[Carls]

Hello

Does anyone else get anxiety about travelling with insomnia?

 

as I dread it as this is the worse kind of jet lag!!

[Martin Reed]

In my experience, I’d say that about half of those with insomnia worry about traveling and the other half look forward to it!

Conditioned arousal is a problem for many people with insomnia — they have learned to associate their bed with anxiety and wakefulness. So, when they move to another bed (for example, in a hotel) they actually sleep quite well and look forward to getting away.

For those who dread traveling with insomnia, this tends to be a confidence problem. In other words, these people are already worried about their ability to sleep and the effects of poor sleep — and the idea of traveling leads to further worry about their ability to sleep and the effects of poor sleep.

The best thing to do is to tackle the insomnia using cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques since these can help reduce sleep-related worry, help you regain confidence in your ability to sleep, and give you all the tools you need to tackle any sleep-related problems should they occur at any time again in the future.

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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.

[Carls]

Thanks for reply and advice Martin.

im definitely in the latter category, as I still can’t sleep on holiday,I’m going on a long flight soon and the anxiety of knowing I will be starting my journey already exhausted is awful.

i would be interested in CBT for insomnia though thanks.

[Martin Reed]

Long flights will always disrupt sleep. Even good sleepers will struggle with sleep after crossing timezones.

It has been suggested that for every timezone we cross, it takes the body a day to adapt. The best advice is to simply expect your sleep to be disrupted (because this is normal).

You can help to minimize the disruption by staying awake until it’s nighttime if you land at your destination in the daytime, and going to bed as soon as you get to your accommodation if you land at your destination at night.

When you go to bed, set an alarm so you are up in the morning at your normal wake-up time, then try to continue with a somewhat regular sleep schedule from that point on.

Finally, focus on fun, rather than sleep!

I hope this helps. If you have any questions about CBT-I, feel free to contact me directly.

—

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.

[Carls]

Thank you for this information and advice Martin.

[Author]

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