[Litl_t]

New here. Just came across CBT-I for first time yesterday. Watched a bunch of Insomnia Coach videos about how to do it and testimonials. And I kind of started last night.

My problems are that I take too long to fall asleep and I wake up too early and have trouble falling asleep. I have felt depressed and unmotivated the last few years and spent a lot of time in bed.

Then I got covid and I developed really bad anxiety which made sleeping even harder. I also developed slowed down digestion which is gradually getting better every day but not fully healed yet after a month.

Last night was my first time trying this. I tried to go with more of a 11p bedtime but I will shift it back to 12a because I didn’t fall asleep and had to get back up.

My biggest thing right now is deciding if I am sleepy or not. I will yawn several times but don’t know if that is enough. Also, once you do feel sleepy, is walking up stairs and getting into a cold bed going to cause you to wake up more (arousal)?

[Scott]

Great to hear you’re experimenting with CBT-I techniques. As long as you have patience and commit to them, I’m sure you’ll find them beneficial in restoring your sleep. Yawning, dozing off and a burning sensation of the eyes can certainly be signs of sleepiness. The temperature of the bed shouldn’t cause arousal but your association with your bed and wakefulness/anxiety will. If you go to bed and continue to have heightened arousal or ruminating thoughts about sleep, it’s recommended that you remove yourself from bed and engage in a more relaxing activity. I’m glad to see you’re implementing a sleep restriction window – that’s critical in building a strong sleep drive and overcoming bedtime arousal. It’s even more important to get out of bed at the same time every morning instead of meeting your bedtime at night.

Hope that helps!

Scott J

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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 Clarity 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.

[Litl_t]

So I woke up this morning at 5a but did not fall back asleep. My up time was going to be 6a. I decided to get up at 5:30a. Should I have stayed in bed till 6a or was it okay to get up earlier knowing I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep?

[Scott]

When did your sleep window begin? If it started at 12am, then you achieved 5.5 hours of sleep – excellent! If you’re that close to the established wake up time, it’s recommended that you get out of bed and start your day. Remember, wakefulness generates that strong sleep drive you want to have when your sleep window starts so starting your day a few minutes earlier than expected isn’t going to be detrimental.

Scott J

—

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 Clarity 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.

[Litl_t]

I attempted to go to sleep around 11p after some yawning but that didn’t work so I got up. Not sure what time I tried again maybe after 12p but prob didn’t get to sleep till 1a. I wasn’t really having anxiety or worry so I just laid there till I fell asleep. Then I did wake up at some point, and was able to get to sleep without getting up. I think I only got 3 hrs of sleep.

[Litl_t]

Also, how bad is it to lay down for 10-15min to rest your eyes after breakfast? Not a nap, just like a little rest. I seem to get tired in the morning time after I have been up for a few hours.

[Scott]

If you’re lying in bed relaxed and not experiencing anxiety or ruminating thoughts, then it’s ok for you to remain in bed but if you begin to have some arousal, it’s recommended that you remove yourself from bed and find a relaxing activity. The concern with remaining in bed while being aroused is that your mind begins to associate your bed with anxiety, which is certainly detrimental to achieving good sleep. As mentioned before, one of the goals during the day is creating a strong sleep drive and although lying down for 10-15 mins may not negatively impact your sleep at night, I’d recommend finding another relaxing activity during the morning to prevent the potential of falling asleep or even having microsleeping moments (periods of sleep that last a few seconds) which can diminish your sleep drive.

Hope that helps,
Scott J

—

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 Clarity 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.

[Litl_t]

I have woken up at 5:30a the last 2 mornings so that is my get up time. Eventually I want it to be 7:30a. I see how you can move up your go to sleep time gradually, but how does the get up time adjust. Will you just at some point start sleeping longer? It just seems like your body will get used to that time and want to wake up then.

[Scott]

When you establish your sleep restricted window, it’s recommended to select a wake up time and then count backwards to – no less – than 5.5 hours for the start of your sleep window. Have you tried shifting your start window time? Once you change your sleep window, you’ll want to strictly implement your sleep window for 1-2 weeks. If you’re calculating your sleep efficiency and achieve 85%+ efficiency, then you can expand your start time by 15-30 minutes for another 1-2 weeks and re-evaluate at that point.

Hope that helps,
Scott J

—

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 Clarity 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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