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Sorry to hear about your struggles with sleep, Lima. Can you tell us a bit more about your sleep? When do you normally go to bed at night and when do you get out of bed to start your day in the morning? Do you struggle more with falling asleep at the start of the night or staying asleep throughout the 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.
The way you developed issues with sleep is, unfortunately, becoming increasingly common due to the way sleep is being portrayed in the media. If you haven’t done so already, I think you’ll find a lot in common with Scott — he slept fine until he listened to a podcast and tried to get more sleep. Fortunately, he sleeps well now.
You can hear (and watch) his story in Episode 4 of the Insomnia Coach Podcast.
Are you checking the clock when you wake around 4:00 AM? If so, I would suggest that you avoid doing this since it only ever leads to a negative outcome — sleep-related worry or frustration.
Waking during the night is completely normal. Checking the time when we wake isn’t. When we check the time we can then worry about how much time we have left to fall asleep — and this worry makes it harder to sleep. We can also exert effort into falling back to sleep but the implementation of sleep effort actually makes sleep more difficult.
So, I’d suggest sticking with a consistent and appropriate sleep window, giving yourself “permission” to wake during the night (because waking is a normal part of sleep), and not checking the time when you wake.
It’s fine to remain in bed if you feel calm and relaxed — since conditions are right for sleep. If you start to feel worried/anxious/frustrated or start tossing and turning, then it’s usually a better idea to get out of bed and do something relaxing and enjoyable until you feel calm again.
Stay committed and consistent, and you will start to fill that sleep window with sleep and enjoy more consistent sleep. It usually takes closer to a few weeks than a few days to notice significant improvements when implementing CBT-I techniques.
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, James. We’re always eager to hear success stories here — so please tell us more about your insomnia and your transformation!
—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.
Sorry to hear about your issues with sleep. Since it seems as though your sleep disruption has an identifiable cause, and you don’t have any trouble falling asleep, I suspect that your focus should probably be on addressing the medical issue you described.
With that being said, it would be unusual — in my opinion — for any medical issue to wake you up such a consistent time (such as 5:00 AM).
When do you typically go to bed at night, when do you usually get out of bed to start your day in the morning, and how many hours of sleep do you get on a typical night? Did your doctor give you any advice for managing your 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 Vicki and welcome to the forum. You mentioned that you’ve tried most things out there — does that include cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)?
At the current time, when do you usually go to bed at night, and when do you get out of bed to start your day in the morning? How many hours of sleep would you say you get on a typical 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.
Sorry to hear about your ongoing struggles with sleep, Marie72. Are you currently following any kind of sleep window? Since you have been experiencing such inconsistent sleep for ten weeks, this suggests to me that you don’t have a consistent sleep window — but perhaps I am wrong!
Waking with a racing heart is a common symptom of hyperarousal, which is common among people with chronic insomnia — but if you have any concerns about this, you should seek medical advice.
Ultimately, if you have chronic insomnia, the very best treatment option is 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.
Welcome to the forum. Can you tell us a bit more about your sleep at the current time? When do you normally go to bed, when do you get out of bed to start your day, and how many hours of sleep are you currently averaging on a typical night?
Do you tend to find it hard to fall asleep at the start of the night or is your challenge related more to sleeping through the 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 Eve. Have you raised these concerns with your doctor or sleep technician? Since you also have sleep apnea it’s important to determine whether your sleep issues are down to the apnea and how it’s currently being treated or something else (such as 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.
Hello Noel
As I am sure you have experienced, when you go through a stretch of poor sleep, you are far more likely to sleep better on a subsequent night. That’s because sleep drive gets stronger with every passing minute of wakefulness. So, a night of no sleep (or very little sleep) means that sleep drive will be very strong and this increases the likelihood of sleep the following night.
You can use this sleep drive to your advantage by only allowing yourself to sleep during a predetermined sleep window. This will help consolidate sleep and lead to more consistent sleep. As this occurs, you will start to regain confidence in your ability to sleep, and this will reduce your sleep-related worry and anxiety.
—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.
As Mike suggested, it’s hard to get good sleep when you work overnight or on shifts. You might want to consult with someone who specializes in circadian rhythm sleep disorders and has experience in helping shift workers. Good luck.
—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 that you seek the advice of a sleep specialist — this website is intended to offer guidance for those with chronic insomnia, which is quite different to any other sleep disorder. Good luck!
—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.
As others have suggested, it’s important to give yourself time — your eagerness for results is understandable, but they can take time to recognize. If you are consistent with the sleep window, and your sleep window is of an appropriate duration, you will start to fill that sleep window with sleep!
Remember that the start of your sleep window is your earliest possible bedtime — if you aren’t feeling sleepy when the sleep window begins, it can be helpful to delay going to bed until you do feel sleepy.
Feeling wired just before your planned bedtime is quite common and is often a symptom of conditioned arousal. You have experienced so many nights of struggle, your mind is expecting more of the same, sees this as a threat, and activates the arousal system and this leads to symptoms just like those familiar “fight or flight” sensations.
Ultimately, this is addressed by repeated experiences of better sleep — and this will come if you stay committed and consistent. Keep going!
—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.
Mike gave some great advice here! Some of us are just more predisposed to sleep disruption. It’s important to recognize that, sometimes, sleep disruption is normal and to be expected — for example, a tight deadline at work, receiving bad news, arguing with a spouse, going through a big life change, etc.
As long as we don’t react to the sleep disruption and as long as we avoid compensatory behaviors, our sleep will usually recover pretty quickly all by itself.
—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 quite remarkable what we can do after very little sleep. This is made all the more interesting when we consider just how much those of us with insomnia worry about how we’ll get through the day after nights of no (or very little) sleep.
Related video: If you have chronic insomnia, you have an incredible ability!
Just recently I had someone email me and they were very concerned about their sleep because they had an upcoming multi-day fitness competition and knew that it was more important than ever that they slept well. Well, this concern led to even worse sleep in the week before the competition and during the three days of the competition.
This person ended up coming second in a grueling and intense competition. A remarkable feat if you ask me — and evidence that we are capable of great achievements even after very little 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.
I think it’s important to bear in mind that insomnia is not defined by sleep duration — and that’s because we all need different amounts of sleep.
Insomnia is defined as:
A predominant complaint of dissatisfaction with sleep quantity or quality, associated with one (or more) of the following symptoms:
* Difficulty initiating sleep.
* Difficulty maintaining sleep, characterized by frequent awakenings or problems returning to sleep after awakenings.
* Early-morning awakening with inability to return to sleep.
These sleep difficulties are present despite adequate opportunity for sleep.
For insomnia to be considered “chronic” or to be classed as “insomnia disorder”, the sleep difficulty needs to be present for at least three months.
More here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519704/table/ch3.t36/
—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.
