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Most members here aren’t clients (or graduates!) so they may not be familiar with the dropping anchor technique I discuss with some clients.
Dropping anchor can be a helpful way to keep us anchored in the present moment when difficult thoughts and feelings threaten to sweep us away. The technique can also be a helpful way to keep us a bit more present/bring us back to the present, and help us redirect and refocus our attention on wherever we are and whatever we might be doing.
If you need any further help with this, please feel free to contact me directly!
—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.
Wonderful — thanks for sharing!
Just as you shared, when we don’t battle with our thoughts and feelings, we tend to become more skilled at noticing them coming and going and they often start to have far less of an influence over us.
Remember that our goal with accepting (and even welcoming!) our thoughts and feelings isn’t to get rid of them (or to make sleep happen!) but sometimes that can happen. When it does, enjoy it as a bonus!
—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 I had a magic wand and could make all your sleep difficulties and worries disappear, what would you be doing differently in your life?
—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.
This video might be helpful: How to improve sleep when you don’t feel sleepy and don’t know how to get sleepy.
—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 sounds as though you are ready for a new way of addressing chronic insomnia, Mandeep! If you have any questions as you continue on your journey, please let us know!
—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!
I am not sure many 70-year-olds get 7 hours of sleep at night! Germany’s Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care found that the “average” person gets about six and a half hours a night between the ages of 55 and 60, with a healthy 80-year-old usually sleeping about six hours a night.
A panel of sleep experts gathered by the National Sleep Foundation found that for adults 65 and over, as little as 5 hours of sleep may be appropriate!
The truth of the matter is, we all require varying amounts of sleep. We don’t all wear the same size shoe. We don’t all need the same amount of sleep. And, there are always happy and healthy people who live outside of any established “average”!
It sounds as though you are recognizing that all your previous sleep efforts weren’t proving to be helpful — and that makes sense, since they help train the brain to believe that nighttime wakefulness is a threat that it needs to be alert to protect you from (otherwise, why else would you be trying so hard to avoid nighttime wakefulness).
If you have any questions as you continue to explore all the new techniques you are discovering, please let us know!
—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 love the support and the discussion going on here!
Steve — have you thought about allowing yourself to remain in bed? So, instead of getting out of bed and sitting in a chair, you might sit up in bed and read (or do anything more pleasant when lying awake doesn’t feel pleasant) instead?
—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! I appreciate the opportunity to discuss your concerns — this is something that I am sure will be useful for many other people, too!
What’s your plan, moving forward?
—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.
Here’s a link to an article about sleep restriction. If you have any questions after reading through it, please let us know!
—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! What time do you usually go to bed at night and when do you get out of bed to start your day in the morning?
—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.
How do you normally respond to those anxious feelings?
—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 sounds like you’re making excellent progress! When you wake after about 5.5-6 hours of sleep, why do you think you find it hard to fall back to sleep? A crack of light doesn’t prevent sleep — but it might encourage us to put pressure on ourselves to fall back to sleep or to put effort into sleep (something that makes sleep really difficult)!
If you were able to sleep right through until 7:00 AM each and every day, what would you be doing differently in your life?
—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.
Unfortunately sleep paralysis is outside my area of expertise, so I can’t offer any suggestions here. Sorry I can’t be of any more help.
—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 think that when anxiety and insomnia become problematic it’s for similar reasons — perhaps most commonly, we get tangled up in all the difficult thoughts and feelings because we try to fight or avoid them (since they don’t feel good).
Ultimately, I think we put anxiety (and insomnia!) behind us when we are less affected by the appearance of anxiety (and wakefulness!). For as long as we’re human, anxiety is going to turn up — so it can sometimes be helpful to practice making space for it to exist rather than engaging in an endless battle with it.
I hope there’s something helpful 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.
Thanks for the update, Chris!
It’s not unusual to experience some ups and downs — just as each day is a bit different to the last day, it’s normal for each night to be a bit different to the last night, too!
To answer your questions:
1) Now that I’m halfway to the eight-week mark, what should my expectations be? In other words – is this inconsistency normal and if it doesn’t resolve itself after eight weeks, should I extend CBTi and make any changes?
The best expectations to have are ones that are actionable and that you have control over. In other words, if you have any expectations about how you will sleep (or how you will think or feel) you might continue to get tangled up in a struggle.
If your expectation is that you will continue to implement behaviors that create/maintain good conditions for sleep and help keep you moving toward the kind of life you want to live, then you are setting yourself up for a positive transformation!
2) The one aspect of CBTI that’s been most challenging is SC. Basically when I wake up in this half-awake state but it’s taking a long time to go to sleep. I sort of waffle on whether to try to stay in bed and hope to fall back asleep or just get up (which sounds dreadful in those moments, especially considering I’m aware that my short sleep window is disappearing.) Any advice on how to deal with this indecision?
I typically suggest allowing yourself to remain awake in bed for as long as you feel comfortable. If wakefulness feels really unpleasant, then you have the opportunity to do something that will make that wakefulness more pleasant instead.
If you have an activity in mind (for example, let’s say watching TV or reading) you might ask yourself which option feels more appealing at the current time — not doing anything, or watching TV instead.
Another option would be to put a limit on the questioning — I had a client who told herself that if she repeatedly questions whether or not to get out of bed, by the time that question comes around for a third time she does something else!
Thanks in advance for your advice. If Martin reads this: I can’t thank you enough for all of the great resources you’ve provided. It’s been the one thing that’s helped so far. I provided a tip for your time (which I encourage everyone to do if you haven’t purchased his course) and will do so again soon.
I appreciate your kind words, and the tip! Thank you!
—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.
