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Hello Sm29! I only suggested trying a sleep window of between five-and-a-half and six hours of sleep for a couple of weeks — I didn’t suggest any start or end times!
Since you mentioned you are currently going to bed at 1:00 AM and getting out of bed at 10:00 AM, how about trying something like going to bed at 1:00 AM and getting out of bed at 6:30 AM or 7:00 AM instead?
The start and end of the window aren’t all that important compared to the duration (and consistency) of your chosen sleep window.
As your sleep becomes more consolidated and you fill your sleep window with sleep, you can gradually extend your sleep window to allow for more 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 Jonathan and sorry to hear about your recent struggle with sleep and that your doctor only prescribed medication as a solution.
If you have gone for 39 hours with zero sleep then your sleep drive is going to be extremely high, meaning that you are going to be at the point very soon whereby it will be impossible to stay awake.
Although high levels of worry and anxiety can temporarily suspend sleep, you will sleep eventually — because, just like breathing, sleep is a core biological process that we can temporarily suspend but we cannot do this indefinitely.
I think you will find the podcast episode with David (episode 8) very helpful — take a listen and let me know what you think!
No medication can generate sleep. The only thing that can generate sleep is our own internal sleep drive. And, since you have gone without sleep for so long, you are extremely likely to fall asleep sooner rather than later.
My suggestion right now would be to try to observe a regular and appropriate sleep window so that you can get your sleep back onto a consistent and more predictable schedule in the shortest amount of time.
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.
Hello Mich. If you are struggling with sleep due to shift work, you will likely find it helpful to find someone who specializes in circadian rhythm sleep disorders and has experience helping shift workers. Someone who specializes in this area may be able to help you come up with some strategies to minimize the effect of shift work on 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.
Welcome to the forum, Jacqueline! I have worked with many mothers who have struggled with sleep since having a baby — so you definitely aren’t alone!
When do you typically go to bed at night, and when do you get out of bed to start your day? When you wake during the night, what do you think is making it hard for you to fall back 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.
I’m sorry to hear that you have been taking sleeping medication for so long — sleeping pills were never intended to be taken for the long term. Have you looked into cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques to help you make changes that will lead to long term improvements in 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.
If you are currently going to bed at 1:00 AM and getting out of bed at 10:00 AM, you are allotting nine hours for sleep. If you are currently getting between three and five hours of sleep, then allotting nine hours of sleep is only going to lead to between four and six hours of wakefulness during the night.
I think that you would find it very helpful to start allotting an amount of time for sleep that is much closer to your average nightly sleep duration. You might want to try allotting between five-and-a-half and six hours of sleep for a couple of weeks and see how you get on.
Observing a regular sleep window that more closely matches your average nightly sleep duration will help build sleep drive, reduce the amount of time you spend awake during the night, consolidate your sleep, and improve sleep quality.
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.
So many people struggle with sleep after having a baby! How old is your daughter? Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do about any nighttime awakenings caused by your daughter, but there are definitely things you can do to increase the likelihood of sleep when your sleep isn’t being interrupted by your baby.
—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 Gert. Given your circumstances, it’s not surprising that you are struggling with sleep. You mentioned that you tried sleep restriction and CBT. What was your chosen sleep window when you were implementing sleep restriction, and how long did you stick with it before deciding it wasn’t helpful? What other CBT-I techniques were you implementing?
—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, melatonin supplements aren’t going to mess with your body’s natural ability to produce the hormone. Any supplemental melatonin you take after the body has already released its own melatonin to signal for sleep is completely ignored by the body.
It’s quite normal to experience sleep disruption before exams and important dates. Sometimes it can be helpful at times like that to make sure you only go to bed when you feel sleepy enough for sleep.
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.
Sorry to hear about your struggle with sleep and the frustration this is causing you. When do you normally go to bed at night and when do you get out of bed to start your day in the morning?
—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 you’d find it helpful to observe an appropriate sleep window that more closely matches your average nightly sleep duration. Then, try to make sure you are always out of bed by the end of your sleep window. If your chosen sleep window ends at 6:00 AM, for example, then you would want to be getting out of bed by 6:00 AM every day.
—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. The good news is, you can get back to the point of no longer thinking or worrying about sleep — we just need to work on getting that sleep confidence back!
When do you normally go to bed at night, when do you get out of bed to start your day, and roughly how many hours of sleep do you get on a typical night?
Do you tend to have more difficulty falling asleep at the start of the night, or 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.
Welcome to the forum — unfortunately, I am not surprised that all the things you listed in your post didn’t work. That’s because there is no evidence that any of those things are effective treatments for chronic insomnia.
Have you looked into CBT for insomnia (CBT-I)? There is overwhelming evidence to support CBT-I as an effective long-term treatment 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.
Welcome to the forum and I’m sorry to hear about your sleep difficulties.
First of all, it’s important to highlight the fact that neither melatonin nor lorazepam are generating sleep for you. Nothing can generate sleep apart from our own biological sleep drive — so the four-and-a-half hours you got after taking melatonin, and the nine hours you got after taking lorazepam was sleep generated by you and not whatever you took.
Supplements and medications can help us get over whatever the initial obstacle to sleep might be (often high levels of arousal/anxiety/worry) and that can make it easier to sleep — but they are incapable of generating sleep. Any sleep we get is being generated by our own body.
Many people experience a string of poor nights followed by a “recovery” night — and this is a sign that sleep drive is working as it should be. We can only stay awake for so long before sleep drive becomes so strong, we simply cannot stay awake.
The key to evening out these highs and lows is often the implementation of a consistent (and appropriate) sleep window. This helps build sleep drive (and sleepiness), leads to less time awake during the night, consolidates sleep, and improves sleep quality. It’s also helpful to get out of bed whenever you find yourself struggling with sleep.
As suggested by gsdmom, I think you would find cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques very helpful if you are ready to make the changes necessary to improve your sleep for the long term. The techniques can be challenging in the short term, but they almost always lead to significantly better sleep for the long term.
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.
Hello Amberlynne and I am sorry to hear about your ongoing struggle with sleep. Have you looked into (or tried implementing) cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques? They are far more effective for insomnia over the long-term than sleeping pills.
—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.
