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Lauriso – tell me your story please. This sounds like something I have dealt which is you feel like you can sleep but it’s very light or shallow sleep and then once you’re up you try to “fall sleep” again but you just kind of lie there awake and can’t seem to. How long has this been going on? Before I used to be able to sleep and then if I woke up to go to the bathroom or something I would just go and then come back and fall into a deep sleep again. I’ve tried magnesium which is natural and non habit forming.
Also Deb what is your opinion on magnesium? Have you tried it or known anyone who has tried it? Almost everybody like 90% of people are deficient in this mineral. I’ve been reading the Sleep Book, I’m on chapter 2 the accept stage and I’m just wondering. What about GABA? it’s the most important neurotransmitter that regulates anxiety and calms us and puts us in a deep sleep but the Sleep Book says no “pills and potions” does that mean I shouldn’t be trying to eat a lot healthier and take any vitamins that help boost the GABA in my brain? GABA has science behind it you know it’s not just some addictive sleep pill that knocks you out
You’re right though insomnia is such a tricky issue. Cause I feel a lot of people go through insomnia at some point in life if for maybe a couple weeks or a couple months or for a couple nights at a time but they bounce back. For people suffering chronic acute insomnia for years things look a lot more bleak it’s not something that is mainstream enough with wide available fixes and cures you know
I really really appreciate the conversation Deb you have no idea. Not even so much oh I just wanna be able to go and get drunk if I want (which would be nice though haha) but what if I wanna go to a concert or go camping or have a relationship where I can stay up all night lying in bed watching TV with someome I care about you know? I want that to still be available. I appreciate all the book recommendations very much and I’ll keep you up to date if I make any progress. You definitely give me hope!
Thank you so so much Deb. I ordered The Sleep Book it should be here by Monday! I just so badly more than anything else just want to sleep normal again and cure my insomnia. It scares me though because most people here say they have to stay on top of it to keep their insomnia in check and that terrifies me. I’ll give up my 9-10 hour nights I’ll even give up naps if that’s what it takes but the idea that never again will I be able to go out late and have long nights out with my friends, or go hiking or camping like I did when I was 17-19. I would go out hiking or camping with my friends and still be able to get 8 hours sleeping in a shitty sleeping bag in a tiny tent and it was never a problem. I feel like I’m missing out on so much fun and adventure of my youth because my insomnia holds me back. I had a relationship of 2 years and I could never sleep in her bed I could only ever sleep a little bit if i was in my bed and I had to be sleeping in it alone. It just scares me so much that this is the rest of my life now. I’d give anything to get rid of my insomnia and be a normal kid again. I really appreciate all the advice and information you have given me I read that ACT and CBT are pretty different I’m gonna try ACT first and I’ll keep in touch and let you know how it’s going. Thank you again! And yes please what are some good CBT books you recommend just in case haha
Yes Deb CBT did show up in my research but I could never find a lot of specifics? Maybe I just wasn’t looking correctly? I know some of the basic guidelines you know same time sleep every night same time waking up, don’t go to bed until you’re sleepy. Use bed only for sleep and sex, no caffeine or sugar but I’m sure there is more to it than that. I had never heard of ACT before though and that’s what drew me into this thread. Is that what The Sleep Book covers? I’m definitely willing to pay the 12 dollars and study it front to back if it will help me get rid of my insomnia and live a normal life again. Thanks again Deb 🙂
And thank you to Mac the vote of confidence means a lot to me. What is SRT exactly and how do I start it? Good luck to you as well!I hear that Daf. Do you feel as good now getting 5 hours as you did in your early 20s when you got 8 hours? I read your success story. My name is also David haha. Are you able to take refreshing naps now if you need one? Are you able to go out and drink with friends and stay up late if you want? I just know in this early stage in me trying to cure my insomnia I won’t sleep at all if I go out and drink or smoke or anything like that. I’ve got these heavy dark-circled bags under my eyes and they just get worse unless I go to bed roughly same time every night and wake up same time every morning and I don’t want to have that attached to me for the rest of my life you know? Lastly, can you expand on what mindfulness and srt is exactly and how would I start doing it? Please and thank you David.
I hear all that Mac! I’d literally give everything I own (i dont have much) just to go back to when I was young and could sleep anytime anywhere and it was refreshing God I miss it so much. It’s been so hard with everything going on in my life to keep a level head. I have one more question if you or Deb or anyone has insight. I’m 23 trying to put myself through school and right now I work at a restaurant. I can get out of the restaurant anytime from 10pm to midnightish. Should I just make my bedtime 12:30 every night? And make 7 my wake up time? Is that too late or should I just get used to that? I know a part of CBT is train your brain to sleep at the same time and only associate the bed with sleep. I just don’t wanna set me sleep time too early in the night and then miss it because of work and have to restart my progress all over again. If it take 6 months to a year to fully cure and be back to normal that’s what I’m willing to do.
Hey Deb thank you so so much for all the information! Recently, I got into a really bad accident that left me in the hospital for 3 weeks. I’m currently in the process of trying to get assistance with a 179,000 medical bill so I don’t have much money to spend especially since I’ve been out of work recovering from my injuries. Is there any major points from Martin or The Sleep Book that you have found most helpful and can you share it with me? Once I’m fully recovered I have been very seriously considering joining the national guard. I feel it’s both a good way to move on from this accident and a way to help with medical if I wanted to seek out professional help with my sleep which I would definitely like to do. Why was CBT only helping with 5 nights and not getting rid of your anxiety for the whole week if you don’t mind me asking? I feel I have definitely had a combination of both. In the beginning my mind would race a million thoughts a minute and I couldn’t get any relief. And if I did sleep it would be very light and not satisfying at all I would wake up still exhausted. After I started doing research I was able to start doing bed/waking up roughly same time every night (even though I’ve struggled with this) and started eating a lot healthier and avoiding blue-light. But now even if I can fall asleep fine I’ll only get 3-4 hours every night and it’s very discouraging I go through all this trouble just to be able to sleep for a half or a third of the time I used to be able to sleep with no trouble at all. Your point of view would be appreciated thank you again Deb.
