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Welcome to the forum, @Recovery.
I am so glad to hear that you’ve finally been told about cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques such as sleep restriction. This technique, when implemented correctly and consistently, helps build sleep drive, strengthens the body clock, and reduces the amount of time available for unpleasant nighttime wakefulness.
Two-and-a-half weeks is a short period of time to be expecting consistent results, so I would encourage you to keep going with the sleep window. There’s no reason to believe that taking medication while implementing a sleep window will affect your progress. As you start to experience improvements in your sleep and start to feel more confident in your own ability to sleep, you might then discuss a tapering-off plan with your prescribing physician.
I am not sure why you have been told to stay in bed if you wake during the night and find it really unpleasant to be in bed. It’s often considered a good idea to get out of bed whenever being in bed doesn’t feel good so you have a more appealing alternative to tossing and turning and to prevent you from reinforcing a negative association between your bed and unpleasant wakefulness. This might be something worth discussing with your psychologist.
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 it can be helpful to remind yourself of any times in the past when you’ve had to be somewhere first thing in the morning and made it, regardless of how you slept!
—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 mind seem to be saying when you want to be sleeping, Tee?
—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 you’re experiencing isn’t unusual, KAH! Sleep disruption often occurs when we are unwell.
Usually, sleep recovers when we feel better — but sometimes it doesn’t.
When it doesn’t, it’s almost always because of the way we think about sleep changes (for example we might start worrying about sleep) and we start to implement behaviors in an attempt to improve our sleep but actually have the opposite effect (for example, we might start to spend a lot of time researching sleep, spending more time in bed, napping during the day, canceling daytime plans, etc).
I’m encouraged to see that you’re aware of sleep restriction as a way to build sleep drive. If you don’t find knitting something you can do, is there anything else you can do instead? Are there any enjoyable activities you might also be able to add to your day or things that keep you moving? The more “good stuff” we can do during the day, and the more we are able to physically move about, the less intense fatigue can feel.
—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 can definitely feel as though you aren’t getting any sleep at all, but it’s impossible to go without any sleep whatsoever because the body will always give us — at the very least — the bare minimum amount of sleep we need.
Very often, if we have a lot of concern and worry about sleep, we not only get less sleep than we want, but we can also believe we are getting less sleep than we actually are. In any case, taking steps to reduce arousal can be really helpful.
Here’s a short video about paradoxical insomnia if you think this might be something worth exploring further!
—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, Rod! When you wake during the night, why do you think you find it hard to fall back to sleep? What time do you typically go to bed at night, what time do you get out of bed to start your day, and how many hours of sleep would you say you get on an average 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.
It can be so empowering to recognize that it’s our own thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate sleep disruption! Knowing that our sleep system isn’t broken and that we can change the thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate sleep disruption and, therefore, improve our sleep, can be truly liberating and reassuring!
—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.
Nobody knows the purpose of dreams — but we know that when we dream, we are asleep. So, dreams are a symptom of sleep.
If we have a high level of arousal, dreams can seem more intense and more vivid. So, tackling arousal might be a helpful way for you to improve your sleep.
We can lower arousal in a number of ways. One of which is building a strong sleep drive to overpower the arousal system by allotting an appropriate amount of time for sleep. Another is getting out of bed whenever being in bed doesn’t feel good. Another is to focus more attention on the pursuit of enjoyable daytime activities.
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.
You’re a newbie to this, GVT! There will always be ups and downs along the way but if you continue to move forward, you’ll make progress!
With a sleep window of 12:15 AM to 6:30 AM I would expect you to be averaging somewhere around six hours of sleep each night. If you aren’t getting that much sleep, it might be worth reducing the amount of time you allot for sleep.
When you are awake in bed during the night, are you getting out of bed when being in bed doesn’t feel good? Doing so will give you a more enjoyable alternative to struggling in bed and prevent you from reinforcing a negative association between the bed and unpleasant wakefulness.
You might find it helpful to consider what it is about the idea of being awake during the night that seems to generate worry. As for the jerks/jolts as you’re about to fall asleep, I talk about them in this video: Why you jerk yourself awake every time you try to fall asleep (and what to do about it).
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 might be worth speaking with your doctor to see if taking another sleep study would be appropriate or if something else is going on.
I wouldn’t typically expect to see someone who is active during the day and averaging seven hours of sleep with good sleep efficiency to experience such intense feelings of fatigue. I am not a doctor and my area of expertise is insomnia. You don’t seem to obviously or strongly fit the diagnostic criteria 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.
Thank you so much for sharing your transformation, Scott!
Perhaps the biggest insight you shared was the fact you dived back into all the enjoyable things you had removed from your life in response to insomnia!
When we remove enjoyable activities from our lives in response to poor sleep, we reduce our quality of life and train ourselves to believe we cannot enjoy life if we experience sleep disruption. This perpetuates the problem since we then place more importance on sleep, put more pressure on ourselves to sleep, put more effort into sleep, and worry more about sleep — and, as you know, all these things make sleep more difficult!
Refusing to allow insomnia to dictate your life is not only liberating, but it really helps lower arousal and helps to improve 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.
Welcome to the forum, @weiss27md!
Have you been diagnosed with chronic insomnia or any other sleep disorder?
A few questions:
1. What time do you go to bed at night?
2. How long does it usually take you to fall asleep?
3. How much time do you think you spend awake during the night AFTER first falling asleep?
4. What time do you get out of bed to start your day in the morning?
5. How many hours of sleep do you get on an average 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.
Hello Celine and welcome to the forum.
First, let me reassure you that you can get through the day even after a night of no sleep whatsoever. The body has an amazing ability to compensate for difficult nights and get us through the day.
One thing you can do to reduce the negative impact of the previous night on your day is to try to pursue some daytime activities that you find somewhat enjoyable. This will give your mind the opportunity to focus on something other than thinking/worrying about sleep and improve the overall quality of your day. It might also help you recognize that you can experience some positive (or at least some “OK” moments) even after a night of no sleep. This, in turn, can reduce arousal and help improve sleep.
Furthermore, since you had a night of no sleep, sleep drive is going to be very high — and this means that as long as you don’t do anything to reduce this sleep drive (for example by napping or going to bed earlier) then sleep becomes more likely on subsequent nights because sleep drive ALWAYS wins in the end.
Have you looked into cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as a long-term solution for your insomnia? Since CBT-I addresses the thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate insomnia, you will likely find it very helpful. Furthermore, CBT-I is recommended as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia since it addresses the root cause of chronic insomnia (our sleep-related thoughts and behaviors) — something that no pill can do.
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, Anant! I admire your determination to improve your sleep!
Since the things you listed cannot create sleep or sleepiness, it’s unlikely that they are actually “working” to generate sleep or sleepiness. With that being said, practicing relaxation and exercising during the day is always going to be helpful for promoting relaxation and improving the quality of your days, and this can indirectly improve sleep by reducing sleep-related arousal.
So, all the good nights of sleep you experienced after trying any of the things you listed, was sleep that was generated by your own body and its own natural ability 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.
You’ll never know unless you try — but I’d encourage you to stick with whatever you choose to do for at least a couple of weeks so you don’t end up going down the rabbit hole of ongoing experimentation and frequent modifications. When we do that, we end up only treading water since we don’t give ourselves enough time to adapt to any new routine/technique.
—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.
