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Without a sleep study, it’s impossible to know why you wake up within a short time of falling asleep. Do you snore during the night? Do you still wake within a short period of time when you are away from home?
If you need some extra help getting back on track with CBT-I, feel free to look into my insomnia coaching course or reach out to me directly. Since CBT-I techniques have worked for you in the past, I suspect that getting back into the process (and having someone to offer additional guidance and support on an individual basis) would be beneficial.
—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’re most welcome, Roy — good to hear back from you!
Do you find the sleep tracker to be helpful? What benefit does it offer you? For many people with insomnia, consumer sleep tracking devices can fuel sleep-related worry and anxiety — and this is particularly troublesome since their accuracy can sometimes be questionable.
I completely understand how being in a different environment interrupted the progress you had made when you tried CBT-I. Why were you unable to get back into the routine when you got home — and why do you feel you have been struggling to get 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.
Hello Roy and welcome to the forum!
If you didn’t use your watch to track your sleep, would you have known that you spend long periods awake during the night?
You mentioned that you tried CBT and this led to improvement — what happened next? Did you stop? If so, why?
—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.
That must be very frustrating for you. What do you think stops you from falling back to sleep once you wake at or before 4:00 AM?
—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 would suggest that you try to recognize your sleep will always be disrupted by stress and stressful events and that it will have the opportunity to recover once these stressors pass.
It’s important to try to avoid compensatory behaviors that can actually make the sleep problem worse. So, try to avoid daytime naps, only go to bed when you feel drowsy and ready for sleep, and always get out of bed by the same time every day.
There’s plenty more advice in the ‘Resources’ section of this website. Good luck, and 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 John and I’m sorry to hear about your issues with sleep. It sounds as though you are experiencing hyperarousal — this is when your arousal system (also known as the fight or flight system) is highly sensitive and easily activated. Since the arousal system is able to suspend sleep, this explains why you often go without sleep for long periods of time — but you always sleep in the end because, eventually, the biological drive to sleep is able to overpower the arousal system.
Have you sought medical advice for your sleep problems? Have you looked into CBT for insomnia (CBT-I)? CBT-I helps reduce the power of the arousal system while strengthening the biological mechanisms that promote sleep (sleep drive/sleep pressure and the internal sleep/wake cycle). From what you’ve shared so far, it sounds as though you may find it helpful.
—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 suspect that your looks are being affected by your sleep far less than you think they are. Sleep deprivation affects how we feel about things, and can lead to more negative thinking. If you don’t believe your wife’s responses are genuine, have you asked friends or co-workers? I suspect they will be surprised by the question and will be very unlikely to say they have noticed much of a change in how you look.
What steps are you taking to improve your sleep? Sleeping pills don’t work (as you have experienced for yourself) — have you looked into something more effective such as CBT for 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.
Warm baths can definitely be helpful — and if they are working for you, that’s great!
Warm baths can be helpful in two ways; first, the rise and subsequent drop in body temperature following a bath can help promote sleep. Secondly, the amount of time spent in the bath gives you time to unwind from the day. This promotes relaxation and can help you sleep, too.
—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.
There can be no doubt that getting through the day after getting absolutely no sleep is tough. Unsurprisingly, in your case, you find that sleep drive becomes so strong that you will usually sleep fine the next night and then have a better day.
Although I can’t make those days following zero sleep any better, have you tried reframing your thoughts during the day so you dwell less on how hard it is to get through your work and instead think more about how likely it is you will sleep that night?
In addition, what steps are you taking to make those nights of no sleep less common?
—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.
One thing I will add to this discussion is that it’s rarely a good idea to try another program, seek advice from another therapist or coach, engage in another course, or even do excessive amounts of sleep research if you are already engaged in a CBT-I program or coaching course.
That’s because everyone who practices CBT-I techniques has their own implementation philosophy, makes slight tweaks to the techniques, and implements different components at different times.
So, if you follow advice from different books, courses, programs, etc, all at the same time, you can end up with seemingly conflicting information and this can increase the likelihood that you will stop implementing certain techniques that will work if given enough time and commitment. It can also plant seeds of doubt, leading to wavering commitment, further reducing the effectiveness of the overall techniques.
In effect, the myriad techniques and advice become overwhelming and risk moving you back to square one as you try too many techniques at once, and become confused about what you should be doing, and when.
In my course, I cover relaxation/mindfulness/acceptance in detail in Session 4. I leave it relatively late in the course because relaxation and acceptance is a skill that requires practice — and implementing sleep restriction and stimulus control (in my opinion) tends to lead to faster improvements in sleep efficiency and helps begin the process of relearning to associate the bed with 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.
Apart from your sleep schedule, I don’t see anything there that should be of concern. What I will say is take data provided by any consumer sleep tracking device with a grain of salt since they can only guess which stage of sleep you are in because they do not measure brainwave activity.
—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 it’s something you are concerned about, you should mention it to your GP.
—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 ultimately helps you get more sleep more by ensuring that you spend more time in your bed asleep rather than awake.
Over time, this retrains your mind to associate the bed with sleep rather than wakefulness. As your sleep improves, you gradually increase the amount of time you allot for sleep so you can get more sleep.
You can read more about sleep restriction here — please let me know if you have any more questions!
—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 Susanne. You mention that your insomnia has been getting worse lately. Has anything happened lately to coincide with the worsening of your sleep symptoms?
You’re probably aware of this, but for anyone else reading it’s important to note that there is a difference between feeling physically tired/fatigued and being sleepy — so make sure that when you go to bed you are sleepy (itchy eyes, struggling to keep eyes open, yawning) rather than just fatigued (feeling generally worn out).
—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.
Most members here are living with insomnia rather than other sleep disorders such as restless legs syndrome or periodic limb movement disorder. Have you discussed these concerns with your doctor? It may be helpful to get an overnight sleep study.
—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.
