[Deb]

Dragon, I know about that anxiety. In the worst throes of my insomnia even apocalyptic exhaustion after not sleeping at all the previous night and maybe only 3 hours the night before, after taking 2 or 3 sleeping pills and downing 2 white Russians, this was still not enough to get me to sleep. At that point I just wanted someone to hit me over the head and knock me out!

There’s something about the consistent sleep window that really helps. It’s like your body and mind recognize that you’ve finally got a plan and it begins to relax into the security of it.

[dragon]

Ha ha that made me laugh.  But it’s very relatable.  Ok I’ll give it a shot.  Can’t be any worse than what I’m experiencing honestly

[Deb]

I liken insomnia to an out-of-control child. The child screams and demands that he get his way, and all the while he’s just making himself more and more miserable as well as everyone else around him. But inside he’s crying out for limits and structure, but is too young to know any better. Our insomnia also screams at us, “Take a pill!” “Drink some booze!” “Don’t sleep in your bed, only the couch!” “Take a nap!” “Turn that TV back on or you’ll never sleep!” It’s desperate for sleep but is only making us more miserable because it doesn’t know what else to do. But more than anything, it needs limits and structure.

[Deb]

Dragon – I recommend you give it your all for 2 weeks. Otherwise it might be too short a period to see results. Let us know how you’re doing and we’ll encourage you along the way.

Hey Everyone – I just noticed a really nice video of Martin on one of the threads. Check it out. He’s interviewed by a sleep physician who appears to have a great series of videos on insomnia on YouTube. Looks like a great resource.

[delv-x]

Hi Deb,

Do you have the link?

 

[Deb]

Just go to the main listing of forum topics and scroll down to “Martin Video”

[dragon]

Thanks Deb.  Appreciate the support of this forum.  Think I’ll plan to start this tomorrow and try it out.

[Deb]

Good luck! It works. I’ve had 4 good nights of sleep now, straight in a row.

Keep us posted so we can cheer you on!

[Martin Reed]

Here’s a direct link to the video that has been mentioned:

https://insomniacoach.com/forums/topic/martin-video/

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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.

[Deb]

Mac – how’s it going?

Dragon – how’s it going? Are you sticking with it. I know it can be hard when you first start.

Had my best week so far with 6 nights of 6.5 hours of sleep and 1 night with 4.5. Today starts my final week with Martin. Feeling optimistic but not completely confident. I either fall asleep right away from complete exhaustion or stay awake too long. Wish I knew how to shorten the time lying in bed before falling asleep. Don’t want to always depend of absolute exhaustion in order to fall asleep. It was never like that before. I typically took 20-30 minutes to fall asleep, but never worried because I always knew I would eventually fall asleep. Now when I don’t fall asleep right away, the sleep demons creep back in.

[Deb]

Daf – how’s it going with you? Any improvement?

[delv-x]

Hi Deb,

Glad things are pretty good for you. The past few days have been rough. Last night I went to bed at midnight and was up at 2:30. Thankfully I fell back asleep until 5am but from 5 to 7am I was tossing and turning. Today I just feel so foggy and high anxiety. Today I just have little motivation and want to nap but if I do Ill feel the anxiety creeping in. It sucks.

 

 

[Deb]

That does suck!! Do you think you’re getting any better at all? It seems like what you’re doing is not working that great. I know that you said that you’re already working with a CBT-I therapist, but it doesn’t sound like your therapist is really giving you what you need. Sometimes you have to try more than one therapist before you find the one that can really help you. Maybe you should talk to Martin and ask him if he thinks he could help you.  Tell him exactly what you’ve been doing and for how long. He’s very responsive and would get back to you soon.  I think you said you’ve had your insomnia since October. That’s when mine began too. I started the therapy with Martin the end of December and am so much better. I would even consider Guy Meadows program if I were you. It’s expensive, but if we consider how much we’re losing every day we can’t sleep in terms of productivity, morale, etc, it’s worth the cost.

[dragon]

Hey Deb, I haven’t yet closed the window (from 8 hours) enough still was doing 11:30-7:15 in bed.  I had a good night on Thursday night and I guess that put off things.  Then last night I had major difficulty falling asleep.  Maybe stayed in bed too long because I felt sleepy.  Think slept only 4 hours in total.  Anxiety much higher today than yesterday.

[Deb]

Yes, it’s easy to want to slack off when we have a good night, but then things will never change. It’s going to take commitment and discipline for things to start getting better. I would give at least 2 weeks of total commitment to the method to see if you notice any improvement.

[Author]

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