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Welcome to the forum! Have you asked your doctor if they think you might be a good candidate for cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) to help with the 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.
Welcome to the forum, Dorrells! If you have any specific questions, please ask away!
—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.
Ups and downs can feel frustrating, but they are normal! You might find it helpful to explore why nighttime wakefulness seems to generate so much anxiety and panic. What’s the disaster or catastrophe that seems certain to occur if you don’t fall asleep, and how often has that disaster or catastrophe occurred in the past?
—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’s normal to think about sleep and it’s OK to think about sleep — the fact your heart races, when you have the thought that you’re not asleep yet, suggests that you might be trying to avoid or suppress this thought.
Since the brain is hard-wired to generate thoughts, it’s pretty difficult to successfully suppress thoughts over the long term. Since thoughts are just thoughts (nothing more, nothing less), sometimes it can be helpful to acknowledge and accept the appearance of thoughts rather than trying to fight or avoid them.
You might also find this video helpful: What to think about when you get into bed to help you relax and make sleep happen.
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, Kwamp!
I think it can be really helpful to simply recognize that when we’ve been awake for long enough, we will always sleep. We don’t need to put effort into sleep or try to control sleep — and it’s often when we try to do these things that we struggle the most.
What time do you usually go to bed at night, what time do you get out of bed to start your day, and roughly how many hours of sleep do you get on a typical night?
Do you usually find it hard to fall asleep, or stay asleep (or both)?
—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 don’t believe you took my eight-week online insomnia coaching course — perhaps you are thinking of the free two-week insomnia sleep training course I offer?
I think it’s normal to experience a low mood and uncomfortable thoughts and feelings after a difficult night — because the brain is hard-wired to do just that. Sometimes it’s our attempts to fight or avoid those thoughts and feelings that get us trapped in a struggle with them.
You mentioned that poor sleep leads to a poor day. Does that mean you have absolutely no control over the quality of your day, and that 100% of how you feel during the day is completely connected to how you sleep at night, 100% of the time?
I wonder if there might still be some things you can do, even when feeling low and filled with unpleasant thoughts and emotions, that might help you live your life in a way you want to live your life, and bring some positive or at least some OK moments to your days?
—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.
Thank you for your post and the follow-up, sharing your thoughts on acceptance. I totally agree with you that a common theme I see among people who move past their insomnia is the abandonment of all attempts to control or protect sleep and the shifting of their attention toward living the life they want to live instead!
In terms of dealing with the return of difficult patches of sleep, you might find my video on insomnia relapses helpful.
—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, @ekathryn — and thank you for your supportive contribution, @SBerry!
You know, we are all different — and the severity of insomnia often varies from person to person, too! I have worked with clients who reported an average of less sleep than you, and clients who reported an average of more sleep than you. Comparing ourselves to others isn’t always helpful!
Since you said you are better able to fall asleep more quickly, it sure sounds like you are making progress! It’s also great to hear that you are living the life you want to live, independently of sleep, by being active and not canceling plans!
If we wake during the night and find it hard to fall back to sleep that usually means that we aren’t sleepy enough for more sleep and/or arousal is too high for more sleep to happen (heightened arousal at that time can be caused by issues such as putting effort into falling back to sleep or putting pressure on ourselves to fall back to sleep).
It might be helpful to recognize, too, that waking during the night is a normal part of sleep — it doesn’t mean anything is wrong and it isn’t a guarantee that you won’t fall back to sleep.
What is the sleep window you’ve been implementing over the past couple of weeks, and what are you doing when you wake and find it hard to fall back to sleep? Do you stay in bed?
—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 best source of advice for your situation would be from a medical professional — the recommended treatment for chronic insomnia is usually cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) but there are contraindications for individuals with the mental diagnoses you’ve described.
—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 Mark and welcome to the forum. There’s not a whole lot we can do about temporary periods of sleep disruption caused by external stressors — they’re just part of the human experience! What we can do is implement behaviors that help create good conditions for sleep to occur and avoid the behaviors that can perpetuate sleep disruption.
Can you tell us a bit more about your current sleep routine?
—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.
Light therapy probably isn’t going to tackle the thoughts and behaviors that usually perpetuate sleep disruption, so I am not sure how helpful you will find it. In addition, I don’t know of any evidence to support light therapy as an effective 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.
Hello Phoebe! Have you looked into cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques?
—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, Moozie! If you have any specific questions or concerns (or just want to vent) — please go ahead and share. We are all here for 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.
It’s OK to worry and it’s normal to worry! Worry is a sign that your brain is generating thoughts — something it is hard-wired to do! Sometimes it can be helpful to accept and acknowledge the thoughts we have that generate worry for what they are (thoughts and nothing more or less than thoughts) rather than trying to fight or avoid them.
Thanks for sharing that you are definitely making progress — what kind of things are you doing 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.
If you wake at 4:00 AM regardless of whether you go to bed at 10:00 PM or midnight, your body clock might simply be attuned to waking around 4:00 AM.
An alternative explanation might be that when you wake and see that it’s around 4:00 AM your brain starts to tell you that you won’t fall back to sleep and this might increase arousal and make conditions more difficult for sleep to occur.
Have you tried working with a 4:00 AM rise time (perhaps by going to bed earlier in order to give yourself the opportunity to get the amount of sleep you want to get) rather than trying to push yourself to sleep past 4:00 AM (something that you can’t really control)?
—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.
