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Why do you think you find it hard to fall back to sleep when you wake around 3-4:00 AM? During the day, when you tend to feel the most drained of energy, what kind of things are you doing?
—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.
Really, our only goal with stimulus control is to make unpleasant nighttime wakefulness more pleasant. So, instead of monitoring for 20 minute chunks of time you might want to go by how you feel instead.
If nighttime wakefulness feels really unpleasant, you then have an opportunity to make that wakefulness more pleasant by doing anything that’s more appealing than what you are currently doing! This might involve doing something out of bed. It might involve doing something in bed. It doesn’t really matter as long as whatever you do is more enjoyable than not doing anything!
When it comes to the anxiety — a normal human emotion that everyone experiences — this often becomes more of a challenge when we try to fight or avoid it. Sometimes acknowledging it and giving it some space to exist can be more helpful and move you away from an endless struggle with anxiety that you can never win!
—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 might still be actively trying to make sleep happen (“I would get out of bed to make myself sleepy again”). In addition, if your goal with relaxation techniques is to make sleep happen, you might be engaging in sleep efforts — and these are not usually very helpful because sleep can’t be controlled and all that effort trains the brain to believe that wakefulness is a threat or a danger that it must be alert to protect you from.
If we wake (which is a normal part of sleep) and find it hard too fall back to sleep then we either aren’t sleepy enough for more sleep to happen or we are trying to make sleep happen.
I would usually only suggest getting out of bed if/when being awake in bed feels really unpleasant — and even then the goal isn’t to make sleep happen but simply to give ourselves the opportunity to make that time awake more pleasant.
Ultimately, to get rid of insomnia we have to be OK with wakefulness happening. There are no techniques that can make sleep happen (other than staying awake for long enough) — the more we try the harder sleep becomes!
—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’m sorry to hear that. Pain and physical discomfort can definitely make sleep more difficult, and is often out of our control.
When this kind of situation exists, all we can really do is explore ways of making nighttime wakefulness (and our days) a bit more pleasant — because our actions are something we always have control over and help determine whether we move toward or away from the kind of life we 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.
Hello Paul and welcome to the forum! It’s hard to draw conclusions after two weeks, but let’s see if we can explore this a bit further!
Where is the two hours or so of wakefulness occurring in that six hour window? Do you have trouble falling asleep or falling back to sleep after waking during the night? What other CBT-I techniques are you implementing (if any) other than sleep restriction?
—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.
Are there any specific CBT-I techniques you are finding particularly challenging? Perhaps we might be able to help with that!
—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.
CPAP can definitely make things more difficult — how long have you been on CPAP? Is the mask fit good and does the pressure feel comfortable? The good news is that it’s still possible to explore the thought processes and behaviors that can perpetuate sleep disruption, even when sleep apnea is present, 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.
Snuggling is all good — we want being in bed to be pleasant; anything that helps with that can’t be a bad thing!
—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.
Probably the best tip is this — don’t try to control sleep! A bonus tip would be this — don’t try to control your thoughts and feelings!
This is a common theme you’ll probably notice in the insomnia success stories here in the forum and on the Insomnia Coach podcast — a move away from trying to control sleep (and thoughts) and a fresh focus on the actions that help us move toward the kind of life we want to live, independently of sleep.
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.
In that case, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is usually recommended as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia!
—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 so glad you found this helpful — thank you for sharing that!
It’s normal for your brain to trigger difficult thoughts; its number one job is to look out for you! Unfortunately, the human brain can’t tell the difference between a real threat (like a grizzly bear breaking into your bedroom) and a perceived threat (nighttime wakefulness).
So, sometimes we need to step in to train it that the perceived threat of nighttime wakefulness isn’t a threat at all. Sure, it can be unpleasant (but we can also do things that make being awake more pleasant) but it’s not a danger to us.
—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 is a human emotion that will exist for as long as you are a human being! Luckily, as a human being, you always get to decide how to respond to it. Do you allow it to control your behaviors in a way that moves you away from the kind of life you want to live? Or, do you acknowledge that fear and then engage in behaviors that help you move toward the kind of life you want to live, even in its presence?
—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 only we could control how we feel and what we think! Unfortunately, we can’t — and it’s when we (quite understandably!) try to do so that we really get tangled up in an endless struggle.
I wonder if you might find it helpful to acknowledge all that difficult and unpleasant fatigue inside your body and even allow it to exist — to make a bit of space for it inside you. Then, engage in actions (no matter how small) that are aligned with your values and help you continue to move toward the kind of life you want to live, even in the presence of that difficult fatigue?
Perhaps that might be more helpful than trying to eliminate the fatigue — something it sounds as though you’ve valiantly tried to do for a long time, without success?
—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 sounds like chronic insomnia — have you been diagnosed with chronic insomnia?
—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.
Anxiety is a normal human emotion — so we know that you are a human being because you experience anxiety! Often, anxiety becomes problematic because of our natural desire to fight or avoid it — it doesn’t feel good, so we don’t want it near us.
Unfortunately, trying to push anxiety away is like trying to push a beach ball under the water. It only pushes back harder.
So, I wonder if it might be worth exploring a different approach? Instead of the default desire to fight or avoid anxiety, I wonder what would happen if you made a bit of space for it? If you allowed it to exist?
Instead of pushing that beach ball under the water, you allow it to float alongside you. You don’t want it there, of course, but there it is. If you then redirect attention onto things you have control over — like moving your body and engaging in actions and behaviors that are important to you, perhaps that anxiety will eventually drift off like a bobbing beach ball will eventually drift off?
Of course, it will likely come back again and again. But if you don’t fight it, it’ll likely drift off again and again, too.
If you can gently redirect your attention toward what’s in your control and what helps you move toward the kind of life you want to live, perhaps that anxiety might become less and less noticeable and less and less powerful when it returns in the future.
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.
