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Thank you Czor for your kind support!
Let’s keep on encouraging each other through thick and thin!!When I am struggling in bed when I am awake I get out of bed. After practicing AWAKE and decreasing my anxiety about being awake in bed, I stay in my bed. I like to listen to guided meditation or read in bed. Sometimes I fall back to sleep, sometimes I do not. When I am struggling in bed I get out.
Staying in bed for me is an act of self kindness. The bed is a nest and comfortable.
I do not have control over sleep but I can control getting out of bed or not.
Interested in hearing what Martin says.
Thank you for asking the question!
GenieBElkie,
I completed the program 2 months ago and soon will lose access to the content. Like you my anxiety has decreased and I know I can sleep. I just do not have control over sleep. I wonder if the “thought” that I am done with the program has roused up my fear? For me the fear is still there and I can still sleep when I acknowledge how I am feeling. Somethings spending time trying to figure out why I am not sleeping gives a reason for my mind to spin.
Last night I did not sleep well and I am still going to drive 8 hours to visit my mother! I will be fine!!
Martin just posted a new podcast interview. I haven’t listened to the whole podcast yet but I can relate to Eric’s experience.
Let me know what you think!
GenieBOtilona,
Boy, do I feel your pain!
In week one I also had days with little to no sleep. The anxiety was so intense I called 988 (suicide hotline) so I could talk to a live person.
For me once I saw that I can live and function the best that I could with no sleep the anxious feeling dampened. So I tell myself my brain is protecting me by keeping me awake. Yes, I felt like crap and I still survived.
Your body knows how to sleep. You will be okay.
I have finished the program and still anxiety pops its head. I acknowledge the feeling and allow it to be with me. I will be ok. And I am!
You are okay!
You are going through a difficult experience and it is necessary to keep persevering!
Hang in there!
GenieBWhen it rains it pours!
I am sorry that allergies are now keeping you awake. I hope you have an allergist that can help.
I am hanging in there. My anxiety about being awake has lessened so I find that I am able to fall asleep. I have some fear at night so I do have night time wakefulness and wake up an hour or 2 before the end of my sleep window. I tell myself my brain is taking care of me when I wake up.
Taking 1.25mg of THC and 0.25mg CBN. My sleep medicine doctor suggests that I stop taking it. A family practice doctor suggested it to help with my hyperthyroid symptoms.
I agree having insomnia and other medical conditions does complicate things!
Let’s remember to be kind to ourselves!Yes, we need to keep moving forward and persevere!
Even though going through a slump, I know that I will be fine since I have experienced night time wakefulness many times and I am still okay. It can be so discouraging.
Czor, I feel your pain!Czor,
Thank you so much for your support!
I am focusing on how I feel during the day. I try not to think about how I slept. I try not to look at the time after my set buffer time until my alarm goes off. I do confess that I look at the time after the 3rd time I wake up at night. I wake up hours before my alarm goes off and I stay in bed until it goes off. Sometimes I fall asleep but most times I rest in bed meditating and doing light stretches.
How are you? I hope you are living a life with value and meaning!Hi Rick,
Not looking at the clock after the beginning of the buffer zone until my alarm went off helped me. That way I do not focus on how much I sleep. Instead focus on how I feel during the day and make it as meaningful as possible.
Also when I have nighttime wakefulness, thank my brain for protecting me.
Being kind to myself is very helpful and I often forget about that practice.
Knowing that the body knows how to sleep.What has helped you?
Thank you for asking,
GenieBHi Bea,
Yes, being awake at night when everyone around you is sleeping is the loneliest feeling ever! I got in a very dark place where I called 988 (suicide prevention hotline). They helped me navigate the night and a plan for the next day to call my doctor. I was working with a Sleep Medicine MD and CBT-I but he did not explain the purpose of sleep restriction and leaving the bed if I can’t sleep after 20 mins. I thought something was wrong with me!
Martin’s course helped me understand why I may be waking up and gave me tools to help me during challenging times. What I learned from the course made the difference in understanding insomnia and decreased my anxiety. Knowledge is power!
What helped me most was not looking at the time when I began my sleep window until the end of the window. I stopped keeping track of how much I slept and focused on how I felt during the day. Sometimes when I thought I didn’t get much sleep, I felt great during the day!
I even told friends and family to only ask me about my day, not how I slept.
I finished the 8 week course a month ago and I have challenging nights and days. This is one of the hardest thing I’ve experienced. If anything, I am living my life with meaning and value and that has benefited my spiritual practice.
This forum connected me with a community that understood my experience. People who do not have insomnia want to be helpful but it was frustrating for me when they gave me advice of what they did…sleepy time tea, magnesium, certain sheets etc…
It is a comfort knowing that not sleeping will not cause any damage to our body. Our body knows how to sleep and takes care of us!
Let’s keep practicing!
GenieBI am not taking THC/CBN to generate sleep. The doctor thought it may help with my daytime anxiety and side effects from being hyperthyroid. She did mention that it may cause drowsiness.
I think my confusion came when the doctor said that THC/CBN can cause some people to fall asleep. The intention is help the side effects of being hyperthyroid and wean off propranolol and seroquel.
I have found that asking friends and family not ask me about how I sleep has helped keep the focus off sleep. I asked them to ask me about my day. I used to dread people asking me about my sleep. Especially when I had a long night of wakefulness.
Czor,
Maybe making an appointment with your doctor will help. If you have a question that not being able to breathe with your nose is a medical condition, that may cause some worry and anxiety.I had a sleep study and found out I had sleep apnea. I thought I was sleeping well at the time but always woke up tired and sleepy. This was a breathing problem.
I hope this was helpful. We all have our journey.
Peace,
GenieBThank you Czor for your support and encouragement!
Let’s remember that our body knows how to sleep. Saying that comforts me.
I will keep you in my prayers too!Czor,
I agree, we all can make our own experiments and see what works for us. I’m glad to hear you have found that watching TV in bed is working for you!
Thank you for sharing what you know about CBN! My insomnia may be driven by being hyperthyroid. In April I had a total thyroidectomy due to metastasized thyroid cancer. That was when the insomnia started.
I am taking other medication to balance the side effects of being hyperthyroid. So the intention of taking THC and CBN is to balance the side effects of being hyperthyroid.
Martin’s program has helped so much in the anxiety of having insomnia and I am so grateful!
I pray that we will all find peace with the struggles of being human.Thank you for letting me know the possible side effects. My doctor wants me to start with 2.5mg of THC and 0.5mg of CBN in an edible. She wants me to report back to her after 3 days.
Yes, we will keep improving!Thank you Czor for posting in the forum!
I am going through the same inconsistency. I know it is a normal condition to have inconsistent sleep but the frequency does cause me to have some anxiety. I am cool with the night time wakefulness but not being able to fall asleep does cause me to struggle.
In the beginning I did not look at the time from the beginning of my sleep window until the end. I just started looking at the time and I have been able to fall back asleep so right now knowing the time is not an issue.
I had a fall and went to the doctor. She gave me a letter for medical cannabis for the anxiety from insomnia. Trying to decide if I want to experiment.
Czor, I want to let you know you are not alone! Reading your post did encourage me to keep persevering! One step forward and 2 steps back for now. Then one step forward and 1 step back…
