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I have seen sleep restriction prove to be helpful for people who experience nights of no sleep — and for people who might be experiencing some sleep state misperception (which isn’t unusual among people with chronic insomnia).
If you are concerned about nighttime wakefulness during your sleep window then I would suggest combining the technique with stimulus control by getting out of bed whenever being in bed doesn’t feel good and doing something more pleasant until conditions feel better for sleep.
You might find my podcast episode with Dave helpful — he experienced a lot of nights of zero sleep whatsoever: How David overcame three years of insomnia by addressing his obsession with sleep using CBT-I, acceptance, and mindfulness techniques (#8).
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 does your sleep schedule look like? What time do you usually go to bed at night and what time do you usually get up to start your day in the mornings? Do these times usually vary?
—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.
Can you tell us a bit more about the cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques you tried? Which specific techniques did you implement, and for how long?
—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 wonder if you might be experiencing hypnic jerks?
As you suggested, the heightened sensitivity to environmental sounds could be connected to heightened arousal. Are you being treated for PTSD with anything other than medication? You might want to ask your doctor whether they think you’d be a good candidate for 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 can’t think of any biological reason why falling asleep at 10:00 PM would lead to all the symptoms you described, compared to falling asleep 30 minutes earlier. Do you tend to get the same amount of sleep if you go to bed later than 9:00 PM or 9:30 PM?
Does the time you get out of bed to start your day change, depending on when you go to bed or fall asleep at night? Does what you do each day vary depending on when you go to bed or fall asleep at 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.
This is great to hear — good on you for getting started with making some changes that help to create (and maintain) good 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.
Hello Marie and welcome to the forum. You know, after reading your post I had to check your username because your experience sounded so familiar to me! I have worked with so many clients who can trace the start of their insomnia to working shifts, being on call, and/or having children.
This sleep disruption is normal and natural — and usually goes away when those sleep disruptors are no longer an issue/no longer relevant. However, it can linger even if we no longer work night shifts, even if we are no longer on call, and even if our kids are grown and more independent — and that’s usually because of a change in our relationship with sleep (and all the thoughts, feelings, and emotions our brain generates) and because we have implemented behaviors in an attempt to improve our sleep that, unfortunately, serve only to perpetuate sleep disruption.
Common perpetuating behaviors include spending more time in bed, going to bed earlier, staying in bed later, canceling plans or modifying our days in response to sleep, being more sedentary during the day, taking (or attempting to take) naps, engaging in more sleep-related research, experimenting with medication and supplements, etc.
It’s completely natural for you to feel some fear when considering sleep restriction — and yet, you are still considering it, even in the presence of fear!
Sleep restriction has a scary name, but all it really does is reduce the amount of time available for nighttime wakefulness. Really, it should be renamed “wake restriction”. When implementing sleep restriction, the amount of time allotted for sleep is always longer than your average nightly sleep duration — so, it never takes sleep away from you. Instead, it reduces the amount of time available for nighttime wakefulness, builds sleep drive, and strengthens the body clock.
Perhaps it might be worth implementing the technique as an experiment, just for a couple of weeks, to see how you get on with it?
—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 sharing — I don’t know of many people who successfully overcame chronic insomnia through meditation alone, but if that worked for you that’s great!
—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! What time do you usually go to bed at night and what time do you usually get out of bed in the morning to start your day? On an average night, how many hours of sleep would you say you’ve been getting over the past couple of weeks?
Ironically, sometimes having medication available can make sleep more difficult since when we are awake we might start engaging in “mental gymnastics” as we try to decide if/when to reach for the medicine cabinet. Sometimes it can be more helpful to stick to a specific medication routine rather than use it contingently — however, this should always be discussed with your doctor.
—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, Amy! It sounds as though you’re off to a great start — it’s good to have you 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.
Hello Martina! When you wake after three or four hours of sleep, why do you think you find it hard to fall back to sleep? What do you do when you wake after those three or four hours of sleep? Finally, can you share the time you usually go to bed and the time you usually get out of bed to start your day in the mornings?
—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 of all, let me tell you that you aren’t alone! Everything you’ve described is common among people with chronic insomnia — so, all the things that others with chronic insomnia have done to improve their sleep will likely work to improve your sleep, too!
Spending a lot of time awake during the night on a consistent basis is often associated with allotting too much time for bed or spending too much time in bed each night. If there’s a big difference between our average nightly sleep duration and how much time we usually spend in bed at night, we can end up setting ourselves up for long periods of nighttime wakefulness.
If this sounds as though this might be something that’s contributing to your sleep issues, you might want to start by allotting a more appropriate amount of time for sleep. This page on sleep restriction might be helpful.
Finally, please be assured that there’s no evidence chronic insomnia causes any health problem, reduces life expectancy, or increases the risk of death.
—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’s always light at the end of the tunnel! What kind of practices and new techniques have you been implementing in response to your acute sleep disruption?
—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 those difficult thoughts, feelings, and emotions are normal — because what you are going through is difficult. Can you think of anything you might be able to do during the day that might help improve the quality of your days? Of course, things are going to be more challenging because of the sleep difficulties — however, I wonder if there might be some activities you can engage in that are aligned with your values and help move you toward the kind of life you want to live even after difficult nights and even in the presence of difficult 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.
My apologies for the delay in getting back to you — did you receive an email back from me yet? As mentioned by Mel, in early January I fell ill and was admitted to hospital. I have been home for a few weeks now and am continuing to work with new and existing clients. I am also continuing to respond to emails from non-clients that were sent in January. If you haven’t had a response from me yet, please email me again and I’ll get back 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.
