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I’m sorry to hear about your struggles with sleep. It’s little surprise that your cortisol levels are high when sleep has become such a stressor for you. As you rightly point out, sleeping pills are not a solution.
You mentioned that you found CBT — and sleep restriction, as a component of CBT-I — worthless. It is very unusual to hear someone who has been through a course of CBT-I say this. Can you tell us a bit more about your experience with CBT-I?
Did you go through a structured course or work with a CBT-I therapist? How long did you implement the techniques for? Apart from sleep restriction, what other CBT-I techniques did you try?
Davy — If you paste the content from Google Translate into a plain-text editor then copy it again before attempting to paste it into the forum, you will remove all the styling information and its associated code and your post will show up as intended.
—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.
Sleep restriction doesn’t usually lead to less sleep — so the technique itself rarely leads to extreme fatigue (when implemented correctly, sleep restriction always gives you at least as much time in bed as you usually spend asleep).
When combined with stimulus control, it can take a few weeks for sleep to noticeably improve — although many people enjoy improvements sooner.
—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.
You tracked me down!
—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 Kim, and I am sorry to hear about your struggles with insomnia. It’s likely that the best thing you can do is implement CBT-I techniques to prevent your current sleep issues from becoming a long-term, entrenched problem.
Can you tell us a bit more about your current sleep pattern? When do you go to bed, when do you get out of bed, and how many hours of sleep are you getting? Do you tend to find it more difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep, 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.
Here’s a few for you to get started with, Nao:
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.
If you are averaging between five and five-and-a-half hours of sleep, but you are going to be spending eight hours in bed, what do you think is going to happen?
I suspect you’re simply going to be awake for between two-and-a-half and three hours. I wonder why you are being told to spend eight hours in bed when it is significantly longer than your current average nightly sleep duration/capability.
In addition, going to bed at a certain time of night — instead of when you are sleepy and ready for sleep — can also lead to more time awake and further perpetuate insomnia.
I am very surprised you are receiving these recommendations, but I defer to the licensed professional and I wish you all the very best. I truly want to see you get better, and I hope you keep us updated with your progress.
—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 committed and dedicated, you can implement CBT-I techniques yourself using resources such as those you can find on this website (under the ‘Resources’ tab in the navigation menu) or through my free insomnia sleep training course. Alternatively, there are some good books out there that help guide you through CBT-I techniques.
You can also look into working one-on-one with sleep coaches who use CBT-I techniques (such as myself). My online insomnia coaching course is available for $69 per week. Alternatively, I offer a phone coaching package for $299.
—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 Bob. Welcome to the forum and I am sorry to hear about your struggles with sleep. You know, sleep is often disrupted by stressful events or unusual periods in our life — so it’s little surprise that your sleep went off the rails when your daughter was ill.
Unfortunately, instead of our sleep bouncing back once the initial trigger is no longer an issue, sometimes sleep becomes more challenging over time. Often, this is because we start to worry about sleep, try to control sleep, and implement behaviors and strategies in a bid to improve our sleep (or compensate for lost sleep) that actually makes sleep worse.
Before we know it, we have entered the rabbit hole of ever-worse sleep and ever-increasing worry and frustration about sleep.
I would suggest that you don’t try sleeping in different places around the house. Sleep only in your bed — and, if you are in bed but can’t sleep, get out of bed and try doing something else until you do feel sleepy. Then, repeat the process. This will help you “relearn” to associate your bed with sleep.
Sleeping in random places and at random times of the day isn’t going to help you improve your sleep over the long-term, unfortunately. Have you looked into CBT for insomnia by any chance?
—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.
Did your therapist tell you why she suggested you allot so much time for sleep, Ozi?
—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 sounds as though you are on the right track, NeuroShock — keep up the effort!
—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.
Deb really did give you the short and sweet answer — there’s not much I can add!
Acupuncture or hypnosis may help with sleep, but the amount of evidence supporting these techniques as effective long-term treatments for insomnia is minuscule compared to the gold standard — 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.
Isn’t it amazing that before sleep restriction you were desperately trying to sleep, now you are desperately trying to stay awake?!
If you wake within half-an-hour of your ‘out of bed time’, then it’s usually best to simply get out of bed at that point. This way, you will be continuing to strengthen the association between the bed and sleep rather than wakefulness.
—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, everything you’ve shared proves that you are still capable of sleep — but you are not giving yourself the opportunity to sleep at night.
You slept for six hours during the day, waking up at 6 PM, so it was never going to be easy to fall asleep again just five hours later. You were awake for less time than you spent asleep, so sleep was going to be almost impossible at 11 PM because you were not sleepy enough for sleep.
The best thing you can do at this point is probably to avoid sleeping during the day and sleep only at night. Only go to bed at night when you feel sleepy, and make sure you get out of bed at the same time each day. Within a few days, it is very likely that your sleep will recover.
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, and I’m sorry to hear about your difficulties with sleep and anxiety over the past few years.
It’s important not to try blocking negative or worrying thoughts — because as soon as you try to do this, you actually make them more likely and more powerful.
That’s because as soon as we try to tell ourselves not to think something, we begin to self-monitor our thoughts. In effect, we repeatedly check to see if we are thinking about the very thing we don’t want to be thinking about! This is not only mentally tiring, but it also keeps us alert and it makes it harder to sleep.
You may find it easier to simply accept these thoughts and worries for what they are — thoughts and worries. Thoughts and worries can’t hurt us. As long as we recognize them and accept we are going to experience them, they will hold far less power and they will pass from your mind much faster.
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’m sorry to hear about your struggles with sleep. You are not alone. Many people here can relate to what you are going through.
If those 10 over-the-counter meds aren’t working, why do you take them? Have you talked to your doctor about a long-term solution for insomnia that doesn’t rely on medication?
CBT for insomnia (CBT-I) has been proven time and time again to be the best long-term solution for insomnia and it is recommended as the first-line treatment for insomnia by professional organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and the British Association for Psychopharmacology.
—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.
