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Glad to hear you’re countering those negative thoughts with positive thoughts — do you believe the positive thoughts you’re telling yourself, though?
Often, the negative thoughts we have aren’t as accurate as they first seem. So, looking for evidence that supports them and evidence that doesn’t support them can help you come up with more accurate thoughts.
These more accurate thoughts are often more positive because they are more accurate — and with repeated practice, these more accurate thoughts might become the automatic thought rather than the typically less accurate, negative thought.
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.
Feeling really sleepy and then feeling wide awake when you get into bed is a classic symptom of conditioned arousal — because you have found it unpleasant to be in bed time after time after time, your mind has learned to associate the bed with unpleasant wakefulness. So, you feel sleepy when you aren’t in bed, but then when you go to bed your mind tries to protect you from what it sees as the threat of being in bed by making you awake and alert — and, of course, this is not helpful when it comes to sleep!
The good news is that since this association has been learned, it can be unlearned by making sure you’re only in bed when either asleep or when being in bed feels good. If you get out of bed any time being in bed doesn’t feel good, you retrain yourself to see the bed as a more pleasant place to be because you’ll only be in bed when being in bed feels good.
This technique is part of stimulus control and when combined with other techniques that help build sleep drive and lower arousal (such as sleep restriction) you will likely start to experience better sleep.
Here are a couple of videos you might find helpful, too:
What to do when you feel sleepy early in the evening but don’t feel sleepy when it’s time for bed
How to stop the sleep roller coaster and make sleep more consistent and more predictable
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! I think it might be helpful for you to start by challenging your automatic thought that you stopped sleeping from the age of 17 to a more accurate thought that your sleep got worse from the age of 17!
Of course, it’s impossible to stop sleeping and to go for six years with not even one minute of sleep!
It does sound as though you’ve tried a lot of things — but I didn’t see any mention of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques such as sleep restriction and stimulus control.
Let me reassure you, too, that insomnia has not been shown to cause any health problem or to increase mortality.
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.
If you’re falling asleep within around 20 minutes of getting into bed, this does suggest that you’re sleepy enough for sleep when you go to bed — it could be that your arousal system is hiding sleepiness cues from you. This will likely improve over time as you continue to consistently implement that sleep window and other CBT-I techniques.
If you’re tossing and turning during your sleep window, this suggests that being in bed at that time doesn’t feel good — so, I would suggest getting out of bed and doing something more relaxing and enjoyable instead. This way, your mind has something to focus on other than sleep, you eliminate the temptation to put effort into sleep, you improve the quality of the night, and you prevent yourself from reinforcing a negative association between your bed and unpleasant wakefulness.
It could be that your desire and wish for more results is an obstacle to you getting more results — because desire is a goal that requires effort, and sleep does not respond well to effort!
Sometimes focussing on the process and making all goals connected to process is more helpful than focussing on the outcome and making all goals connected to outcome. You have no control over outcome, but you have full control over process and implementation!
—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, Gabriele! It sounds as though you’re doing really well — it’s definitely a process and takes time to weaken that anxiety and worry, and that makes sense because it also was a process and took time for that anxiety and worry to reach a high enough level to disrupt your sleep!
Keep moving forward, stay consistent, and I am sure you’ll continue to do well!
—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 expect someone who gets roughly seven hours of sleep to be spending roughly seven-and-a-half hours in bed. If you feel that you’re getting less than seven hours of sleep, allotting less time for sleep might be helpful since it will mean less time awake and deeper, more consolidated, and better quality sleep.
What kind of things are you doing during the day to add enrichment and enjoyment to your life, lower fatigue, and direct 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.
Not a whole lot happens until you ask questions or get involved in existing conversations! It’s good to have you as a member here, though!
—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 @Insomniac12 and welcome to the forum! @hiker shared some great tips! It might take some time for you to adjust to the lack of construction noise, as ironic as that may sound!
In the meantime, when you wake after four hours and find it hard to fall back to sleep, what is going through your mind? You might find it helpful to make sure you aren’t allotting too much time for sleep, and you might find it helpful to get out of bed during the night if being in bed doesn’t feel good.
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 would suggest starting by reading about cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and considering whether you might find it helpful — particularly if you recognize yourself in this video, “Watch me use my mystical powers to reveal how your sleep issues began and why you now have insomnia“.
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.
Thinking and worrying about sleep at 4:38 AM is natural but probably not helpful when it comes to reducing sleep-related worry — and this alone could be a perpetuating factor behind your insomnia.
If and when you wake during the night, you might find it helpful to get out of bed and do something you find relaxing and enjoyable if being in bed starts to feel unpleasant. The more you can enjoy your nights, independently of sleep, the less you might worry about sleep.
How are your days, @Maryam? Are they enriching and enjoyable? Are you regularly pursuing fun and pleasant activities so you can enjoy your days? The more you can enjoy your days, independently of sleep, the less you might worry about sleep.
I am sorry to hear about your struggles and hope this post 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.
Are the panic attacks caused by thoughts and worries about sleep, or something else? If they’re about sleep then you might find cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques helpful. If they’re connected to a past trauma, I’d suggest seeking the help of a licensed healthcare provider.
—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, @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.
