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I’m a wife and a mom of 4 and I also run my own website. Around the beginning of April I had a health scare that has since been resolved, but the insomnia remains. I’ve also dealt with anxiety issues over the years, on and off meds for that, but this insomnia is probably the hardest thing I’ve dealt with. When I have a sleepless night I find myself obsessing over what to do to get some sleep the next night and obviously that does not work. I’m learning that this is a journey to change my mindset and I’m willing to put in the work, it just sucks to have to deal with this issue. I want to be more present with my kids and my husband regardless of my sleep issues.
Hey I just seen no one wrote back to you. I understand I have 4 kids to and I was on predisone and had a health scare when my insomnia started. They gave me a medication to help sleep.. it worked at first and now it isn’t. I’m back on a antidepressant. Day 5. The medication they gave me is serquol and it’s a antipsychotic.. im not happy about it because I have a hell of alot of nasty side effects happening. I’d have to tapper off it and then I’d have withdrawals.
The side effects from this and the thought of withdrawals also scare me. Creates more anxiety.Welcome to the forum! Your insomnia sounds like that typical type of insomnia — it gets triggered by an event (such as a health scare) but sticks around when that initial trigger is no longer present or relevant.
The reason is sticks around is down to a change in our sleep-related behaviors and the relationship we have with the difficult thoughts and feelings that tend to come along for the ride.
You are, of course, 100% correct that it sucks to deal with this issue — but there is a way out!
Have you tried implementing any of the techniques shared in the forum, on the podcast, or in the free sleep training course?
—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.
Hi Martin, thanks so much for your reply! I am taking the free sleep course emails and I’m watching the youtube videos. The techniques I’m using are getting up at the same time every day, going to bed around the same time, but only going to bed when I feel sleepy. I think my biggest hurdle right now is acceptance that this is part of my life right now and “not caring” if I sleep or not. It’s so hard for me mentally. I haven’t been cancelling plans and have been really trying to keep busy with my family, but I’m still having really rough nights. It’s the fear of not sleeping and having it cause me panic attacks at night or during the next day. This has been such a hard thing for me to navigate.
I think you’ll always care about whether your sleep or not — that’s just your brain looking out for you, and who wants to have a brain that doesn’t look out for them?!
For as long as we are human beings, we’ll experience difficult thoughts and feelings. And, we have two ways to approach these — we can try to fight or avoid them (usually that’s an exhausting, distracting, and endless battle) or we can acknowledge their presence, make some space for them, and allow them to come and go as they please.
Of course, we don’t want those thoughts and feelings to be present, but there they are. Even in their presence, we get to choose how to respond. Do we put on that suit of armor and head into battle, or do we acknowledge, observe, and even welcome them? How much energy might that latter option free up, I wonder?
—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.
Yes you are totally correct, I’m expending so much energy trying to fight the constant worry thoughts. I keep thinking, what if this doesn’t work? But really, what I’m currently doing isn’t working so what have I got to lose right? Thank you for linking that thread, I read through the whole thing and the beach ball analogy was very helpful as well.
Thanks for sharing! Something else that can help when it comes to becoming more of an observer of our thoughts (rather than getting tangled up in a battle with them) is to add the phrase, “I am having the thought that” onto the start of any difficult thoughts we have.
As an example, our response to these two thoughts might be a bit different:
1. “I am never going to sleep tonight and tomorrow will be awful”
2. “I am having the thought that I am never going to sleep tonight and tomorrow will be awful”—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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