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To answer your questions:
1. It’s impossible to say — your brain decides when to generate thoughts and feelings. Like sleep, you can’t control what it does — you can only control your response. Human beings will always experience the full range of human thoughts, feelings, and emotions. With a rich and meaningful life comes difficulty, pain, and struggle. That’s unavoidable.
2. I don’t know of any evidence that has found the emotion of fear causes death or insanity.
3. No. The world record for continuous wakefulness is 11 days and that required immense effort. People who aren’t trying really hard to stay awake won’t be able to remain awake for anywhere close to that long.
4. Yes. Everyone is different.
5. If a later sleep window would be more aligned with who you are and the life you want to live, that might be worth experimenting with.
6. Sleep pressure always wins in the end because it’s impossible to stay awake indefinitely.
A couple of questions for you to explore, if you feel that might be useful:
It sounds as though you have learned from experience that researching sleep, insomnia, and anxiety isn’t helping. If that’s the case, what might be a more workable way of using your time, do you think?
Instead of trying to fight or avoid anxiety, might it be worth exploring a new way of responding to it?
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Thanks for sharing!
It’s hard to say exactly why anxiety shows up each time it shows up — sometimes it shows up for obvious reasons, sometimes not. The thing is, even if we had the answer there’s nothing we could do with it because we simply cannot control the appearance of anxiety anyway. It shows up when it wants and the mind does what it wants.
Fortunately, we always get to choose how we respond to what our mind says and the thoughts and feelings it generates. And that’s important — because the more we try to fight or avoid that stuff, the more difficult it can become (and the more difficult sleep can become, too)!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Thanks for letting me know that made sense 🙂
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
I am not sure when they’ll be available — but you do have access to all the content for six months starting from when you enrolled, so hopefully you can refer back to the videos (and subtitles) as often as needed during that time.
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
@Sunshine — Before experiencing insomnia, how did you respond if you woke during the night? Did you wonder what you should do? Did you tell yourself you shouldn’t be awake in bed? Sometimes our own experiences can offer some helpful insights!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Fear sure can feel like a problematic emotion – and without it, none of us would be alive today!
If ACT and mindfulness was getting you results, what would be different?
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Hello Larry! That fatigue can be really difficult — no doubt about it. And, perhaps you don’t need to talk yourself through it? Perhaps it might be helpful to commit to doing things that matter to you, even when it is present?
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
It sure sounds as though using those hours to do more of the things that matter to you might help you better live the kind of life you want to live!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
If watching TV is something that stops you from falling asleep, does that mean that when you watched TV in the past (before you struggled with sleep) you didn’t fall asleep?
If you know from experience that you have watched TV in the evenings and have still been able to fall asleep, perhaps it’s not really a big issue — and not watching TV might be one of those sleep efforts that can get you tangled up in a struggle as you try to control sleep while also moving you away from the kind of life you want to live.
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Welcome to the forum — you are not alone!
First of all, you might find my podcast episode with Cindy of interest: How Cindy tackled the insomnia that appeared after her baby was born by accepting nighttime wakefulness and eliminating safety behaviors (#31).
Remember that sleep restriction cannot make sleep happen, since sleep cannot be directly or permanently controlled. It’s a tool that can help us move away from chasing after sleep — with sleep, the more we try to make it happen, the more we can end up struggling with it!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
My apologies for any confusion! To clarify:
1. It sounds as though you are (understandably) spending a lot of time focusing on sleep.
2. Are you spending at least as much time doing activities that are aligned with your values and that move you toward the life you want to live? Doing things that represent who you are and who you want to be?
Sleep cannot be directly or permanently controlled — but our actions can be. And, it’s our actions that ultimately determine the whether we move toward the life we want to live or away from the life we want to live.
I hope this helps!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
That sounds really difficult — have you discussed those sensations you experience as you fall asleep with your doctor? If there’s no explanation for them, they might be hypnic jerks — and, if that’s the case, you might find this video (and all the comments that come with it) useful: Why you jerk yourself awake every time you try to fall asleep (and what to do about it).
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Your post reminds me of my podcast episode with Vicky who found that sleeping pills stopped working after 20 years. So, she had to explore a new approach — and that approached proved to be very helpful!
Susie also found herself needing to explore a different approach when her sleeping pills stopped working when she was on vacation.
I hope there’s something useful here.
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
If you’re getting sleepy on the couch, you have sleep drive!
If you have a lot of experience struggling with nighttime wakefulness when in bed, your brain will go about its job and become a lot more active when you go to bed to help protect you from what it believes is the threat posed by being in bed.
Obviously, that’s not too helpful — but as far as your brain is concerned, it’s doing what it should be doing and looking out for you!
Here’s the thing — it’s not the presence of those thoughts that make sleep more difficult. We can still sleep, regardless of what our mind might choose to think about.
What makes things more difficult are our understandable attempts to fight or avoid difficult or unhelpful thoughts and feelings.
Since we can’t control what our mind does, whenever we try the mind will often generate even more intense thoughts and feelings. Then, we might try harder to fight or avoid them — and before we know it, we’re stuck and trapped in a vicious cycle of more difficult thoughts and feelings and more and more struggle. And, in the presence of such an intense struggle, how likely is sleep to happen?
So, a more workable response might involve training the brain that the bed isn’t a place for struggle (by practicing moving away from struggling with wakefulness when it’s present) and by acknowledging all the thoughts and feelings your brain is generating as it does its job of looking out for you. That way, it knows you’re listening so it doesn’t have to yell even louder!
We’ll be exploring this in a lot more detail from Week 2 onward, but I hope there’s something useful here in the meantime.
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
You’re welcome!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
