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Thanks for the clarification on how your diary works, Dale. I have to say, that diary is quite overwhelming with all the data points you are collecting and I suspect that this may be leading you to pay more attention to your sleep than is ideal. I would suggest collecting more basic data and only calculating averages each week.
Here’s an abbreviated sleep diary that I think you will find helpful:
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/insomnia-coach/Short+Sleep+Diary.pdf
Anyway, my suggestions would be:
Give yourself a sleep window based on the amount of time you allot for sleep. So, if you are trying to allot six hours for sleep, create a sleep window such as:
- Sleep window begins at 11:00 PM and ends at 5:00 AM
- Sleep window begins at 11:30 PM and ends at 5:30 AM
- Sleep window begins at midnight and ends at 6:00 AM
When you have your sleep window, the start of the sleep window is the absolute earliest time you should go to bed. So, if your sleep window starts but you don’t feel sleepy, don’t go to bed until you do feel sleepy.
However, regardless of when you go to bed and regardless of how well or how poorly you sleep, you should always get out of bed by the end of your sleep window every day.
I wouldn’t suggest lengthening your sleep window until your weekly sleep efficiency is at least 85%. When it is, lengthen the sleep window by 15 minutes and reassess after a week.
I hope this is helpful, Dale!
—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 was great to talk about CBT-I with Daniel — a sleep physician based in Eugene, OR who really gets just how effective CBT-I is and wants to help spread awareness and advocate for better availability. I highly recommend anyone struggling with sleep to follow his YouTube channel.
—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.
Looking at your sleep diary, I don’t think your progress has been negligible — perhaps not as dramatic as you’d like, but I see progress.
For example at the start of your sleep diary, your average weekly sleep efficiency was 49%. Just one month later, your average weekly sleep efficiency was 66%.
Can you clarify what all the 0s, 1s, and 2s represent on your sleep diary? I also have another couple of questions:
- How do you decide when to go to bed?
- How do you decide when to get out of bed in the morning?
- When you wake during the night and can’t fall back to sleep, what do you do?
Don’t give up! You are capable of sleep! I suspect you are putting a bit too much pressure on yourself to make dramatic improvements in a very short period of 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.
Welcome to the forum, BishBosh. I am really sorry to hear about your struggles with sleep. I can tell that insomnia is a very real problem for you.
You mentioned that you went to a CBT-I clinic. Can you tell us a bit more about that? How long was your course of CBT-I? What techniques did you implement, and for how long?
—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 thank you for sharing your positivity! Meditation and other relaxation techniques can be a great way to calm a racing mind and help you prepare you for sleep.
It is worth mentioning that relaxation is a skill and does require practice, so it can take time for those new to relaxation techniques such as meditation to notice any improvement in their stress levels. It’s also worth being reminded that the ultimate goal of relaxation is relaxation — so it’s important to avoid approaching relaxation with the end-goal of better sleep.
Do you have any particular meditation techniques you’d recommend?
—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 sorry to hear about your struggles with insomnia, Deepak. Although alcohol can help us fall asleep, it will typically lead to poorer sleep quality in the form of lighter sleep and more nighttime awakenings. It can also be more difficult to fall back to sleep after waking during the night if you have drunk a relatively high amount of alcohol late at night.
Have you given CBT-I a try, or attempted to implement any CBT-I techniques as a more healthy long-term solution for 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 difficulties with sleep. The good news is that you recognize that the thoughts that run through your head are not constructive and that they can’t harm you — because they are about situations that occurred a long time ago.
When these thoughts crop up, try not to fight them. Instead, recognize them, let your mind process them, and trust that your mind will move on when it is done. I like to think of these crazy thoughts as clouds floating through the sky — simply lie back and observe. Eventually, they will pass. These thoughts only become a problem when we try to fight them or start to think that thoughts can harm us. Thoughts are just thoughts. They cannot harm us!
As you know, sleeping pills do not work and they are certainly not a long-term solution for insomnia. The best treatment for insomnia is CBT for insomnia. Have you talked to your doctor about 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.
Sorry to hear about your insomnia and sleep apnea. Have you talked about your concerns about the sleep meds with your doctor? Have they offered you any kind of alternative?
—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, Mira. What a wonderful part of the world you live in!
The fact that you are able to sleep for ten hours on the weekend is proof that you are capable of sleep, and that your body wants to sleep, and that nothing is wrong with your sleep system. From what you have outlined, it sounds as though your priority should probably be observing a regular and appropriate sleep schedule on every day of the week. This will actually have the effect of improving your weeknight sleep and help you get through the work days.
Try not to put any pressure on yourself to improve your sleep by a certain self-imposed deadline. Doing this only makes sleep more stressful and difficult — and such a goal isn’t really constructive because sleep cannot be controlled in this way.
Sleep restriction might leave you feeling a bit more tired over the short-term, but since it involves allotting roughly the same amount of time for sleep as you actually spend sleeping, it rarely leads to less 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.
This is definitely something I’d be willing to look into if there was enough interest from others.
—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 a great, supportive discussion this is! Thank you to everyone who is contributing.
Sleep anxiety is a common problem that perpetuates insomnia — because as soon as we worry about sleep, we immediately begin to make sleep more difficult.
The good news for you, richiebjjprof, is that your bad nights are in the minority — so as long as you avoid putting pressure on yourself to sleep and don’t try to compensate for a bad night of sleep, these bad nights should remain relatively rare.
—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 struggles with sleep, Kathryn. Have you raised your concerns about the Seroquel with your doctor? Have you looked into CBT for insomnia?
You are absolutely capable of sleep and you do not need sleeping pills 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.
Thank you for your post. Can you share a bit more about your background with us? What is your relationship or experience with 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.
Hello Kay and I am so sorry to hear about your struggles with sleep. You mentioned that you have tried everything, but I didn’t see any mention of CBT for insomnia. Have you given that a try?
—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.
Sounds like a plan, Roy! Who knows, the free sleep training emails may be all you need to get back on track. If not, I’ll be standing by to offer personal assistance.
—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.
