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If you kept a record of your nightly sleep duration every night for two weeks, are you saying that this would average one hour per 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 insomnia and your tinnitus, Aries. Unfortunately, it’s no surprise that the whole list of things you mentioned didn’t work — because there’s no evidence for any of them being an effective treatment for chronic insomnia.
I would encourage you not to modify your life in response to insomnia — especially when it comes to planning holidays! When you stop doing pleasurable things or try to compensate for lost sleep, you actually risk perpetuating the problem since you can end up spending more time thinking and worrying about sleep, and you actively guarantee that insomnia has a negative impact on your life.
You might find these two videos helpful:
Every time you feed your insomnia, you make your insomnia more powerful and more demanding
Why it is so important not to compensate for a bad night of sleep when you have insomnia
Is your sleep disrupted exclusively by your tinnitus? Or, have you now reached the point where perhaps sleep-related worry and anxiety (not connected to the tinnitus) are disrupting 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.
Are there any environmental cues that could be waking you at around 7:00 AM? Maybe the neighbors going to work or other environmental sights or sounds?
—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, if I understand you correctly, your current sleep window is 12:15am to 6:30am — but you often wake somewhere between 4:30am and 5:20am. Is that right?
This suggests that your average nightly sleep duration is somewhere around four to five hours (if we allow you some time for falling asleep at the start of the night). Does that sound right? If so, you might find it helpful to reduce your sleep window a bit (somewhere around five-and-a-half hours might be beneficial).
How do you feel when you wake between 4:30am and 5:20am? Do you feel rested? Do you get through your day pretty well, or do you experience very high levels of fatigue and/or sleepiness?
Before you had any issues with sleep, when did you usually go to bed (roughly) and when would you get out of bed (roughly)? Were you more of a night owl or more of a morning lark?
—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 Jo! I was just reorganizing the forum and noticed that your post completely slipped through the cracks and didn’t get a response — I do apologize for that.
The symptoms you are describing are quite common among people with insomnia — after repeated unpleasant nighttime experiences, you have learned that going to bed is not a pleasant activity and this kicks in the body’s fight or flight response.
How has your sleep been since you posted? Did you complete that course of 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.
What is your question? Ask and we’ll try to help!
—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 success story! I strongly believe that everyone with insomnia craves success stories like yours — but they can be hard to find because people who no longer think about sleep are rarely motivated to contribute to insomnia forums or talk about their sleep!
I think it’s really insightful that you found both behavioral techniques (such as not going to bed until sleepy and always being out of bed by the same time) and cognitive techniques (such as eliminating sleep effort and not obsessing about sleep) to be helpful — this is exactly why cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques are so powerful.
CBT-I techniques address the thoughts that are making sleep more difficult AND the behaviors that are making sleep more difficult. Insomnia, therefore, doesn’t stand much of a chance!
Recognizing that teas and supplements are not the answer is another big insight. As you rightly point out, you were once able to sleep well without them so you don’t need them to sleep well again!
I remember you posting a few times back in May about your struggles with sleep. Can you tell us a bit more about how your insomnia developed, and what aspect(s) of sleep you struggled with?
—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.
Thanks for the update!
When it comes to temperature, sleep definitely prefers cooler temperatures over warmer temperatures. With that being said, many people can usually recognize when high temperatures are disrupting their sleep — for example, feeling hot or waking in a sweat are indicators that temperature might be an issue (as can experiencing “seasonal/summer” insomnia).
You mentioned that, at the same time as you swapped out your comforter for lightweight blankets, you were implementing CBT-I techniques — specifically, you were getting out of bed when you were finding it hard to fall asleep/back to sleep. I wonder if this may have had a bigger influence on your improvements than changing the bedding or your attempts to cool off when finding sleep difficult.
Finally, the hormonal changes associated with menopause can definitely have a short-term impact on sleep — but these changes don’t mean you have to resign yourself to a life of insomnia over the long term! I think that leaving the bed when you are having a hard night and doing something relaxing until you feel sleepy is likely the key technique that has helped you improve your sleep — and if getting out of bed helps you feel more comfortable, temperature-wise, then more power to you!
Thanks for sharing your improvements with us — and do keep in touch!
