[dragon]

Took a nap last night in front of tv.  Didn’t mean to but guess was tired.  Caused things to really backfire then when I tried to go up for bed.  Think I’m going to commit more now to the SRT.

[Deb]

Sounds good, Dragon. That’s what it takes to make this work – commitment. Try it out for at least a couple weeks and see if you notice any improvement. Keep a sleep diary so you can keep track.

Mac – did you have a better night?

Delv – how about you?

I had a good night again.

[Mac0908]

Hi Deb. Wednesday night just like last night was the same story as its been for my “good” nights the last 1.5 months. I’ll head in my bed around 10:30pm when exhausted and unable to keep my eyes open, will still get that very light jolt of anxiety once I hit the bed, will crash around 11pm, only to wake around 5am, an entire hour before my alarm. On a RARE occasion like on weekends when the lingering alarm for work isn’t on my head I can sometimes get to 5:30am(or 6.5 hours) but like I’ve said a few times now, it’s as if my body just won’t allow me to sleep much longer. What’s happened occasionally is I’ll see it’s 5am and I’ll then nod off into some VERY light BS sleep for the last hour, but it’s almost as if its pointless. That hour is probably the equivalent of 5 minutes deep delta sleep. I’ve been happy in the sense that this is the most consistently well I’ve slept in 2.5 years, but at the same time I feel like I’ve just hit a ceiling now and that its almost impossible for me to get to those oh so nice and refreshing 7 hour nights. I don’t know. It’s been 2 weeks now of “good” nights with only 2-3 bad nights in those 2 weeks. Still can’t get close to more than 6 hours regularly. Getting frustrated.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by Mac0908.

[Deb]

Yes, sounds frustrating. Got 5.5 hours last night – not too bad – but only because I pushed my alarm an hour later because I couldn’t fall asleep for 2 hours.  Was able to calm myself last night when I got up using some mindfulness techniques, so luckily things didn’t get worse and I fell asleep right away when I returned to bed. Learning some positive things through a mindfulness class to help in this process.

[dragon]

That’s great Deb.  What techniques did you use?  Focusing on your breathing?

[Deb]

Focus on the breath is one of the technique of  mindfulness but that’s not what I used last night. When I got up, I could feel myself getting all worked up about not falling asleep right away with all the negative thoughts and feelings associated with that. So instead of getting all caught up in the negative thoughts and emotions, I “observed” them like passing clouds in the sky, reminding myself that I’m perfectly fine right now in the moment. That calmed me down and then I was able to go back to bed and fall asleep right away.

[Daf]

Hi All.

When all is said and done, and you do all the SRT and Sleep Control plus CBTI for better thoughts and you still have nights where you get nil sleep sometimes, or less sleep than you think you need, then you simply have to Accept that this thing won’t go away. And you have to do what Deb is doing, mindfulness is all about acceptance.

I have been doing all the right things for 2 and a half years but it averages out at one night in 6 is completely sleepless. The episodes come in waves which last up to 2 weeks in which anything from 2 to 6 nights is a nil sleep night… Then I might be OK for 3 weeks or so, getting 5 to 6 hours a night. I limit my sleep to 6 hours because any more than that and I’m not tired next night, which increases prob of nil sleep.

I hate it but I have to realise this is probably for the rest of my life. And I either accept it or get even more anxious . What do you think?

[Deb]

I would not give up, Daf. You didn’t sleep like this before the insomnia started. Keep looking for help – try Martin, Guy Meadows, Sasha Stephens – just keep looking! You may think you’ve tried everything, but it’s possible that the way you’re implementing it is wrong. Who knows? An expert might. Don’t just read their books – talk to them directly and ask them to coach you exactly on what you need to do differently. Then if even the experts say they can’t help you, maybe then you can say you’ve tried everything.

[delv-x]

Hi Dragon, here is an excerpt I found. Might explain that us in this boat really can’t deviate much when we are still in the thick of it.

How a chronic insomniac found a radically simple cure for her sleepless nights

What would seem like common-sense coping methods, such as going to bed early, sleeping in on the weekend or catching a quick afternoon nap, are murder on an insomniac’s sleep drive. “Physiologically, these things have sort of the opposite effect on insomnia,” says Carney. In a non-insomniac, the body’s response to one night of poor sleep is to produce excellent, deep, restorative sleep the following night. But for insomniacs, a habit of naps and sleeping in tells the sleep drive that compensatory sleep isn’t needed, which then leads to a pattern of light sleep and multiple awakenings.

