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What you say that what you are doing right now is working, Davy? If not, then why not implement techniques that work for over 80% of people with chronic insomnia (CBT-I) and see how you get on? What have you got to lose?
—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 again, Mac! The fact you have noticed that you can have a bad day after a good night of sleep is evidence that the quality of your day isn’t always reliant on the quality of your sleep.
I completely appreciate that you would like to get more than six or six-and-a-half hours of sleep, but if your body is not currently capable of getting that much sleep on a consistent basis, there is nothing you can do to force a longer sleep duration.
What you can do is set the stage for sleep and give yourself the best chance of sleep and create optimal conditions for sleep. Not going to bed before you are sleepy is very important — and for the best results, this needs to be combined with always getting out of bed by the same time every single morning (which it sounds as though you are doing).
It is also very important to note that you should also be following an ‘earliest possible bedtime’. Otherwise, if you go to bed at varying times each night, it is going to be very difficult for you to get the consistent sleep duration you want.
Think of it this way, we can’t really expect consistent sleep if we don’t have consistent wakefulness.
If you regularly wake naturally before the end of your sleep window and regularly find yourself very sleepy before the start of your sleep window, you may want to shift your window forward so it starts slightly earlier in the evening.
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 absolutely do read, exactly as you suspected! Do you consider yourself to have chronic insomnia? If so, I can say again, with 100% confidence, that no credible studies have concluded that chronic insomnia causes immune system problems or any other type of illness.
I am not saying that sleep is not important — because it absolutely is! What I am saying, is that there is no evidence that chronic insomnia causes health problems.
Unfortunately, as I previously mentioned, it is going to be far more challenging for you to get your sleep back on track when you work rotating shifts.
—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 fascinated to follow this discussion and to see how ACT helps each of you over the long-term. Since I am a huge proponent of CBT-I, some of the components being discussed do concern me (such as going to bed before you are sleepy and staying in bed when you aren’t sleeping), but I think that ACT has more in common with CBT-I techniques than differences since it’s primarily about abandoning sleep effort.
Deb, you mentioned that when you were implementing CBT-I techniques you would typically have two bad nights of sleep each week. Since you started practicing ACT, has this changed?
I also want to add that ‘trying’ to keep fear and worries out of your mind is NOT a CBT-I technique. Additionally, I strongly believe that getting out of bed when unable to sleep (rather than staying in bed awake) can actually help reduce fear and worry-related ruminations at night — because when we are in bed awake, resting, and not sleeping, we are far more likely to ‘try’ to sleep and we are far more likely to ruminate and worry compared to when we just get out of bed until we feel sleepy again.
—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 Mac. As requested, I’ll chime in.
First, let me address your opening post. It sounds as though you experienced sleep disruption because you went to bed before you were sleepy and/or before your earliest bedtime (are you observing a sleep window?).
First of all, it’s great to hear that your anxiety has fallen since implementing CBT-I techniques.
You do seem to be very concerned about being unable to sleep for longer than six to six-and-a-half hours. Am I right?
If so, why are you so concerned about this and so determined to get more than six to six-and-a-half hours of sleep? Have you considered that perhaps this is your individual sleep need?
You mentioned that if you get less than six hours of sleep, your day is shot. Let me ask you this — have you ever had a great night of sleep, but had a bad day? Or, does a great night of sleep guarantee you a fantastic day, 100% of the time?
—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.
Good to hear from you again, Rod! How do you determine when you go to bed at night? Do you get out of bed at the same time every single morning? What do you do when you are in bed and unable to fall asleep?
—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 frozensun and I am sorry to hear about your ongoing struggles with sleep.
Let me first reassure you that there is no evidence that chronic insomnia causes health issues such as lung problems, psychosis, brain damage, loss of immunity or a nervous breakdown.
Unfortunately, if you are working shifts it is going to be difficult for you to make the changes necessary to improve your sleep over the long-term. Do your shifts regularly change? Do you alternate between night shifts and day shifts?
Do you remember what kind of CBT techniques you attempted with your therapist?
—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’m really sorry to hear about your current situation with sleep. Can you clarify what you mean by sleep cursus? With the high levels of stress you are experiencing, it’s little surprise that you are struggling with sleep. My gut instinct is that you do still get sleepy — but your levels of arousal and stress are so high that it has become difficult for you to recognize these cues. Are you able to see a medical professional face-to-face where you live?
—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.
How long ago was this? Do such extreme lengths of no sleep happen on a regular basis? I don’t think I have ever heard of someone going for ten days without even a minute of sleep before! I am amazed (and sorry to hear) that all you were offered by your doctor was medication for depression.
—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.
Everyone is different, I really couldn’t give you an average. Also, I would suggest that trying to measure your progress against that of others isn’t always constructive!
—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 so sorry to hear about your struggles with sleep. When do you normally go to bed and get out of bed, and roughly how many hours of sleep do you get on a typical night? Why do you think you find sleep difficult?
Have you tried cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)? As you will see from the success stories page, I have worked with a lot of people with severe insomnia who have lived with sleep issues for decades — and they have successfully improved their sleep for the long-term using 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.
Welcome to the forum @leebc! Unfortunately, most people who have weaned off the sleep meds and are sleeping well don’t stay active in the forum! There are some examples of people who have improved their sleep and weaned off sleeping pills in the case studies section of this website:
https://insomniacoach.com/success/
—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, Doodz. Can you tell us a bit more about your girlfriend’s sleep? When does she normally go to bed, when does she get out of bed, and roughly how many hours of sleep does she get at 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.
Put simply, sleep restriction is implemented for as long as needed – but it is constantly adapted and updated based on progress. So, if you start sleep restriction by observing a sleep window of six hours and you get to the point where you are sleeping for five-and-a-half hours on a consistent basis, you would lengthen your sleep window by 15 minutes. Then, when you are consistently getting more sleep, you extend the sleep window further.
Eventually, you will get to the point where extending the sleep window doesn’t lead to more sleep, and that’s usually when you have determined your ideal sleep window. By this stage, you will find yourself naturally following a regular and appropriate sleep window and probably not even consider yourself to be implementing sleep restriction.
—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, Bloodshot. I am glad you found us — you are no longer alone in the struggle! What techniques have you tried implementing to calm your busy mind and promote 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.
