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Hi Mac,
Sounds like you had a decent week, that is good.
I’m pretty strict with my protocol, esp given that I’m self employed and given my work schedule and the fact I have a lot of control over when I work, I could easily take liberties with SRT.
My insomnia started with asthma 2.5 years ago, following, we think inhaling some dust. Cleared after 4 months – and I could stop using inhalers. Asthma has now gone. But it gave me some nil-sleep nights at the time, though I had had the odd nil-sleep night on a very occasional basis in the past.
Insomnia episodes I get cannot linked to any stressors in my life.
Kind regards Daf (Him in that there London)
Hi Deb,
I still use SRT and Stimulus Control. It’s essential I feel – and the only thing really in one’s control.
But I still get episodes of insomnia – but they last less long now – maybe a week or 10 days, wherein I may have say 2 to 3 nights of nil sleep. They used to last 4 to 5 weeks long.
And in Sept/ Oct I had a whole 7 week with no nil-sleep nights.
But even if I sleep well, I always wake up 4 to 5 times a night – which is typical of older people, though not a problem for me, because once I’ve got to sleep once for an hour or so, I can nearly always turn over and resume sleep again,
So it seems to be getting better, but I accept it probably wont go completely.
Glad things working for you.
Thanks. I full agree.
You may want to join the debate on the post “Sudden Severe Insomnia” too
Kind regards
Daf
Yes, Deb, you are correct it does not say if the author did CBT-I though he did mention trying a lot of other things.
When my insomnia episodes started 2 and a half years ago I researched so much on it online. I really think I must, by now, know more than most sleep medicine consultants. The best books I read on it were by Guy Meadows, Chris Winter and Colin Epsie. All those books cover SRT and SCT to some extent, which I follow pretty rigorously
I went to a private therapist – maybe 20 sessions over the course of a year.
Our NHS (health service in UK) put me on a group course for sufferers of insomnia for 6 weeks – 6 weeks every week meetings for 2 hrs, (with three other people plus a therapist), which was focussed on SRT and SCT and general CBT approaches to insomnia (including developing the right mind-set). Also, I did a series of 6 one-to-ones with an NHS therapist.
Later on, I went on another group course – his time with the big Sleep Medicine honcho experts at the Great Ormond Street hospital in London. Again, this was CBT-I including SRT and SCT.
On both the local NHS course and Great Ormond St courses, a big focus was completing sleep diaries and reducing time in bed not sleeping (SRT).
I have tried a number of drugs too. But they mostly don’t work, though I have found 7.5mg Mirtazapine (Remeron) can kick me out of a long episode of insomnia. But I have only used it very sparingly.
So, as you can see, I think one could say, I have had a “good go” with CBT-I and the SRT/ SCI approach – and yes, it works a lot.
But I still get insomnia episodes. Less than before, but still they come.
And yes, it still gets me down. But I have given up on finding a cause of it, other than realising my slightly obsessive, maybe controlling nature, which probably is a factor. Plus age-ing which is linked to broken and less sleep in many people. ( I am 56)
And at the end of the day, I have had to accept it for what it is. And by accepting it, I do feel somewhat better and the pain that goes with it does diminish.
Ultimately, life is not always how we would like it to be. When I look at some friends of mine who have worse health issues (including cancer scares), and at the rest of my life, I just count my blessings for the good days and the good things in it.
So, the night before last, I did not get a wink of sleep. Felt bad, sure, but I just accepted it, got on with the day as best I could. First sunshine in weeks here in London, so I went for a long run, did some work (less than if I’d slept well, but still got some stuff done) and “moved on”. By accepting how I felt, the pain lessened a lot.
Last night got a good sleep. 6.5hrs maybe. Feel great and life goes on.
Please see that I’m not trying to decry your experiences. I have suffered too with this. I know how bad insomnia is. And I have tried many approaches. But, if at the end of the day, if you still have something after trying everything, like the guy in the article says, you either kill yourself or just accept it as part of your life. You cannot control everything, some things in life are a bit s**t, some things are REALLY s**t, but where else can you go when there is no more therapies left untried?
You just have to accept it and live your life. And in that, there is peace.
Chris Winter in his book notes the controlling nature of most of his patients. We have to see that for what it is. And let go of trying to control things.
I do wonder whether sometimes folk should just accept their insomnia and the feelings of (in my case nausea and tension) that comes the next day.
With me, I’ve had insomnia episodes on and off for over 2 years, with no clear cause. Often nights with nil sleep at all, though fortunately never together on successive nights (unlike some poor souls here). At least after a duff night, I can look forward to sleep the next night.
