[jeffnelson]

I guess my approach is really just trying to implement what I’ve learned from CBT-I before and things you’ve mentioned in the podcast including sleep restriction, stimulus control, waking up same time (I actually most of time wake up before desired wake time, but avoid trying to sleep in nonetheless), trying REALLY hard in daytime to be a positive person around my wife and kids and coworkers/patients (I’m a family physician) as most days since reimplementing CBT approaches past 2 weeks I’m drowsy and foggy most days. I really like what you and others have said in the podcasts about not trying to fall asleep when lying down in bed but to relax and “let sleep happen” if it wants and if not just get out of bed and tell yourself its ok and avoid putting pressure on yourself.
I’ve battled with chronic insomnia for roughly 16 years since medical school with worsening symptoms as time has gone one. I did 5-6 weeks in person CBTi Dec 2019-Jan 2020 and was helpful getting off doxepin and prn zolpidem and went about 3-5 months with no meds and fairly reasonable sleep. Then with the pandemic and subsequent emotional struggles my wife and kids were having impacted my sleep and I told myself it’d be good to go back on something. So I went back on zolpidem or melatonin or combined and even at times combined long acting lunesta with sublingual zolpidem then back to just melatonin earlier this year then melatonin and sublingual zolpidem. Needless to say, as prior to my last round of CBTi, I came to realize the medication strategies weren’t really helping. I found your podcast and listened to a couple and further realized the medicines were just perpetuating the problem. There’s other nighttime behaviors as well I’ve developed and all these are just crutches. So I’m really just trying to redo this the right way this time and stick with it and be done with insomnia having power over my thoughts and actions and relationships!
I was thinking of going through your program to just help reinforce what my brain needs to do even though I “already know” what to do, but not sure your thoughts (or anyone else’s).
If I’m honest I feel discouraged and defeated with feeling like I’ve tried and failed through the years but again trying to let go of those negative thoughts and stick with this knowing it really is the most helpful thing I can do to improve sleep in the long run.

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