—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 Brian! Conditioned arousal/anxiety is very common among people with insomnia. Repeated negative experiences night after night have (understandably) led to you associating sleep, bed, and maybe even the evenings with negative emotions such as fear, worry, and anxiety.
The good news is that, since this association was learned (you didn’t always associate sleep with such negative emotions) you can, once again, “re-learn” that sleep and the bed can be relaxing and enjoyable.
In addition, since what you have experienced and described is so common among people with insomnia, and the overwhelming majority of people with insomnia enjoy significant improvements if they implement cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques, there is no reason to believe that you cannot get your sleep back on track.
Indeed, you know from experience that you can improve your sleep since you have managed to do this in the past.
Since you are a client, I would suggest that you contact me directly with any specific concerns or worries you have as we work together. That way, I will be able to respond to you significantly faster, and we can discuss things on a more personal level.
—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 not surprised that you are in good health despite having insomnia — because there is no evidence that chronic insomnia causes any health problem whatsoever!
I’m glad to hear that you managed to get off the temazepam. That is no small feat, so please be sure to give yourself credit for the effort that no doubt took.
As you have experienced for yourself, supplements (including CBD oil) are not an effective treatment for chronic insomnia.
Have you looked into cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques?
—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 really sorry to hear about the sleep issues you have been facing for so long, and that your therapist isn’t helping you implement CBT-I techniques — many CBT therapists aren’t actually trained in sleep. When it comes to insomnia, looking for the “I” at the end of “CBT” is very important (I’d also recommend listening to Episode 7 of the Insomnia Coach Podcast for more about this).
Although harder, it is possible to implement CBT-I techniques in a self-directed way — I would suggest that you start by allotting an appropriate amount of time for sleep (based on average nightly sleep duration taken over at least one or two weeks) to help build a bit of consistency and hopefully help you recognize some sleepiness cues.
Also, try to remain active during the day. Inactivity can actually perpetuate insomnia and intensify feelings of fatigue.
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 Tina and welcome to the forum.
It’s unlikely that you did anything “wrong” — we all experience bad nights of sleep from time to time. Even the best sleepers in the world will experience a bad night of sleep from time to time.
What can happen is that when we have experienced chronic insomnia in the past, as soon as a bad night occurs (which is normal, and to be expected) we can start to immediately worry that our insomnia has returned.
This worry then kicks our arousal system into high gear and makes it much harder for our sleep to recover — and this is why one bad night can turn into a string of bad nights.
When these bad nights occur, it can be helpful to spend a minute or two to see if there is an identifiable external cause for the sleep disruption (for example, work stress, an argument with your spouse, a life change, etc). This can help you recognize that the sleep disruption was quite normal and to be expected.
If there is no recognizable external cause, then that’s OK, too — sometimes we can have a bad night without any apparent reason or cause. In this case, try not to dwell on the bad night. Don’t start researching sleep and insomnia, or trying to adjust your life or compensate for a bad night. Behave as though the bad night didn’t happen, and it’s far more likely than not that your sleep will get back on track by itself.
I think you will find Episode 7 of the Insomnia Coach podcast very helpful. In that episode, I talk to clinical psychologist Nick Wignall about sleep-related anxiety, how automatic thoughts disrupt sleep, and the pros and cons of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for 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.
It will likely take some time for your body clock to adjust to your new routine — one thing you can do to help your body clock adapt is to commit to the same sleep schedule every single day, including days when you aren’t working (so, no weekend lie-ins!).
When you go to bed at 1:00 AM, are you feeling sleepy enough for sleep? Do you tend to fall asleep quickly? Are you waking during the night, or do you sleep pretty well right through to around 7:00 AM? Are you taking naps during the 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.
I love your attitude, John — and attitude goes a long way when it comes to beating insomnia and getting your sleep back on track!
As you rightly recognize, no medications or supplements are able to generate sleep — the only thing that generates sleep is our own sleep drive. Constant experimentation (or reliance) on medications or supplements for sleep does little to improve sleep for the long term.
Have you tried implementing CBT-I techniques?
—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 Jess. Ativan or Trazodone are unlikely to be the answer, if your goal is to improve your sleep for the long term.
I suspect that you would find it very helpful to implement CBT-I techniques to help get your sleep back on track. When do you currently go to bed at night, when do you get out of bed to start your day in the morning, and roughly how many hours of sleep do 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.
