Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Sorry to hear about your sleep difficulties over the past couple of months, vmr. When do you usually go to bed at night, when do you get out of bed to start your day, and roughly 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.
I usually suggest getting out of bed whenever being in bed doesn’t feel good — this gives you the opportunity to do something a bit more pleasant than staying in bed and it prevents you from reinforcing a negative association between your bed and unpleasant wakefulness.
When you return to bed, you might allow yourself to remain in bed for as long as it feels good to be in bed. If and when it doesn’t feel good to be in bed, you might then get out of bed again!
If you wake during the night and find it hard to fall back to sleep, this suggests that there isn’t enough sleep drive present to help you fall back to sleep (you weren’t awake for long enough before going to bed) and/or your arousal system is suppressing sleep drive.
Two basic behavioral changes that can be a good starting point:
1. We can build sleep drive by implementing an appropriate sleep window.
2. We can lower arousal by getting out of bed when being in bed doesn’t feel good.I hope this helps you get started on the road to better 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.
The great thing about sleep drive (which builds with every minute of wakefulness) is that it always wins in the end — we cannot stay awake indefinitely! So, if you only allow yourself to sleep in your new home, then that is where you will (sooner or later) start 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.
OK, Ladydi — two sleep issues here, one down (sleep apnea) and just one to go (insomnia)! Have you looked into cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)? It’s recognized as being far more effective than sleeping pills over the long-term because CBT-I is a collection of techniques that help address the thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate sleep disruption (something no medication can do)!
—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, johnobri — I am sorry to hear about your ongoing difficulties with sleep.
You said that you are unable to function the day after a difficult night — can you tell us a bit more about that? I am guessing you are able to function to at least some basic degree since you’re still here and you were able to make this post. So, I wonder if there might be some things you could do during the days following difficult nights to make them a bit more tolerable and even a bit more enjoyable?
Have you asked your doctor if 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 am sorry to hear about what you’ve been going through, STARR. Unfortunately, night terrors are not my area of expertise. It’s good to know that you sought medical advice and 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.
It sounds as though you’ve tried all the standard run-of-the-mill tips that — unfortunately — don’t usually work very well, stanh!
Have you looked into cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques? They are often more helpful for addressing sleep disruption that has been present for longer than a few months since they tackle the sleep-related thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate sleep disruption.
I think it can also be helpful to recognize that it’s normal for sleep to be disrupted at times like this! Here’s a short video I recorded that you might find relevant and helpful: What to do when stress, worry, and uncertainty lead to sleep disruption and 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.
It sounds as though you are very clear on the initial cause of your sleep disruption and it’s good to hear that you noticed improvements in your sleep when you tried CBT-I since that means you were able to successfully tackle the thoughts and behaviors that often perpetuate sleep disruption.
One thing that I think it’s important to stress (and recognize) is that it’s impossible to experience a great night of sleep every single night. Our sleep is very sensitive to our overall sense of wellbeing so it’s completely normal to experience temporary sleep disruption at times of stress, worry, anxiety, or uncertainty.
The less we are able to react to that disruption, and the better able we are to avoid trying to compensate for lost sleep, modifying our lives in response, or putting effort into sleep, the easier it is for our sleep to recover when the initial trigger is no longer relevant.
It could very well be the ongoing investigation and wondering why you are awake at 3:00 AM, and perhaps even the very understandable desire to want to sleep, that could be increasing arousal and making sleep a bit more difficult.
I am so encouraged that you are engaged in so many positive behaviors — things like not napping during the day and only going to bed when you are sleepy (this is different to being tired/fatigued) really help build sleep drive and improve the conditions for sleep to happen. Getting out of bed at the same time each day is also very helpful!
I wonder if there might be anything you can do to make the nights a bit less long and a bit less miserable, since that seems to be a big (and understandable!) trigger for sleep-related worry. If we can make the nights a bit more pleasant, independently of sleep, perhaps that might help lower that anxiety (and create better conditions for sleep, 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.
