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Donnalee nailed this one — we are less concerned with going to bed later (since that builds more sleep drive) compared to going to bed earlier (before we are truly sleepy enough for sleep).
Bonus points if you can maintain a consistent out of bed time after going to bed later, too, since that can help create better conditions for sleep the following night.
—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 taking the time to return with an update, Momup!
I think the key insight you shared was how you shifted attention away from sleep and onto things that are within your control and help you live the kind of life you want to live! We can always make moves toward a rich and meaningful life, regardless of how we sleep, no matter how small those moves might be!
The more often we do things that truly matter, the less we might try to control sleep and the less importance we might place on sleep.
Having a consistent out of bed time in the morning can be helpful, too — as can only going to bed when truly sleepy enough for sleep!
Thanks again for sharing!
—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 sorry to hear about the loss of your support pet. At times like this, it’s completely understandable (and probably expected) to experience sleep disruption and difficult thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
At the current time, do you have any kind of set bedtime or morning “out of bed” time? Sometimes it can be helpful to maintain a consistent out of bed time in the morning and to ensure we only go to bed when truly sleepy enough for sleep (we are finding it hard to stay awake) since that can build sleep drive and strengthen the body clock, making conditions a bit better for sleep.
I hope this is helpful and, again, my condolences for your loss.
—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.
Congratulations on your pregnancy, KerriM!
I think it can be helpful to recognize that melatonin doesn’t generate sleep. Melatonin is a hormone that signals to the body when to prepare for sleep — and people with insomnia generally have no problem with melatonin production or regulation.
So, any sleep you get after taking melatonin is sleep that is generated entirely by your own body (more often than not, supplemental melatonin is completely ignored by the body unless the timing of consumption is spot-on — and, in the USA, the ingredient on the label might not be what is inside the container).
When it comes to alcohol, yes it can help with sleep onset — but alcohol ends up disrupting sleep quality and leads to lighter and more fragmented sleep. So, not really helpful in any case.
Have you looked into cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as a way to create better conditions for sleep that might be more effective over 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.
Your experience is not unusual in the slightest, Tommi! I think that we can find it easier to sleep when we travel for two main reasons:
1. The new sleep environment is one we haven’t associated with unpleasant wakefulness and difficult nights. In other words, we might go to bed with a more open mind — a mind that is open to the idea that sleep might happen.
2. The focus of our attention has shifted toward all the great stuff we are doing during the day; things that help us live a good life. In other words, we are doing things that help us live the kind of life we want to live rather than focussing entirely on 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.
You mentioned that you are averaging around six hours of sleep each night — how much time are you usually spending in bed each night?
—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.
There are usually ups and downs on the journey — just as each day tends to be a bit different, it’s normal for each night to be a bit different, too!
Do you typically find it hard to fall asleep at the start of the night, or is your challenge related to waking during the night and finding it hard to fall back to 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.
First up, you might find my video on insomnia relapses helpful.
Next, I think it’s worth emphasizing that just as you experienced good sleep before, you can experience good sleep again!
Reading your posts, it sounds as though you might be putting a lot of time and effort into sleep — and that could be a reason why sleep seems to be so elusive at the current time!
Breathing exercises can help promote relaxation, but they can’t generate sleep. In addition, just as sleep cannot be controlled and doesn’t respond well to effort, our thoughts and emotions cannot be controlled (at least not for the long term!) and don’t respond well to effort to fight or suppress them.
Sometimes it can be helpful to simply ensure we are creating good conditions for sleep (for example, going to bed only when sleepy, getting out of bed around the same time each morning) and then focussing all effort and attention on living the kind of life we want to live when awake, during the day.
That is something we have full control over and doing things that help us live a rich and meaningful life usually has more of an influence on our quality of life than sleep.
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.
Hello Ccteach622! Sleep hygiene doesn’t really do anything once we have chronic insomnia — sleep hygiene is more about reducing the risk of sleep disruption rather than fixing it. So, it’s no surprise that you have good sleep hygiene but are still unhappy with your sleep.
You said you can’t fall asleep unless you take a pill — if you didn’t take a pill but forced yourself to stay awake for 10 days straight, do you think you would still be unable to fall asleep without a pill?
Have you asked any of your doctors about cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)?
—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, Nickey! Have you looked into cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)?
—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 you shared a big insight when you mentioned that since herbal remedies and lifestyle strategies seem to help sometimes, but not often, it might be a coincidence when they do!
A racing mind can definitely make sleep more difficult, especially later in the night when we have already got a few hours of sleep. Have you looked into cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) to help with this?
If you are falling asleep when driving, I would suggest talking to your doctor because such intense daytime sleepiness is not a typical symptom of chronic insomnia — another issue (such as sleep apnea) might be responsible for 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.
Thanks for the great question, Brian! With sleep restriction, the amount of time you allot for sleep should never be shorter than your average nightly sleep duration taken over the previous week or two — so it shouldn’t really be taking sleep away from you; rather, it usually takes away the opportunity for long periods of nighttime wakefulness!
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, Joslyn! What kind of things are you currently doing in a bid to improve your 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.
Thanks for joining the forum and sharing your story! How are you getting on since you posted?
—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 waiting to hear from someone with chronic insomnia who doesn’t recognize some degree of anxiety in connection to their sleep!
When you wake during the night, why do you think you find it hard to fall back to sleep? Does that wakefulness feel really unpleasant or does it feel quite comfortable?
—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.
