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Welcome to the forum, @trailrunner85! It sounds as though you’ve made fantastic progress since finding the podcast and changing your approach (and response!) to insomnia.
Here’s the thing about OTC sleep aids. They don’t make sleep happen. Sleep is only ever generated by our natural ability to sleep. Sleep doesn’t require medication to happen. It doesn’t require a supplement to happen. It doesn’t require anything to happen — other than staying awake for long enough.
As you shared, it can be harder to kick the supplements, sleep aids, or whatever else you might attribute to sleep if you have nothing to “replace” those things with. You’ve been doing “something” to make sleep happen for so long, going without “something” might be somewhat of a challenge, especially in the short term.
It’s my belief that the best replacement is the practice of skills that can help you build skill in experiencing being awake (and all the thoughts and feelings that might show up) with less struggle.
If being awake, if experiencing all those thoughts and feelings, doesn’t cause a struggle, those things become less of a problem. When they are less of a problem, we set the stage for sleep to become effortless again.
You might find this YouTube Short relevant, 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.
Anxiety can be a very difficult emotion to deal with. The experience of others who struggle with anxiety sometimes reveals that our (understandable!) attempts to fight or avoid anxiety can make it even more difficult and even more powerful — to the point where it can even seem to make us act in ways that don’t really reflect who we are or who we want to be.
I’d encourage you to be kind to yourself when things feel difficult. Things feel difficult when they are difficult. And, remember that you still have complete control over your own body and your own actions. You get to decide how to respond to anxiety (and insomnia).
You have the power.
—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.
Difficulty falling asleep is a common part of the insomnia struggle, so you definitely are not alone. Quite often, the more we *try* to fall asleep, the more difficult and elusive sleep becomes. What has your experience been?
—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 sharing your gratitude, Etty — it means a lot!
You are drawing on your superpowers of resilience and determination and your problem-solving abilities are keeping you moving forward. You are exploring new approaches and, most importantly, taking them.
You are making change happen because you are making changes. And, you are learning from what you are doing. You are moving forward thanks to your own efforts. I wish you all the best as you continue on your journey toward insomnia freedom!
—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’ve achieved a lot and you’ve learned a lot — thank you for sharing!
Waking during the night is a normal part of sleep. It happens. Sometimes it’s noticeable, memorable, and sticks around for longer. Other times it’s not noticeable, memorable, and sticks around for less time.
Of course, you are disappointed about what you are experiencing more recently. And, as you know from experience, sleep is out of your direct control.
The more you try to control it, the more you try to protect it, the more you struggle with it and the more likely you are to act in ways that don’t reflect who you are (or who you want to be) and, therefore, pull you away from the life you want to live.
And so, since you’ve learned so much already from your journey so far, what do you think is the best way to respond to waking during the night, based on your knowledge and your experience?
What actions will keep you focused on moving toward the life you want to live (independently of sleep) and help you practice moving away from struggle, rather than trying to control what cannot be controlled?
—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 are noticing a lot of thoughts and feelings showing up as your brain does its job of looking out for you.
What does “getting over this” mean to 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.
Hello Michael and welcome to the course. Anyone can recover from insomnia because insomnia is kept alive by all our understandable attempts to fight it. In other words, it exists because of our actions — and we always have control over our actions.
What are you picking up from the course so far to help you start moving toward where you want to be? What changes have you started making?
—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.
Flexibility and some self-kindness can be really helpful, as suggested by @ChefDevo1776.
You are the expert on you, Hidai! What do you think you should do, and why?
—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 aboard! You’ve learned a lot over the past few weeks — especially that the more you try to make a certain amount or type of sleep happen, the more difficult it becomes.
And, the more difficult it becomes, the more likely you are to experience difficult thoughts and feelings like anxiety (and perhaps start engaging in a battle with those, too).
You are already taking action. And, action is what matters. I wish you all the best as you continue to move forward. You are on a powerful journey.
—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.
Ultimately, every individual here is the expert on themselves! I am a guide, nothing more 🙂
What I would emphasize here is that a sleep window isn’t intended to make a certain amount or type of sleep happen. Its real goal is to help you move away from chasing after sleep — because, with sleep, the more we chase after it the more elusive it can often become!
A sleep window also comes with some potential bonuses — a reasonably consistent out of bed time in the morning can help strengthen the body clock and ensure enough time for sleep drive to build during the night to hep set the stage for sleep at night, and allotting an amount of time for sleep that’s more reflective of how much sleep we typically get at the present time can reduce the amount of time available for struggle while also giving us more time to spend out of bed so we can live life!
@Bronte shared a great tip, too — sometimes setting the goal when in bed as being rest rather than sleep can take some pressure off since resting is something we can control and make happen through action. Sleep is not!—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 great to hear from you, Barbara! Thank you for returning with an update, one year after completing the course. How time flies!
The fact you enrolled in the course after trying everything meant you started in a position of real strength. You knew so much about what didn’t work and that gave you the motivation to explore and commit to a new way forward.
You drew on the action-based skills that were offered in the course in a way that was right for you. You realized that your actions are what matter — they can draw you into a struggle and make things more difficult. And, they can keep you moving toward the life you want to live and move you away from struggle.
The way forward isn’t always easy. There are ups and downs. It ain’t always pretty 😜
You stayed committed, though. Committed to action. Doing what mattered. You stopped imposing arbitrary “progress deadlines” on yourself. You moved away from self-judgement. You refocused on what you could control — your actions.
And, that’s how you got to where you are now. I wish you all the best for the future.
—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, Etty — you are clearly a strong advocate for yourself and a committed problem solver!
Bronte offers some great advice here 👍
What I would add is that whenever you make any change, it can be helpful to commit to that change for at least a week or two (ideally closer to two weeks) before drawing any conclusions. It takes time to adjust and adapt.
A sleep window can get you started on the journey of moving away from chasing after sleep but it doesn’t really deal with all the other stuff associated with the insomnia struggle (like how you respond to being awake when you want to be asleep, how your respond to all the difficult thoughts and feelings that can show up, etc).
In any case what matters here is that you are taking action. You are off to a great start and are way ahead of anyone else who might be struggling and not giving change the opportunity to happen 🙌
—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, Johnny — and thank you, @Bronte for your caring and supportive response!
Johnny: You feel this is all anxiety related and you wonder whether similar tools that you are drawing on for insomnia (such as acceptance) might also help with your bladder.
What I will say here is this — many people have found the skills they’ve developed to help deal with insomnia in a workable way are transferrable to many other issues that their experience tells them are beyond their direct control.
Many of our biggest struggles come from trying to (understandably!) control, fight, resist, or avoid what our experience tells us cannot be directly or permanently controlled, fought, resisted, or avoided.
With that being said, you are the expert on 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.
Nighttime awakenings are often most likely to happen as we emerge from each sleep cycle — and a sleep cycle tends to average somewhere around 1.5-2 hours or so (it’s not an exact science). Have you discussed your concern about waking every two hours at night with your doctor?
You are clearly a problem-solver and an action taker, mbeebe! How are you finding that new response of reading or listening to an audiobook when you wake during the night? How does it compare to what you might have been doing before?
—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 🤗
Your superpowers of self-reflection and commitment to action have helped you better understand how your relationship with your bed and your relationship with your thoughts and feelings can influence sleep and your actions.
You are clearly starting to become a lot kinder toward yourself, too — that’s a rare character strength and often requires conscious and ongoing practice!
I wish you all the best as you continue to move 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.
