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Well, in my case it took a long time because I was addicted for 20 years to various sleeping pills, antidepressants, antiallergics, melatonin, herbs, teas, CBD and supplements. My dependence was total. Physical and psychological. I really believed I needed to take all of that to get a few hours of bad sleep. And the more I took all those things, the less I slept. To remove everything took a long time. Even from melatonin and other herbs I had withdrawal crises. It wasn’t until I took Martin’s course and found this forum that I had the courage to let go of all drugs. It took my brain about 2 years to make new connections and learn to trust a life without drug relief. I had to change everything. The time to clear a drug will also depend on the level of mental dependence. The physique even clears relatively quickly, about 6 months, but if you continue with the fear of not being able to sleep, you end up going back to drugs. Hope this helps. Forgive me for the English.
Hello Takoba66!
First of all, congratulations on your courage to face life without drugs. And you’re right, as long as you don’t give up your efforts and sleep medication, nothing will work, as your brain will continue to keep you awake monitoring your struggle. Yes, this forum is a source of support and help. Here, I learned more and had better guidance than with all the doctors I’ve seen in my life. Recovering mentors and clients have taught me through their examples. It has very rich old posts. I’ve read them all and I keep coming back to strengthen myself in the moments of relapse that are few, but still happen occasionally. They just don’t bring me down anymore. I’m clean from medications, supplements and exertion and sleeping happily and soundly after a life ravaged by insomnia. I’m rooting for you! (sorry for the english)“I am just having a hard time changing my negative sleep thoughts to positive sleep thoughts”
Hi! Thoughts are not to be changed, but accepted as they are. That’s why you can’t believe them when you change them to positive thoughts, because you know you’re believing lies. When thoughts of fear, analysis of insomnia, anxiety and despair about tomorrow’s commitments come, simply welcome them and observe them. Tell yourself, “Look what my head is thinking…” Only in a state of acceptance will your brain begin to calm down and send fewer thoughts. While you are fighting more stress hormones are keeping you awake. Good luck!
Hello! Our brain works in reverse. When you tell him “it’s okay ” “let’s go back to sleep” and “let sleep come to you” he will do the exact opposite and keep you more awake. It’s called paradoxical intention. I leave here two links for your research.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwM8zwfQHwo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOGimoZIH7s
The main problem with insomnia is our thoughts. Here on the forum there is a topic about ACT for insomnia. It helped me a lot to see other approaches to anxiety and the uncontrollable thoughts that so damage life and sleep. Good luck!
I fully understand what you are going through. I’ve been through that too. My brain has been conditioned to stay up at night in bed and fight. And nothing I did could change that. I suffered for years, trying therapies, medications, meditations, CBDs, supplements, and everything else you can imagine. The despair of waking nights made me think about dying to get it over with. Only CBTi can bring me back to life. It took me about 5 months to regulate my sleep, deprogram my brain from the negative association with bed and cleanse myself of the large amount of substances I was taking. Today I sleep happy, always respecting my 6.5 sleep window (always at the same time). I don’t do anything or take anything anymore. When it’s time for bed, I fall down. And when some not-so-good night happens – I accept. A wonderful sleep awaits you. Do not give up.
Well, let’s talk about me. I have no experience with Tamoxifen, however any medication alters my sleep as my brain starts to think I have a problem to solve, and it tries to help me by sending adrenaline and keeping me awake for the fight or flight state. And the medication-adrenaline-fear-insomnia cycle starts and doesn’t end. In my case, this nocturnal alertness happens with any medication. It was only when I understood this, took off the medications, and learned the language of the brain, that I began to sleep peacefully. Good luck to you
Hello Fentona!
A stressful event can trigger an insomnia problem, but this usually passes after a while. Everything returns to normal when the event passes. The problem starts when we start trying solutions and aids to be able to sleep better. We started to help sleep with supplements, medicines, teas, rituals, baths, music, meditations, sleep hygiene, prayers, etc… etc… with this a much bigger problem than the initial one begins. And this one will never end, for everything you do will only increase your insomnia. Go implementing CBTi and you will be successful.
