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Hi Martin, I think I may have had an insight this morning with respect to sleep pressure.
It seems to have been failing me, in the sense that my somatic stress response has manged to override the sleep pressure I’ve built up on a few unmedicated nights.
My insight goes back when I had a night shift job, years ago. I would work until 7am, get home at 8am, and it would be nearly IMPOSSIBLE to stay awake.
Is this what it should feel like?Thanks,
LukeIt sound reasonable. You dont want to go much shorter for your window.
Are you having difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep?
I notice that stimulus control is not mentioned in week one, and so I’m not sure what Martin intends as the best approach when we have wakefulness during the night.
I’ve posted to the forum with that exact question, so if you have any ideas, pkease reply to my post.
We can do this.Luke
Hey, thank you for your insight. My sleep drive is starting to get more and more noticeable at around the time I have historically been going to bed (which is 11pm to midnight), and my overall anxiety level has come down, versus a month or even a week ago.
I’ve had three big episodes of sleep disturbance in my life, at ages 16, 27, and now 47. All have been precipitated by stress and or anxiety.
So while I’m not new at troubled sleep, it has been quite awhile.
Your thorough reply is kind and honest.
This community is amazing.
Thanks again,
LukeIf you have a new year of studies on the horizon, I would suggest maintaining a “getting out of bed” time, regardless of when you went to bed, or how well you slept.
That, and of course not going to bed until you’re truly sleepy, is all I will offer.Needtosleep, please take Lozelise’s advice. I was about to offer the same.
To echo Lozelise and drive the point home, here is a quote from a doctor with the AMA about acute insomnia:
“Acute insomnia, whether you are given a medication for it—that is, a sedative to help you sleep—or not, does go away in weeks to months, usually less than three months,” said Dr. Rosen, even if you do nothing.”
That’s why it is important to not “stress about it and keep your routines like you always have, and the insomnia is likely to resolve,” she said. “Certainly, some people find this distressing. If it’s a reactive insomnia—for example, if someone died or there’s a major life stressor—some people find it a lot better to cope during the day if they have gotten some sleep at night, but either way, the brain corrects itself.”
You’re not alone. It is normal, and many people share in this issue. It is part of the human experience.
With sincere love,
LukeHi Jill,
I share in the kind of high level of nightime arousal you experience, when I experience insomnia. That is always the cause of it. I have only ever had a few bouts of insomnia in my life, and they have generally lasted from about 1 month to six weeks.Yes, the advice on this page works. The most valuable advice has to do with not going to bed before you are ready for sleep. The signal for that would be something like nodding off in front of the TV, or while reading a book.
When we have insomnia, our first and incorrect instinct is to try and actively defeat it. So we may think, “I must go bed at 8pm or 9pm, so I have plenty of time to get a full night’s sleep.”
Discard that idea. It will only lead to more arousal. Stay up as long as need be. Better to get even just four hours of sleep, than to be awake all night.
It seems counterintuitive, but it is the best method. As well, keep the same getting out if bed up time and maintaining your schedule are also very important.
You will adjust. Your brain will adapt and it will find its way back to a normal pattern of sleep, or it’ll establish a new one. Change is inevitable, but you are stronger and more adaptable than you may realize.
As a last piece, I’m going to append a quote from a doctor with the AMA on insomnia that echoes the above. This has helped me to calm down.
“Acute insomnia, whether you are given a medication for it—that is, a sedative to help you sleep—or not, does go away in weeks to months, usually less than three months,” said Dr. Rosen, even if you do nothing.”
That’s why it is important to not “stress about it and keep your routines like you always have, and the insomnia is likely to resolve,” she said. “Certainly, some people find this distressing. If it’s a reactive insomnia—for example, if someone died or there’s a major life stressor—some people find it a lot better to cope during the day if they have gotten some sleep at night, but either way, the brain corrects itself.”
I hope this helps, and I if it means anything, you are not alone. Many people share in this issue, which is part of the human condition.
With sincere love,
Luke