[Deb]

Amazing, after only 5.5 hours of sleep last night, I feel good today. I attribute it to using mindfulness, which helped me let go of all the negative thoughts and emotions. I think it created the condition for deep sleep to occur.

[dragon]

Thanks for that link Delv.  Yeah I agree, think the main thing is to be consistent for now.

Yeah I have that issue Deb with the negative thoughts.  Maybe should practice more mindfulness.  I’m impressed your were able to let things go.  Think with practice it becomes easier.

[Martin Reed]

Practice really is key when it comes to any relaxation technique — because relaxation is a skill (and skills take time to master).

—

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.

[Mac0908]

Last night was another poor night for me. The usual in bed by 10:30ish out by 11 up looking at a 5am clock. Actually wasn’t surprised either. I could feel the anxiety coming back stronger as I laid down last night. This is what happens. This is nothing new. This is insomnia. The worse you sleep, the more likely you’re to sleep poorly again unless you bring in some serious discipline. With that being said I think its time to completely reset for me. After progressing to get those rather nice recent 10-12 days of starting to at least “feel” legitimately healed, I think I made one too many slip ups. Going to bed too early, having sugary foods before bed, etc.

I guess the good news is that I feel like I really did taste the promise land a bit, and oh how nice it was. It’s motivating to think back to. Maybe now this will be more inspiration to know that even after almost 2 weeks of decent sleep, it still doesn’t mean anything. Maybe 2 months, but not 2 weeks.

@Delv thanks for sharing that article. Though just a basic SRT success story, it’s well written and relatable to plenty on these forums I’m sure. One interesting note at the end is where even after she’s better she asks her doctor if she’ll have to be like this for the rest of her life (having to stick to these sleep hygiene/bedtime rules) and the doc implies that its possible. That’s the fear I have. It’s funny how Sasha Stephens says that SRT can definitely end up being a crutch, but she apparently doesn’t think her version (that I’m doing) of what’s really just Light SRT can’t be. Just look at my previous 5-6 nights where things have fallen apart. I began going to sleep a bit earlier, one or two nights not totally exhausted before bed, and boom, I almost feel like I’m back close to square one now. Is this what my life is really going to be like? Is a traumatized nervous system unable to be completely cured?

[Daf]

Thanks Deb. I have also had lots of group and one to one therapy including a day course with Guy Meadows lot.. The latter was a waste of time if you’ve read the book.

Ultimately we have to not over monitor. Do the things you should do but don’t be a slave to rules…. And just accept you have this condition and learn to live with it. There is no magic bullet, so accept it and try to move on

[Martin Reed]

Just thought I’d chime in on whether or not we need to continue with CBT-I techniques for the rest of our lives. The short answer is “not really”. Here’s the longer answer:

CBT-I techniques are implemented to get our sleep ‘back on track’ — so, when we are living with insomnia, we implement specific evidence-based techniques intended to improve sleep for the long-term. As sleep recovers, we can begin to take a more flexible approach to sleep, just like ‘good’ sleepers do.

However, should sleep ever become a problem again in the future, we now know exactly what to do to improve our sleep and get it back on track.

I fundamentally disagree with those who claim CBT-I introduces ‘crutches’ that need to be relied upon for sleep. I liken this to the idea that a plaster cast is a ‘crutch’ for someone who broke their leg. When you break your leg, you use a plaster cast to heal. When you are healed, you remove the plaster cast. If you are unlucky enough to break your leg again in the future, you’d get a plaster cast again. This makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?

It’s the same thing with CBT-I.

With CBT-I techniques, you use them when you are struggling with sleep. When your sleep is ‘healed’, you don’t need to rely on the techniques. However, if sleep issues return in the future, you know exactly what to do and you can implement the CBT-I techniques that you know from experience helped you improve your sleep to get you back on track.

Did you notice how Sasha Stephens talks about sleep restriction being a crutch, but then on page 79 she declares in big, bold type that ‘mistake number one’ when it comes to creating an insomnia monster is spending too much time in bed?! Sleep restriction is all about spending less time in bed — so there is a big contradiction here!

—

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.

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