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Unfortunately, CBT-I is unlikely to work for you because your sleep appears to be disrupted primarily due to shift work. Ultimately the best option is to seek alternative employment that doesn’t involve working night shifts. A very distant second option would be to seek the help of a sleep disorder specialist who may be able to help reduce the havoc that shift work has on the circadian system.
Here are a couple of resources on Shift Work Sleep Disorder (which, unlike insomnia, is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder):
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12146-shift-work-sleep-disorder
http://sleepeducation.org/essentials-in-sleep/shift-work/treatment
—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 lie down on your mattress during the day without the intention of sleep (for example, to read a book) do you still experience the same symptoms (muscle tightness, breathing issues, etc)?
How are you feeling during the day? Do you feel extremely sleepy? Do you ever feel as though you might involuntarily fall asleep (or has this actually happened)?
—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 your kind words about the forum, Edgar!
Sleep restriction works because it makes sure that sleep drive can build and reach a point that sleep becomes inevitable. However, sleep restriction doesn’t work if combined with naps, because naps reduce sleep pressure.
The body makes up for lost sleep itself (in other words, sleep becomes increasingly more likely the longer we go without sleep). Problems only tend to occur when we try to intervene and control sleep.
Usually, the best thing we can do is set the stage for sleep (for example by allotting an appropriate amount of time for sleep and getting out of bed when we can’t sleep) but give up any attempt to control it.
—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 Edgar. I am so sorry to hear about your ongoing struggles with sleep. It is no surprise that you are feeling very depressed and frustrated by these issues you are facing.
Waking during the night is actually not uncommon — so this, in itself, is not unusual. If you wake during the night and find it hard to fall back to sleep, then that is something that can be addressed and tackled.
When you do wake during the night, what do you think is stopping you from falling 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.
Welcome to the forum, Diesel! From what you’ve said, it looks as though you are allotting five-and-a-half hours for sleep at night, but only managing about four hours. Is that right?
If so, where are you ‘losing’ the additional one-and-a-half hours? Are you finding it hard to fall asleep at the start of the night, or do you wake during the night and find it hard 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.
Welcome to the forum, Sheila! @SleepWellAZ123 gave some good advice — when you wake during the night and find it hard to fall back to sleep, it’s usually a good idea to get out of bed until you feel sleepy again. The activity you choose doesn’t have to be boring, though.
It’s also important to make sure that you are allotting an appropriate amount of time for sleep (if you are spending too much time in bed you will spend a lot of time awake in bed), that you are always out of bed by the same time every day, and that you only go to bed when you feel sufficiently sleepy.
I hope this gives you some things to think about — let me know if I can be of any further 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.
Hello Louise. I am so sorry to hear about your husband’s accident. It is no surprise that your sleep has suffered as a result of this trauma and upheaval.
When you wake during the night with a racing mind, what kind of thoughts are putting your mind into overdrive? Are they about sleep, or something else?
According to the FDA (PDF), Phenergan can be useful for “the production of light sleep from which the patient can be easily aroused”. So, it might not be very helpful if your problem is waking during the night (and there is no evidence that antihistamines are an effective treatment for chronic insomnia).
How long have you been experiencing sleep difficulties?
—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 Sailguy. I am sorry to hear that the only ‘solution’ you are being offered is sleep meds.
Sleep rituals aren’t usually helpful because they are another way of putting effort into trying to sleep. As soon as we try to sleep, we make sleep more difficult.
What kind of rituals are you employing?
When you go to bed at 10:00 PM, are you sleepy enough for sleep? If not, it’s usually a good idea to wait until you feel sleepy before going to bed.
You didn’t mention whether you have a regular morning out of bed time. Do you have a set arise time, or do you get out of bed at a different time every day?
On a typical night, how many hours of sleep do you think you get?
—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 am happy to hear you have started counseling to help address your sleep issues. Are you going through a course of CBT-I with your counselor? It sounds as though you would benefit from CBT-I techniques because they help address the thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate insomnia.
I would also add that waking during the night is not unusual — but if you are finding it hard to fall back to sleep, there are techniques you can implement to improve this and help you fall back to sleep when you wake during 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 and I am sorry to read about your struggles with sleep. From what you have described, it sounds as though you have formed a strong association between the bed and wakefulness, worry, and anxiety. This is perhaps unsurprising when we consider all the negative experiences you have gone through when in bed.
So, you can be feeling very sleepy (or wake from sleep) but when you get in bed or realize you are in bed, you become highly alert and anxious because you have learned that the bed is a place where bad things can happen.
The good news is, there are a number of times when you have managed to get your sleep back on track. So, this is evidence that you are capable of sleep and that it’s very unlikely anything is wrong with your biological sleep system.
You mentioned that you have sought medical advice. Was cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) mentioned or suggested at any point?
I think this could be very helpful for you because it helps address the learned association of the bed/bedroom as a place of wakefulness and worry and helps you relearn to associate the bed with relaxation and sleep. It also helps address any behavioral issues that may be making it harder for you to get your sleep back on track.
—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 am so glad to hear that you are ready to improve your sleep without medication. We are all capable of sleep, and so we are all capable of sleeping without medication.
It sounds as though you already have some good ideas on techniques that can help you relax and prepare for sleep.
Can you tell us a bit more about your sleep? When do you normally go to bed, when do you normally get out of bed, and roughly how many hours of sleep are you getting on an average night? Is your biggest challenge falling asleep or falling back to sleep after waking during the night (or both)?
—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 the symptoms you are experiencing.
You mentioned that you have had sleep studies done but they all came back as normal. In that case, how did you get your hands on a CPAP machine?
If the problem only occurs when you wake after 5:00 AM I am wondering if you are experiencing severe sleep inertia. Do you currently follow a regular sleep schedule? Apart from the daytime sleepiness you have described (which can be a symptom of sleep apnea) and the symptoms you experience when awakening after 5:00 AM, how is your sleep otherwise?
—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 am sorry to hear about your struggles with sleep. Are you currently being treated for PTSD and/or your sleep issues?
—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 am sorry to hear about your ongoing struggle with sleep. It sounds as though you would benefit from a few techniques to restore your sleep drive and calm your racing mind. Before I can offer some suggestions, can you tell me a bit more about your sleep at the current time?
When do you currently go to bed, when do you get out of bed to start the day, and roughly how much sleep do 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.
Hello Davy — I am not sure I understand your post, can you clarify?
—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.