Hello Pike and welcome to the forum! As I think you realize, nobody here is qualified to give you advice on your medication — I would suggest raising your concerns with your prescribing doctor.
You mentioned that you often wake at 4:00 AM or 5:00 AM and then find it hard to fall back to sleep before getting out of bed to start your day around 6:45 AM. What time do you usually go to bed 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.
Everything you’ve described is quite common among people with chronic insomnia, Veteran!
You said you’ve tried every method over the years — does that include cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)?
CBT-I techniques can be really helpful since they get to the root cause of the problem — they help tackle the thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate sleep disruption.
I am encouraged that you are able to recognize you can always get through the day, regardless of how you sleep — might there be anything you could do during the day to improve the quality of your days and shift attention away from 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.
Many people with chronic insomnia, quite understandably, believe that there might be a chemical imbalance in the brain or that there is a medical condition that is perpetuating their sleep disruption.
The fact of the matter is that, when it comes to chronic insomnia disorder, sleep disruption is perpetuated by our sleep-related thoughts and behaviors (one of which might be a concern that there is a medical cause of our insomnia).
So, if medical issues have been ruled out, I’d suggest looking into cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) since that will help address the thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate sleep disruption.
I have yet to come across anyone who has found their chronic insomnia was permanently cured by a supplement or vitamin, or that a chemical imbalance was to blame for their sleep issues.
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.
I’d suggest raising your concerns about that morning grogginess with your prescribing doctor — perhaps they can modify the dose, change the timing of when you take the medication, and/or explore a different treatment option.
Have you looked into an alternative to medication, such as 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 have worked with so many people who can trace the initial trigger of their insomnia to parenthood! The fact of the matter is, there are probably as many initial triggers of insomnia as there are people in the world — but long-term sleep disruption is only sustained by a change in the way we think about sleep and by a change in our sleep-related behaviors.
These thoughts and behaviors perpetuate sleep disruption because they can reduce sleep drive, disrupt the body clock, and increase arousal.
So, with all this in mind, anything we can to do build sleep drive, strengthen the body clock, and lower arousal is likely going to be helpful!
Based on your experience of waking and then finding it hard to fall asleep, I’d suggest exploring whether the amount of time you usually allot for sleep is appropriate (is it close to your average nightly sleep duration, or are you often allotting a lot more time for sleep than you usually spend asleep?). Having a sleep schedule that is similar to the amount of time you usually spend asleep can help build sleep drive and reduce nighttime wakefulness.
To help with the nighttime arousal, you might find it helpful to just get out of bed whenever being in bed doesn’t feel good and doing anything you find relaxing and enjoyable instead. If conditions start to feel right for sleep again, you might then return to bed — and repeat the process as necessary. Not only does this give you a more appealing alternative to remaining in bed when being in bed doesn’t feel good, it also prevents you from reinforcing a negative association between the bed and unpleasant 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.
Recognizing that sleep-related thoughts are perpetuating sleep disruption is a huge insight, Edgar — since it proves that your sleep system isn’t “broken”, that your insomnia isn’t unusual, and that working on those thoughts will likely prove to be helpful!
I think you’ll find it really helpful to work with a trained CBT-I therapist to help explore and tackle those thoughts and reduce the amount of anxiety and worry they seem to generate.
In the meantime, you might also find it helpful to make sure you are engaged in daytime activities you enjoy and find enriching, rewarding, and engaging. This can help shift focus away from sleep, reduce fatigue, and help you explore how capable you might be during the day, even after difficult nights of sleep.
Just adding “good stuff” to our days can be a really powerful way of lowering arousal.
You’ve got this, Edgar!
—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.
Unfortunately, I cannot suggest or recommend anything other than using your CPAP as prescribed, Bob. If you haven’t already done so, you might want to raise your concerns with your doctor and/or discuss different masks/pressure settings/alternative devices. It can sometimes take a while to find a CPAP solution that is easily tolerated.
—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.
