Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I think that could absolutely be true, and think it deserves much more investigation. I’d say yes to lots more things you truly enjoy, as an experiment you know. 😉
This is hard, since as we know by week 5 we are not supposed to be pursuing an amount or certain kind of sleep.
On the mornings you sleep in until 5:30 it could just be that your body needs it, and takes it. Nothing you do can make this happen on cue, if it could, none of us would be here! I might try reframing your focus to trying to be more at peace with the sleep you do get, and see if there are other, wakeful, things you could do that would help you feel more energized. Maybe an early morning walk? Drinking more water? More meditation? Things that are known to make you feel good overall. One of my first sleep coaches and many other professionals after, recommended rather than napping (since I could not and continue to not be able to – my trouble is with sleep initiation) is doing Yoga Nidra (also known as deep sleep protocol). I find it very relaxing and peaceful. It is not as recharging as a full nights sleep, but absolutely got me through some very rough days. Even my little 10 minute sessions around 1pm did me noticeable good.
Rather than chasing “sleep” I am now chasing “peace” and “resilience”. My bio feedback therapy took a big step back when we realized I am stuck in hyperarousal despite everything (even getting better sleep overall, tbh, though I am still having a lot of sleep anxiety) and we’re now looking for reasons I’m having a hard time engaging my parasympathetic system. It’s on to good ol’ talk therapy for me, and I’m hoping we can eventually unravel what within myself is causing my body to not take over and create the sleep I was used to.
I’m also working to accept that with perimenopause this may have just… changed irrevocably. This may be what my body needs NOW just as my sleep changed from when I was a child, then teenager, then adult. I believe this is not an issue for you based on your name & icon, but we’re all getting older after all… and it changes for all of us as we age.
Have you given space to those unwelcome thoughts sometimes..? If you always shut them down, it is possible you haven’t been able to fully process what your mind is trying to tell you, and that may be why it continues to come back around, and may by part of why you are struggling. You do not have to accept them as truth (it is very likely they are truly unpleasant and perhaps even an outright lie) but your brain may feel like that is unfinished business it needs to fully attend to.
Hopefully Martin will quickly correct me if I am mistaken in understanding, but this is how I’ve been reading the course.
Thank you ktMD! I had been told by my therapists not to do breathing exercises when I’m already agitated but in this case perhaps they’re wrong… I definitely need to activate my vagus nerve more. Everyone seems to think I’m stuck with fight or flight on.
I’ll also check out that book, though I’m working my way through This is Natto first. This all seems so intuitive and obvious until I have a few bad nights… then its all out of reach and I feel like I’m back to square 1.
I hope your drive was strong and that if not it was ok!
I had been doing well, but Wednesday night dropped my sleep med after tapering low enough prior and… it did not go well. I think it fully reopened my trauma and I’ve been struggling more since. My doctor was surprised and miffed saying I should just be getting solid sleep and resetting with no changes for six months. We made peace with me sticking with the super low dose for now but… here I am wide awake again.
One thing that is making this hard is the heart palpitations and increased HR/BP following sleepless nights. It amplifies the feeling that something is wrong and I’m in danger. My insomnia started with a health scare around fainting spells and random spikes with no discernible cause. We dropped my beta blocker (prescribed for migraines) and now here I am unable to sleep normally but with every indication my heart is fine. But when I miss sleep and it gets going, that becomes so hard! I’m trying to both slow that down and get myself calm enough for sleep to have an opportunity and it just feels like a fools errand. Either I slip into slumber right away or it just doesn’t happen. Lots of opportunity to practice AWAKE tonight…
Does anyone have advice on which type of breathing/mindfulness is best for the heart?
Advice on how to stop the very specific problem of being ready for sleep, literally micro sleeping for a few min on the couch before relocating, and then suddenly needing to know what to think about? It really knocks me out of the right head space for sleep and it happens so often! I’m trying everything I can think of aside from dwelling on the bad thoughts.
Unfortunately I have nothing new to offer, no. My issue is with sleep onset – I just plum don’t feel sleepy as I used to and is normal. I would sometimes try to nap in my car over lunch in the beginning when I was really dragging but would always fail, and every failure made me more upset and desperate. Being daytime sleepy was not a problem for me as I wasn’t sleeping even when given an opportunity. I soon stopped trying and decided to try and let sleep pressure grow.
The way I make it through the days after a sleepless night is by doing all the things I “have” to do. I go to work. I run on days I am supposed to run. I cook dinner, and watch shows, take the dog on a walk, or ride my bike, and sometimes yes also complain at length about it. I am still in the stage of not napping while I try to get my sleepiness at night back. I’ve fallen asleep briefly as a passenger in a car, but usually getting up and moving around is enough to stay awake when I’m not stuck like that. Whatever engages you, do that.
I appreciate the thoughtful response, Martin! I’m hesitant to say lest I jinx myself but this has been a strong week. Still experiencing trouble with falling asleep, but able to go through the motions with less struggle thus far. Thank you for creating this space for us to know we are not alone and find courage from those who dealt with this before us. I’m sure all too soon in the coming days I’ll have more opportunity to put my resolve to the test..!
Thank you hiker! I’ve definitely given up the idea of a solution at this point. I’ve put enough time, effort, tears and money into finding it for sure with no luck, plus my brother has been fighting with insomnia since he was a teenager as well. The only trick I’m hoping to find is one that makes doing the things I enjoy at 3am actually enjoyable… but as you suggest it’s most likely what the next five weeks will be about and not one hot tip.
