[Slarus]

Hi Deb and Steve.  Thanks!  It’s good to know I’m not totally losing it. I kind of had a mini panic attack when out of the blue I was wide awake after dragging through the day and trying to stay awake.

[Steve]

You know, as bad as this insomnia is and how it affects my life, I keep having this feeling that I am going to wake up one day and it will be gone like it never happened. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking. Or maybe it’s because I’ve only had it 8 months. I really don’t know why I fee this way but I just don’t think right now I will have it the rest of my life. I hope I do get rid of it. And I hope all of you get rid of yours.

[Deb]

Delv – sorry you’re having a rough time. Especially since you had been doing much better for quite awhile. I hope you can figure it out and start getting some good sleep.

Steve – fortunately there are people on this website who’ve given testimonies on how they no longer have the insomnia. Check them out for encouragement. They are former clients of Martins.

[Steve]

Hi Deb. Yes, I know about the testimonials. It just goes back to what we were saying though. CBT-i can take a while in order to see results. Or should I say get to the point where a person feels he is “cured” of it. Still, I am working towards that “cure”.

[Deb]

Yes I’ve been doing this for 7 weeks but it feels like it’s going to take a long time until I’m “fixed.”

[Pam1129]

Deb,

Where do you go to see those testimonies, I’d like to read about those , also to get a feel on how long it took for them , ( I realize we are all different) maybe how long they had insomnia … ?

[Deb]

I think you have to log out first. Then at the top you will see “Resources.” Listed under that tab is “Success Stories and Case Studies.”

[Pam1129]

Thanks Deb!

ill check it out

[Steve]

Hi Pam. You don’t need to log out because you are not a client like Deb and I are. Besides the place that Deb told you about, you can also find testimonials under the free course info under Resources as well. Just keep scrolling down until you come across them.

[delv-x]

Yet another horrible night 🙁 Went to bed at 12:00 and woke up at 3:00. From 3:00 am until 7:00 was in bed, out of bed, returning to bed and laying down relaxing and knowing I am not sleeping. With the amount of little I am getting these days you would think it would have built up enough to keep me asleep. Today I am feeling anxious and songs repeat in my head. That sticky song feeling. I keep looking back at my past sleep data and try to reassure myself that I’ve had good periods in the past and I will again.

One thing I am not doing 100% is stimulus control. Yes I get out of bed after 15-20 minutes and know sleep is not approaching but I leave the room and return about 20-30 minutes later and try to see if I can sleep. If I don’t, I try to relax and be comfortable but I may be doing that for hours until time out of bed. I do return to my bed but last night I spent the last 2 hours on the couch which I know is a no no. 🙁

When things are going well none of this applies. I go to bed, wake up here and there and drift back to sleep and not worry or care. I know there are “hold outs” but this is more than a hold out.

[Deb]

Sorry you’re having a hard time, Delv. I feel for you. Maybe try waiting to go back to bed when you’re really sleepy and see if that works.

[Steve]

Sorry to hear you have been having a rough time Delv. It looks like a couple of us are having a rough last couple of nights. I hope last night was better for you.

I have had three bad nights in a row. Sunday night I didn’t get any sleep, Monday night I got 3.5 and last night, I got 2.5. I don’t know what happened as I was doing well. I know setbacks are to be expected but it is a little disappointing as before Sunday, I thought for sure this week I would go above the 5 hour average sleep night. Like you Delv, I am trying to focus on the fact that I recently have had some good nights and they will come again. The only thing good I can say about last night was that the 2.5 hours was in one block. I got up three times to do SC and just stayed up the last time as I knew I wasn’t going to get back to sleep.

I think part of the problem last night was that I fell asleep very unexpectedly very close to the beginning of my SW. This was for about 20 to 30 minutes. When I got up, I just got ready for bed and then went right to it as my SW was starting. No doubt that destroyed some of my Sleep Drive. I think I am going to have to change my wind down routine so that the last 45 minutes or so, I am sitting on the floor instead of a comfortable chair. I am falling asleep too many times now and I don’t know how much damage I am doing to my Sleep Drive.

 

How is everybody else doing?

[Slarus]

Hi Karen. I’m also in my second week of SR. I have seen a slight shift but not much. It takes awhile of being consistent and persistent. My sleep window is 12:00-6:30 and I follow it but sometimes I am just not sleepy and have to stay up later or get back up once I go to bed if it is clear to me that sleep is not going to happen. Last night, I got out of bed twice and did not sleep until 4:00 this morning so I will be a zombie today. I’m still having a couple of nights where I sleep through my window and then followed by one or two nights where I get little or sometimes no sleep. Don’t give up because I truly believe this works. Rebuilding our damaged sleep drives can take some time.

[Steve]

Hi Karen. I hate to give you a standard answer of everyone is different but unfortunately that’s how it is. I am in my 4th week of SR and I have a 5.5 hour SW. My first week of SW I had about 2.5 hours of sleep each night average. The second week I had about a 3.5 hour average and the third week I got it up to about 4.7. But then I had a setback and the last three nights it’s been no sleep at all, 3.5 and last night 2.5. It’s just the way it is as your mind and body need time to rebuild it’s broken system. I know it will probably take me a couple months to get where I want to be. I wish it was sooner but that’s the nature of the beast. I know how tiring this SR can be but stay with it as change will come. I just can’t tell you when.

As for you falling asleep in the hour before your SW, that happens to me a lot as well. I find it helpful to move to the hard floor at the start of my wind down time as I keep falling asleep when I sit in a comfortable chair. The naps I end up taking really do a number on my sleep drive which is why you need to try to avoid them. Light cleaning is okay to do while you are waiting for your SW to start but I wouldn’t do it in the last 30 to 45 minutes of your wind down time. As for the meditation, that isn’t a problem.

[Steve]

Karen – Here is a list that Martin, this site’s creator, put up awhile back to help us think of things to do while we are waiting for our SW to open. Some of them could even be used if we awake and have to get up.

* Choose clothes that you can wear the next day
* Make your lunch
* Marinate or start to prepare food for dinner the following day and store it in the refrigerator
* Gather old bills and statements and shred them
* Organize collections: photos, old letters, wine, books, or other items
* Catch up on laundry or folding clothes
* Polish your shoes
* Iron or mend clothing
* Do some stretches
* Go for a walk
* Give yourself a pedicure, manicure, or facial
* Sweep or mop the kitchen floor while no one else is there to walk on it!
* Sort out junk mail
* Play solitaire (with cards)
* Call friends who live in other time zones
* Clean out the refrigerator
* Make a grocery shopping list for the week
* Create a detailed menu for dinners
* De-clutter your coffee table, dining room table, kitchen countertops or desk
* Create a list of activities that you’d enjoy doing on weekends and vacations
* Work on photo albums or scrapbooks
* Choose one or two drawers to clean out (in your desk, kitchen, bathroom)
* Organize collections of CDs or DVDs and choose some to donate or sell if you no longer enjoy them

[Author]

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