[Surf23]

Hi, new to the forum. Started experiencing insomnia a few years ago when my work schedule changed. I was on call for a few months for my job and my call period started at 0430. I would try to get to bed to allow eight hours of sleep but that ended up being counterproductive. I would just lay in bed, watch the clock, toss and turn, and get frustrated that I couldn’t fall asleep. This led to me calling out sick for work as my job is not one that can safely be performed with no sleep. It really began a downward spiral at this point with sleep related anxiety. This is when I believe that my work night insomnia began.

Fast forward two years later and I still experience sleep issues on work nights (to clarify….nights before I have to work the next day). On nights before I have the next day off, I sleep just fine. So, I am here in order to learn how to cope with my insomnia and to learn better practices to put into place.

[Martin Reed]

It sounds as though you know the initial trigger of your sleep disruption — a change to your work schedule. Under such circumstances, it’s completely normal and to be expected that your sleep would be disrupted.

Since you are still finding sleep difficult even though you now have a regular work schedule, this tells me that the way you think about sleep has changed and that you have probably been implementing behaviors that are perpetuating the problem (this includes things like spending too much time in bed and modifying your day in response to bad nights).

Since you tend to sleep well on nights when you don’t have work the next day, I think you would benefit from observing a consistent and appropriate sleep schedule every single day (so you aren’t inflicting social jet lag on yourself!), evaluating the accuracy of any thoughts you might have that a bad night of sleep is guaranteed to ruin the next day, and adding as many enjoyable and enriching activities to your week as possible.

Ultimately, strengthening sleep drive, strengthening the body clock, and reducing arousal are the three keys to better sleep for the long term.

I’d suggest looking into cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques since these specifically address the thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate insomnia!

I hope this helps.

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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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