[Aaron89]

Hi everyone

My issue with insomnia has accelerated since starting my new job 6 months ago.

I used to wake up 10-15 minutes before my alarm with my old job which was manageable. With my new role, I am managing a small team – which is something I have never done. I do not get a lot of feedback from my manager I.e. impossible to know whether I’m doing the right things as he is so busy, particularly as I haven’t had management training. I’m not the best with conflict, and never really had an interest in management, but wanted to give it a try as the next step in my career. The difficulty I have now is that there are limited roles in my field for the salary I am earning, this adds to my worries.

At this point, I am waking up around 3 hours before my alarm, and am unable to go back to sleep, I have racing negative thoughts about work. Using apps like Headspace has helped a bit, but I’ll never fall back into a deep sleep, maybe a light doze. I have no real issue going to sleep, its just sleeping through is the issue.

I have tried different things I.e. no caffeine, no phones or screens in the bedroom, bath before bed, Headspace, but these aren’t helping me stay asleep. I am then starting the day with a low mood, being forgetful and sluggish throughout the day. Not good for work and home life.

The only thing I haven’t tried maintaining its exercise, but as I get home so late from work I’m usually too tired to do this.

Any advice on trying to break this awaking early cycle would be greatly appreciated. It feels like I’m going round in circles of predominantly depressive symptoms, a bit of anxiety and insomnia, all feeding into each other…

I am looking at changing jobs, but feel this may be running away from the issue. I feel like I have had had minor depressive and anxiety symptoms over the years, and its starting to catch up with me, I feel like I may be in a bit of denial about any possible mental health diagnosis.

Thank you

[Aaron89]

Forgot to mention I am also keeping a sleep diary now online via Sleepio, which has online CBT – has anyone used this? I am 30 years old.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by Aaron89.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by Aaron89.

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forum, Aaron. It sounds as though work-related stress is disrupting your sleep and, I suspect, that you have some worry that insufficient sleep might impair your work performance and put your job (and livelihood) at risk. Does this sound accurate?

Ideally, anything you can do to reduce your work stress will no doubt help your sleep improve. Another way you can reduce the power of your arousal system (the system responsible for making it harder for you to fall back to sleep when you wake) is to make sure you are allotting an appropriate amount of time for sleep and getting out of bed when you are finding it hard to sleep.

When we allot too much time for sleep and stay in bed “trying” to sleep, we make sleep more difficult and this perpetuates insomnia.

When do you normally go to bed at night, when do you get out of bed to start your day in the morning, and roughly how many hours of sleep do you get on a typical night?

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