[susieangela]

I’ve had bad insomnia for about 18 months now. I generally fall asleep very quickly but then wake in the early hours and often can’t get back to sleep due to panicking and overwhelming thoughts (I’m 70, and all my life until recently I’ve been a good sleeper, even when things are stressful). I’ve followed Martin’s podcasts and finally decided recently that I just couldn’t go on like this, so for the last 10 days I’ve been going to bed and getting up at the same time, with a sleep window of 7 hours and turning the clock away. If I can’t sleep I sit up and read. But I’m feeling terrible! Exhausted in the daytime, yet I’m still waking and panicking in the early hours, then unable to rest because I don’t know what the time is and when the alarm will go off. I’m finding it really hard to do things that I’d enjoy, because of the exhaustion. Should I persevere with this (I’m scared for my mental and physical health which is deteriorating fast) or try something else? Thank you.

[emandk]

I appreciate your post and am in the same boat. It has been 2 months of really bad insomnia and my mental health is taking a huge toll. I was prescribed Restoril about 5 weeks ago, which is a Benzo…2 of them work but I am trying to taper myself off of them.
Depression and anxiety have increased for me. I just started practicing sleep restriction but it is intensifying the daytime depression/anxiety…I am assuming that in the next few days my body will just decide to sleep. This is so hard.

[susieangela]

Emandk, I’m sorry to hear you’re going through this too. Well done you on tapering off the meds. I do believe, as Martin says, that the body will sleep. We’ve just got to a place where trusting it is really challenging. I’d just say, remember that before all this you could sleep. Your body knows how to, it’s done it before. Hopefully we can learn to trust that it will return to doing what it does best. Best wishes to you.

[Martin Reed]

Hello @susieangela and welcome to the forum!

How do you currently respond to those nighttime awakenings and how workable is that approach proving to be?

A sleep window cannot make sleep happen or get rid of difficult thoughts and feelings (such and anxiety, panic, or exhaustion). Its goal is to help us move away from trying to make sleep happen because the more we try to make sleep happen (for example, by going to bed earlier and/or staying in bed later) the more difficult it usually becomes.

Similarly, the more we might try to fight or avoid certain thoughts and feelings, the more difficult they can become, too. The more we try, the more likely we are to get tangled up in a struggle with them since we are trying to control what cannot be controlled (I am yet to meet or hear of anyone who has managed to permanently delete difficult thoughts and feelings from their mind).

The struggle that comes from all our understandable efforts can be exhausting and make it so much more difficult to do things that matter. And so, many people find it helpful to practice a different approach — an approach that involves moving away from battling with all this difficult stuff, night after night and day after day. An approach that helps them move away from the struggle that makes all this difficult stuff even more difficult so they can free up energy and attention to do more of what matters.

I hope there’s something useful here.

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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.

[susieangela]

Thanks, Martin, appreciate your reply. Will think about ACT.

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