But I don’t get insomnia every night, so I just look to the good nights. Also, have come to accept 5.5hrs to 6 hrs as being OK. Insomnia increases with age – and I am now older, so maybe that is just how it is!
I have followed this “acceptance approach”, and it does help quite a bit.
May I suggest you read this article and note especially the bit where he asks, “How would you feel and how would you act if I told you, you will have insomnia for the rest of your life”…
Also, suggest reading Eckhart Tolle’s book – The Power of Now, about living life in the present and seeing your thoughts as separate from yourself, or from your presence, as he puts it.
Ultimately, isn’t this about how you accept the insomnia. Make it a big deal and it becomes a bigger deal. Learn to accept it and it minimises its fear power. As Martin Read says, “If you cannot sleep, its no big deal. Just relax and see what happens”. This is all as key to me as the SRT is…. I.e. having the right mindset.
I saw a really good news article a few years back online headed, “What years of anxiety and insomnia taught be about how to effectively deal with it.”
Google it.
I rather liked the approach the author adopted: “Just accept it”
It kind of softened his relationship to his insomnia.
Have a read and let me know what you think.
Good stuff Deb, Sounds like things are improving for you.
I’ve been reading the comments and am pleased for you.
Sure, no problem.
Started 2 and a half years ago with asthma issue – could not breathe right. Scary and hence sleepless nights.
The asthma problem went away (seems it was caused by me breathing in some dust). But the insomnia remained. It is episodic. I can be fine for periods up to 7 weeks. Then a night of nil sleep will come and nil sleep nights then follow maybe two or three nights a week for two to five weeks. Then it goes. No obvious stresses cause the episodes to start – seems to have a life of its own.
On any night, whether sleeping well or not, I awaken a lot in the night, but once I’ve got to sleep for first time, I can always roll over and get back to sleep again. So the problem for me is sleep onset – if it does not come, it does not come for whole night!
Over last 6 months though, the episodes of good sleep have been getting longer and the episodes of poor sleep getting shorter, so things seem to be slowly looking up.
Agreed.
But once out of bed – you need to calm yourself down with positive thinking and I think, mindfulness too – (if mindfulness works for you).
But for me, when insomnia strikes its no good at all getting out of bed and doing something else – as my thoughts will still be fearful (about insomnia), ….so some good self talk and a bit of mindfulness works then, for me….
But different strokes, different folks. I don’t think leaping out of bed after 15 minutes or whatever and reading a book works for everyone though, unless reading a book say, is truly capable of switching your mind off worrying about sleep. That certainly would not work enough for me.
Mmm, Well I think everyone is different but everyone can also learn from other people too, especially experts in their field.
So try things, give them a real go, but also be true to yourself, understand yourself. Sure, listen to experts but also listen to your body, to your mind and to those who know you best and who are close to you.
Well, that’s my philosophy.
The fact is that different experts do have different views about treating insomnia. And that is a fact. But all agree about SRT – and as it happens, so do I.
,,,,,,Just checked Sedona Method online and it seems much like mindfulness to me.
I attended a mindfulness course here in UK. And look at a lot of stuff online – which is all free. Plenty of books too. It does require practice though and that can be hard if you are naturally driven person as I am.
If you ever get a chance to read The Sleep Solution book, there is a funny section where he kind of says….”Well if you suffer from insomnia, I get you are like this, this and this…..” It was me all over!
It seems there are characteristics of insomnia people…. very driven people who care and think too much…
So, the best answer is to LET GO more….. Stop giving a s**t about stuff in life, including insomnia and trust to your mind and body to heal itself of this thing.
Ironically, the mindfulness approach (used as part of the “Acceptance Commitment Therapy” to psychological problems) to dealing with insomnia, as promoted by the likes of Guy Meadows at the Sleep School and others, is in favour of not getting out of bed and instead, mindfully meditating, following the breath/ feel of the duvet, noises that are around….. and just accepting things as they are in a calm and open way….
The key words in mindfulness and the main attitudes being Acceptance, Letting Go, Being In the Moment, Not Judging Yourself, Non-Striving, Patience (things will come right in time), Trust (trusting your mind and body know what do, in their own time) and Gratitude.
See Jon Kabat Zinn video of the seven attitudes of mindfulness. It’s very peaceful.
I have to say, I like the idea of SRT but I’ve never felt the getting out of bed after 15 mins or whatever is right for me. I’m far more in favour of accepting things and letting them be. After all, by doing that, you are making less of a BIG DEAL of insomnia. And I’ve always thought, if one gets out of bed and does something else, that does not equate to calming oneself down. Though, if you must, a bit of positive self-talk will help.
Hope that helps
Daf
