your day?

Scott J

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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.

[Dom21]

Hi @scottctj

Thanks.

It’s really strange as no major life event has occurred which explains it. I’ve just gone from sleeping fine with a good routine to this. I can only imagine it’s background stress manifesting of graduating from university, the pandemic and overall uncertainty. However, my stress levels have remained quite constant and not significantly changed recently.

I went to the pub the other evening and slept really well, however, last night back to 5:30AM.

I’ve started sleeping in the morning. I know that’s bad as the best way is to treat it is to get up at a certain time? That would usually be 7AM for me but sometimes I am not even asleep at this time so it’s not feasible.

Thank you for your advice of trying not to worry about it. I usually workout in the mornings and meditate but recently haven’t been due to lack of sleep. I managed to do so today and feel a lot better for it.

Fingers crossed tonight!

[Scott]

@Dom21 –

How was your sleep last night?

In your earlier post, you mentioned that you’re worried that you’re still able to function after a rough night of sleep but those who experience insomnia usually describe it as a “tired but wired” feeling. Surprisingly, those who have insomnia are often more alert because of their heightened arousal and anxiety so I’m not surprised to hear that you’re able to continue to perform at work, etc.

If you’re not able to fall asleep in a reasonable amount of time, I encourage you to get out of bed and do something more enjoyable such as watching tv, reading a book, listen to a podcast, etc and only return to bed when you’re sleepy. If you continue to lie in bed frustrated because you’re not able to sleep, it creates conditioned arousal between your bed and an inability to sleep.

Kudos for working out and meditating that morning! As difficult as it might be some days, I’d encourage you not to allow a disrupted night to limit your life experiences. When we allow insomnia to affect our daytime functioning, the more attention and pressure we’re putting on our sleep issue. The temptation to cancel your social event and stay home for the night or not workout in the mornings can be overwhelming, but when you begin modifying your life because of insomnia, you’re highlighting the problem.

Sleep is one of those rare things in life that doesn’t reward hard work. The more effort you put into getting a good night’s sleep, the harder sleep becomes. It’s tempting to lie in on the mornings you don’t achieve good sleep but try to resist the urge to do so. You really want to create a strong sleep drive during the day and starting your day at the same time every morning can help achieve that.

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.

[Dom21]

@scottctj

Thanks for getting back to me.

Unfortunately I did not sleep at all last night! Currently just got back from a 7AM – 2PM shift. I’m hoping the sleep deprivation will result in good sleep tonight.

Definitely relate to the tired but wired feeling

I try and get out of bed, make a hot drink and read a book in a different room but I don’t think I commit to this long enough to feel tired. Will try watching tv, doing this for longer periods of time.

I want to workout but I feel like doing this on zero sleep is potentially a bad idea as opposed to just a rough night?

Thanks again

[Scott]

@Dom21 –

There’s no study that I’m aware of that has found exercising after a restless night being consequential to your health. I do believe that not exercising the following day could be counterintuitive because when you begin to change your daily activities because of insomnia you really highlight your concern. When I experienced insomnia, it was easy for me to cancel my socials after work, I quit working out and I did everything to conserve energy but I noticed that by making those changes, I began to think more about insomnia and spent hours researching it online. It’s only when I began to live my life as if I didn’t have insomnia that my anxiety about the problem lessened during the day.

Have you tried utilizing a consistent sleep and wake time schedule every day yet? Do you go to bed only when you’re sleepy (dozing off, head nodding, etc)?

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.

[Dom21]

Hi @scottcj

That’s good to hear!

Over Christmas my insomnia eased but last night it came back with a vengeance and I didn’t get to sleep until 5:30AM again. However, today I worked out and meditated and feel a lot better for it. I’ve definitely taken your advice on board regarding not stressing about a bad night. If I can’t get to sleep I relax and try and think so what?

I’ve definitely worked out it’s psychological so hoping it will ease soon.

The night before last I slept well but made the mistake of lying in – I must be more strict next time and get myself back into a routine

[Author]

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