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Welcome to the forum! You mentioned that you are practicing sleep hygiene, so it sounds as though you are motivated to make some changes! When we’ve had insomnia for a long time, sleep hygiene alone isn’t always helpful since it doesn’t always tackle the thoughts and behaviors that can perpetuate sleep disruption.
Have you tried implementing any of the techniques I describe on the page about cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)?
The fear you describe is normal and natural! Unfortunately, that’s something we can’t really control because, as human beings, we experience a number of different (and intense) emotions — and fear is one of them. Fortunately, what we can control are our actions and our behaviors and that’s all that truly matters since our actions and our behaviors determine whether we create good conditions for sleep to happen and whether we do things that move us toward 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.
Welcome to the forum, Rachel — and thanks for sharing that you have decided to try sleep restriction to build sleep drive and reduce the amount of time available for nighttime wakefulness.
I think you shared a big insight that obsessing over sleep takes away from time you spend with your children. There are two things we can do here:
1. Recognize that the mind will always wander and latch onto current or potential difficulties — when this happens, we might practice reminding ourselves that this is normal. Then, we might gently guide our attention back to the present moment rather than trying to fight what our mind wants to do!
2. Recognize that we can replace any behaviors connected to obsessing over sleep (such as ongoing sleep-related research) with activities that are more aligned with our values and help move us toward the kind of life we want to live.
You might also enjoy my podcast episode with Cindy — here’s a link: How Cindy tackled the insomnia that appeared after her baby was born by accepting nighttime wakefulness and eliminating safety behaviors (#31).
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.
Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing your current struggle with insomnia. Have you tried implementing any cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques to help create better conditions for sleep?
Eileen is a registered nurse of over 30 years — she took sleeping pills almost every day for 15 years and now sleeps well (without medication) thanks to CBT-I techniques. You can listen to her story by clicking this link: How Eileen used CBT-I techniques to improve her sleep after taking sleeping pills almost every day for 15 years (#11).
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.
What is your late work shift, and how often does it change, Emma?
—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 raising this important and relevant topic, Zac. To answer your questions:
1. Does Sleep Restriction Therapy work when you have an underlying Anxiety or Depression Conditions?
I can only tell you that, in my experience, I have seen it work in clients with underlying anxiety or depression.
2. Has anyone experienced what I have mentioned above, ie. Anxiety with pain? did you get through and succeed with SRT?
I can’t speak for others, but a common trait I see in clients who have been successful in such circumstances is being able to take committed action — to commit to making a change, even though it might generate difficult thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and even though it might lead to some additional sleep disruption over the short term.
Being able to move away from intense sleep effort and ongoing detective work and replacing these actions with behaviors that help move a client toward the kind of life they want to live is also very influential when it comes to success, in my experience.
3. Could SRT be performed while on Anxiety or Depression medication and then weaned off Meds after sleep restored – anybody been successful in this?
Since no medication can generate sleep (sedation, sure — but sleep, no) I have seen clients do well when they taper-off meds (under medical supervision) while implementing techniques such as sleep restriction and when they taper-off only after they start to experience improvements in their sleep. Really, the when doesn’t seem to matter too much — although one can expect some initial “rebound insomnia” whenever such a change is made.
I most commonly see clients struggle when they take medication contingently, according to how they sleep from night to night, or when they continue to experiment with medication types/doses while implementing evidence-based behavioral changes such as sleep restriction.
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.
Sometimes, movement can be a good way to help reduce fatigue and promote alertness — especially when we have quite sedentary jobs. So, when you start to feel fatigued, going for a short walk, getting some fresh air (and natural light!), or even standing up and doing a quick stretch might be helpful.
I appreciate you sharing that you have been surprised by just how capable you can be after little to no sleep — that’s a big insight!
—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 it’s OK to do anything you find relaxing and enjoyable at night — and we certainly don’t want to remove things from our life that give us pleasure because we are worried about how those things might affect our sleep!
The best guide, I think, is to use common sense when figuring out appropriate activities. So, trampolining, wrestling, or intense video games might not be the best activities for when we want to be asleep — but watching a relaxing TV show might be a good way to rest and relax!
—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.
Those nights of no sleep are very difficult to deal with — it’s great to hear that you decided to go out for breakfast, take an afternoon walk, and have company over the following night because it sounds as though you are practicing some self-compassion AND taking actions that help you move toward the kind of life you want to live, independently of sleep and even in the presence of challenging thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
—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 your goal is to sleep at night, it can be helpful to avoid daytime naps (unless needed for safety) in order to “bank” that sleep drive for the nighttime hours.
Have you tried implementing any techniques such as sleep restriction to help create better conditions for sleep?
—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.
Sorry to hear about the issues you described, Maria. They can definitely create difficult thoughts, feelings, and emotions and it can be particularly challenging when the things that create these difficult thoughts, feelings, and emotions might be outside of your control.
If the cause of our sleep issues is within our control (for example, we might be shift workers) then we might be able to make a change (for example, take a different job). Sometimes, though, the cause of our current sleep issues (for example, a health issue or time of acute stress) might not be within our control.
The good news, though, is that there are always things we can do that help create better conditions for sleep — and we can always take some actions (no matter how small) that help us move toward the kind of life we want to live.
So, in conclusion, I think it can be really helpful if we make it our aim to change what can be changed, accept what cannot be changed, and live by our values — regardless of how we sleep and regardless of the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that might be running through our minds.
—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.
As you have experienced for yourself, medications can come with a number of side-effects — both when we are taking them, and when we try to stop taking them. It sounds as though you are working with your doctor to help reduce the side effects you’ve described, and that’s good to hear!
—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.
Our attempts to reduce arousal can often be the biggest source of arousal! So, instead of trying to reduce or get rid of arousal, sometimes it can be helpful to live our lives and focus attention on what we can control — because we just cannot control our thoughts, feelings, and emotions; at least, not for the long term.
—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.
The challenge is real! Often the real struggle occurs when we try to fight or avoid certain thoughts, feelings, and emotions. These are things we cannot control, so when we take this route, we usually lose and don’t make things any better!
A more helpful strategy might be acknowledging and accepting our thoughts and emotions, then refocussing attention on the present moment and things we can control.
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.
All dreams mean is that we are sleeping — I don’t think we can draw any other meanings from them. Your dreams might be waking you up, especially if they are really intense. However, what may be more likely is that you are naturally waking during the night (which is a normal part of sleep) and associating the waking with the dreams you are having.
Having a consistent and appropriate sleep schedule can sometimes be helpful since this can help with sleep architecture — inconsistent sleep can lead to “REM rebound” and more memorable/frequent dreams.
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.
It is my understanding that marijuana can affect our sleep in a similar way to alcohol — both drugs can help us fall asleep more quickly, but they can reduce overall sleep quality and lead to lighter and more fragmented sleep.
If you are looking for a longer-term solution to chronic insomnia, you might want to look into cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques.
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.