1 week and a half is a short time. Don’t cover yourself and forget about this matter. Just go on doing the CBTi without any expectations. Good luck!Yes, easier said than done. But talking so much makes it easier to do. Your brain will start to disarm and calm down as it will have nothing to monitor or resolve. The more anxious and worried you are, the more he will want to help you and will put you on high alert. Watch videos on paradoxical intent that explain just that. Good luck!
Hi! The problem with insomnia is that you can’t overcome it or get rid of it. It’s to accept and befriend her. As long as you try to send her away, the more she will keep you company at night. As for your trip, you are already anticipating the future, that is, you are telling your brain that you will need help and that you will have a problem to solve. This is not good. It will always keep you alert to solve problems. In addition to the CBTi you are doing, I suggest the book by Dr Guy Meadows, The Sleep Book, it helped me a lot with the anxiety of anticipating nights and trips and gave me other tools to deal with insomnia. Good luck!
Hi! It is common for insomniacs to develop nocturnal panic. Fear that everything will happen again, fear of how I will fulfill my obligations the next day, etc… The more fear, the more insomnia. The fear-adrenaline-insomnia cycle is perpetuated. Doing it differently is the way out. Accept your insomnia, be friends with it. Don’t give it any importance. _ Welcome Mrs Insomnia, you again here? Okay, it’s okay, you can stay. Play with it. This attitude disarms the game and turns off your brain. Do it, you don’t have much to lose. Good luck.
Hello Martinm!
Insomnia likes natural remedies or not, worries, novelties that generate anxiety, abandonment of routine, stress, in short, all of this feeds her. In other words, everything you’ve done so far is only making your insomnia more and more stronger. Maybe trying CBTi or ACT can help you. .. I also advise you to read the posts on this forum. I learned more here than in everything I did to solve my insomnia. Good luck
Hello Chee! Very good to read your posts and guidelines. I’m sure it helps a lot of people just as it has helped me. So, you no longer use a sleep window? Do you go to bed when you are already very sleepy no matter what time it is? And that doesn’t interfere with the biological clock and the time to wake up? Dr. Daniel Erichsen says not to look at the clock 1.5 hours before bed. In fact, the rigor of a sleep window and RS ends up becoming a huge effort to sleep better.
I once asked a person who sleeps so well what did he do to sleep so well? She said that when her head fell on top of the computer she would crawl into bed practically already asleep, she didn’t even know the time. She woke up every day at 6 no matter what night she had. And I still asked: And when you don’t sleep well? What are you doing? Nothing, she said. I know I will sleep well next night. It didn’t even shake her.
This is the sleep recipe. Not care about.
We overvalue insomnia. We talk, discuss, study, seek, help, … And it gets bigger, more important and has the main place in our lives. Maybe forgetting about this subject… maybe she will disappear.Hello Edard! It’s important to remember that alcohol has two effects. The first causes drowsiness and the second stimulates and awakens. In other words: He makes him sleep for a short time and then wakes up. Which leads the person to have to drink in the middle of the night to complete another cycle of torture. There are insomniacs who drink every 2 hours during the night to get some rest. Needless to say, most become alcoholics and ruin their lives. The poor insomniac runs away from insomnia and ends up falling into the clutches of alcoholism. And to make matters worse, after a while this whole strategy just doesn’t work anymore. Alcoholic insomnia sets in. Take care.
Hello Happy! Alcohol has a very interesting effect. It feels like it’s helping the person and then it makes him a prisoner. At first it goes off and after a while it causes insomnia. And the process just gets bigger. And increasing doses to get sleep and consequently more insomnia and more dependence. Hard to break this cycle. Many insomniacs use it to help initiate sleep. But over time this turns into nights of utter despair without being able to even nap. I don’t understand your difficulty whether it’s sleeping or staying awake, however, whatever it is, it’s best to stay away from that relief. If you continue, you’ll sell your soul for alcohol.
Hello Friend! If you’re looking for a pillow for back pain, that’s fine, you can continue your search. However, if you are looking for pillows to sleep better, give up on your search. There is no pillow for insomniacs. These will be forced to dwell in the sad and unhappy world of the insomniacs until they completely surrender that they can do nothing and nothing can help and accept their nights with their eyes open. Then you can sleep in peace. I now, recovered, sleep anyway. Even sitting. When my sleep window starts, I fall out in a faint. With no pillow. Good luck.
