[Gabriel]

Chee.

Great perspective. I will also look into your suggestion.

Truth is, since all this craziness began I never monitored my sleep. Actually I downloaded that Sleep Cycle App in oct 2017 just to test out for a few days. I was sleeping “normally” then like I was my whole life. I checked the archive of the app and back then and I actually would go to bed at 12:00-12:30a and wake up at 6:00-6:30am for work and I was living a “normal” life.

This prompted me to say, hold on a minute what changed since then? The biggest thing that changed was the difficulty falling asleep and my mind seemingly active most of the night. Knowingly this is due to months now of the sleep anxiety and trying to find ways to “fix” myself to go to sleep.

The more I understand, accept, and am aware of this, I think is a step in the right direction.

Thank for your continued input
from your experience and success.

[Gabriel]

Chee

Thanks for reply. I’ve been practicing the do not look at clock since October 2020 when trying to research sleep hygiene and applying it. The clock is on the other side of the bed and without my glasses I can’t see the clock.

I do use the Sleep Cycle app which monitors sleep during night and I quickly look at it in the morning when the alarm there goes off. This way I have a general sense of my wake up and if I get any deeper sleep.

Back to my last question. How did you handle the “fear of not sleeping the whole night”?

Especially after you haven’t fully fallen asleep as mind is keeping you up throughout night and you don’t have that feeling that you’ve fallen asleep?

[Gabriel]

This is all great feedback and encouragement.

I’ve researched sleep restriction times as you mentioned of 5.5-6 hours. Currently, after a relaxing wind down of an hour or so (I like to read books) I feel sleepy and get in bed around 11:30p-12:00am. My alarm clock is set currently to 7:15am. So that is about a 7 hour window.

Before all this, I was not a “morning person” so I would stay up later. So it makes more sense to adjust to a 12:30a-6:30a or 1:00a-7:00a to start?

Last night for example, I took advice from you and Martin from his videos and went to bed around 12:15a with clock set at 7:15a. I went to bed sleepy but I felt like I like my mind was awake. I got up and an hour passed. It was close to 1:30a. I took 2.5mg of Zolpidem to tell my mind that I need something to help me fall asleep. I was in and out every hour or so and after the 3rd or 4th wake up I looked over and it was 6:15. I put my head down again with my mind awake and the alarm turned on at 7:15a.

The in and out, mind racing, feeling of not actually sleeping, and thinking I am not fully sleeping. It’s the fear of “not sleeping the whole night” that is so strong. Is that normal to have during this time of sleep restriction?

[Gabriel]

Chee

Thank you so much for your reply. It’s very encouraging.

I’ve slept the 4-5 hours on great days since this all began. The problem has been not being able to fall asleep.

I’ve tried getting out of bed 20-30min of being in bed to read until sleepy but get worried once it gets to 4am – 5am and know that morning is coming and I didn’t sleep all night.

Not being able to fall asleep or stay asleep has been the biggest frustration.

Is trying the sleep restriction approach and just accepting that I won’t sleep all night the answer?

Thank you so much.

[Author]

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