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This is excellent information, Martin. It is sometimes hard to know whether to “train my brain” or to just let go. It looks like you are suggesting to just let go and let sleep happen. It is easier said than done.
Thank you, Martin. I feel much better about staring at my laptop and phone all day. 🙂
Thank you, Martin. That makes a lot of sense. Sometimes people ask me why I don’t “rest” and nap. I never nap. It’s because I sleep better when I tire myself out. I do work out over an hour every day but sometimes that is not enough. Somehow it seems like stress helps me sleep better. Interesting.
Thank you so much for your honest feedback. This is hugely helpful. I have comfort in knowing that I am not alone in this. I will do my best at autocorrecting these thoughts. I will give your advice a try.
I really appreciate the insight of this group and this forum. I will be 70 my next birthday and I relapse often also. I know the brain is powerful enough to relapse and then cure. It is just sometimes hard to “wrap” around the thoughts and accept them at 2:00 am. Even when I don’t sleep well, I still feel okay during the day. I have thought about taking different meds but the side effects are next day drowsiness. Whaaaat? I can experience that naturally! 🙂 I will continue to manage my thoughts and work through this like both of you are doing. Dr. Carbonell has a book called “Outsmart Your Anxious Brain.” It is excellent and “cured” me of anxiety. I hope this helps.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I am going to try and be more patient with CBTI. I also found that getting out of bed made it worse for me. I like my bed and don’t mind staying in it even if I am awake. My chances of going back to sleep are better if I stay in bed and relax. Sometimes I wonder if we doze off without even knowing it.
Martin, thank you for your support. I do have a wonderful life (5 kids and 8 grands). I am going to grad school and teaching and I love it all. I was able to overcome anxiety using CBT and it took years but it worked. I know I need to try and be patient with CBTI. I would never take Ambien. I don’t think it is even safe. I would probably keep taking clonazepan on bad nights if my doc would prescribe it but that is not an option. I am going to try and be patient with CBTI. It is just taking much longer than I expected.
To add to my post, I went to two different therapists for insomnia and one takes Ambien and the other takes trazodone. Is this an insomnia pandemic?
I appreciate all this info. I know I can stop clonazepam any time with no withdrawals because my dosage is so low and infrequent. My doc told me that also. My issue is more with waking up waaaay too early and not being able to go back to sleep. If I take 1/4 to 1/2 mg of clonazepam, I will go back to sleep. I am sure it is more of a psychological dependency or the “placebo effect.” I just can’t seem get that through my thick head. 🙂
Thank you for sharing. I am having the same experience. It takes a long time and perseverence to do what you did. I know it is worth it. Getting off clonazepam is really difficult. I am down to 1/2 mg twice a week trying to get down to once a week and then stop it altogether. Waking up at 12 am unable to go back to sleep is miserable and the temptation is always there to just take a pill. CBTi is not perfect but it is better than being dependent on pills to sleep. All the best to you.
You advice is working so far. I have stopped taking sleeping pills. It has not been easy because I had rebound insomnia but I can already see an improvement.
Martin, thank you for checking in. Actually I am happy with the way I am living my life and I don’t let anxiety or sleep affect it. My anxiety is pretty low these days. I’m just not a good sleeper 2-3 nights a week and I guess I just have to accept and live with that.
Thank you for your support, Martin. It as been tough. Some nights are better than others. I have seen an improvement however. This week I plan to go for 5 nights without clonazepam. So far it has been ok however erratic. I sleep 8 hours one night and 4 the next. I have not been changing my daytime schedule. I work out 1 1/2 hours a day when I am not teaching. I do pilates, walk, and swim whether I sleep or not. I am a teacher and I do not work in the summer therefore my schedule is flex. I am still confused about the unpredictability of my sleep. I am working through it. Again, thank you.