Thanks for the reply Mac. My insomnia started in October of 2015 when I was only 19. My Mom who is the only family or person of safety I had ever known told me she was moving away to live with a friend. Renting a house with her I guess because we we’re living in a shitty 2 bedroom apt. At the time. I guess her friend had told her I was 19 now and it was time for me to be by myself. I freaked out. I was working a fast food job and I was terrified of not having my mother there for support for the first time in my life and it started then. I would lie awake all night. I went through phases of trying a bunch of sleep aids from stores, trying to buy a memory foam topper thinking that would help. Try calming music every night. Tried drinking every night so I’d knock out. Obviously none of it worked. About 2 years in I started to do heavy research on what I could do. Never had a time where my insomnia ever let up. Although for a minute I was taking magnesium tablets and going to sleep around midnight every night which is probably the best I’ve slept during the insomnia. Even then though it was only like 4-5 hours and I also ate healthy a lot never ate any sugar or saturated fats.
Yeah Gulf Shores isn’t too bad! I’ve lived here since June even though it’s just a little cold now but it can be nice to be out of how humid it would get sometimes when I first got here. Do you personally ever take naps Deb? Or go out late? Or do you just try your best every night to stick to your schedule and hygiene? What does ACT all entail? Is it a part of CBT or is it separate? Thank you for the insight
Really digging this thread. As someone who has suffered from Insomnia for over 4 years now this gives me hope. Deb I actually also live in Alabama for the time-being. I live in Gulf Shores! For anybody who may have some insight please let me know. I really miss going out and drinking and having fun with my friends but I don’t do that anymore since I know I will get little to no sleep that night and I have to start my progress all over again. I just wanna know once you consider yourself cured from insomnia can you go back to just living a regular every day person life? I mean can I stay up late with my girl if I want? Go to late-night concerts? Can I go out drinking with my friends? Can I take naps in the middle of the day like I did when I was younger and actually feel good after I wake up from one and not feel like oh great now I won’t be able to get any sleep tonight? I see a lot of people saying they are recovering now but it’s really fragile and they can’t just live however cause it will still effect their sleep. And they keep saying they get 5-6.5 hours but I remember when I was younger before insomnia I could sleep for 7 hours, wake up, go to the bathroom, and then fall asleep for another 3 hours. Are those care free days forever behind me or?
Hey Edgar have you considered stopping the Valium and looking for alternatives? Give me some insight please why have you not tried CBT-I or something along those lines to try and stop it for good? Have you tried sleep restrictions or taking magnesium or waking up same time early every morning? Those are the few things I’ve tried that have been able to help me a little although every single day now I miss when I was a teenager and I would be able to sleep anywhere at anytime and I’d wake up from a deep sleep feeling rested. My skin was clearer. I wasn’t as pale. I didn’t have dark heavy bags under my eyes. I could actually gain muscle (i just stay skinny now cause even if I go to the gym I don’t really get results from it cause your muscles mostly get bigger and recover after good sleep)
It surprises me a bit that you guys think I may have sleep apnea. I don’t really have any of the symptoms. I’ve never woken up with any gasping or choking. Nor do I ever wake up with a sore throat nor am I a snorer. I remember the exact day my insomnia started. I was 19 and my mother who is the only family and safety net I’d ever had in my life told me she was moving away to Florida and I would have to find new living arrangements and find roommates or other people to live with. At first I started trying sleeping medications that you buy in the store but they just made matters worse. Then I tried buying a memory foam topper for my bed once I lived with new roommates. That didn’t work. I tried using eye masks and playing soothing music to help sleep. Nothing. Then I started to get desperate. I started drinking a bit before sleep every night to knock me out. Ya’ll already know that ended bad. Maybe in the past year or so I actually started doing heavy research and started trying to go bed same time every night (which is difficult cause I’m a server at a restaurant and we could get out any time between 10 and midnight). Started eating a lot healthier. Started taking magnesium tablets before bed (which sometimes I’d actually get a decent 5 hours taking those) And I started cutting out blue light as well. I’ve tried pretty much everything you can try for low-cost by yourself and nothing has been able to cure me. My brain just races too much. I miss going downtown to drink with my friends. I miss being able to go to sleep whenever I wanted and wake up after a nice long deep sleep. I miss being able to actually take naps and getting nourishment from them. I’m so lost guys and with this medical bill I don’t really have the money for a sleep doctor or CBT-I so I’ve been heavily considering joining the national guard as of late. Just so they’d help me with my sleep.
Unfortunately Mark it is chronic insomnia. I check all the boxes of symptoms. Waking up tired, waking up in the middle of the night unable to fall back asleep. Unrefreshing sleep and having difficulty falling asleep. I no longer take naps and have cut all caffiene and alcohol. I have dealt with this for four years. Some nights are better than others but never again since I was 19 have I been able to fall into a deep sleep, or even sleep for more than 4 or 5 hours at a time and my work and school life have suffered because of it. I was on a long, very long interstate and apparently dozed under the wheel and drove into the wrong lane of traffic. I woke up early trying to make my dentists appointment at this dental college in birmingham. The appointment was at 1pm and I had been on the road since 9am. I had to hear from 1000 doctors and nurses what a miracle it is I’m alive but ever since I’ve been obsessed with curing my insomnia. Can you offer me any guidance please?
