[Sophia Widmer]

What should I do when I wake up anxious in the middle of the night? I try to get up and read but it makes me even more anxious. Woke up at 2 am last night and now it’s 7:19 am. Rip.

[Scott]

Hey Sophia!

What is going through your mind when you wake in the middle of the night? Why do you think you feel anxious about wakefulness? Keep in mind, most people wake multiple times during the night, usually when they transition from one sleep phase to another, but it’s how we react to that wakefulness that matters. If you find yourself comfortable and relaxed when you wake during the night, you can continue to lie in bed as long as it continues to feel good. If you become frustrated and anxious, as it appears you might be, it’s usually best to remove yourself from bed and engage in more enjoyable activities. This isn’t intended to generate sleep but it does create better conditions for sleep to happen. When you continue to lie in bed frustrated, your mind can build a negative relationship between your bed and anxious feelings/wakefulness so getting out of bed can break this association from building.

Hope this helps,
Scott J

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[Chee2308]

I see that you are a client so maybe it’d be best to refer to your coach on how to address those issues. I have also written extensively and nothing has changed since then. It is your mindset and thoughts that’s keeping you up, refusing to give up control over sleep, refusing to experience discomfort and refusing to accept nothing less than a “perfect sleep”. Your worries always remain regardless of how you sleep anyway, so why bother anymore?? Over time, you start to realise the futility of it all and you give up trying or controlling, that’s when you start sleeping really well! It will take time to remove deeply ingrained thoughts and behavior. Remain patient and committed!

[Author]

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