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Hello Dallascowpokes. Sleep restriction and stimulus control take time to work, and they require ongoing commitment and consistent implementation in order to work. This, along with the fact the techniques are challenging, lead to many people abandoning the techniques prematurely. I admire your persistence — keep this up, and I am sure you will notice improvements in your sleep.
I can’t offer you specific advice since you are not a client, but I can certainly answer your general questions. When observing a regular sleep window, the start of the sleep window is the earliest you should be going to bed. So, if your sleep window starts and you don’t feel tired, then you shouldn’t go to bed — because you aren’t ready for sleep yet.
Going to bed before you are sleepy is akin to sitting at the dinner table at 3pm when you know that dinner isn’t served until 6pm. It’s a pointless endeavor that only leads to more time awake, and more time spent in bed feeling worried, frustrated, and anxious about sleep.
When you are practicing stimulus control and getting out of bed when unable to sleep, you should go back to bed within around half an hour or when you feel tired and ready for sleep. I recommend clients wait around half an hour rather than continuously think about whether they feel ready for sleep because continuous self-monitoring can lead to an increase in sleep-related worry and anxiety.
The key purpose of stimulus control is simply to get you out of bed when you aren’t sleeping so that you can relearn to associate the bed with sleep rather than wakefulness.
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.
Sorry to hear about your struggles with sleep and urticaria, Sarah. Has your sleep specialist mentioned cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as a potential treatment option?
I know you mentioned counseling in your post and that you feel it is unable to flip the sleep switch in your head. CBT-I does take time to work, and the techniques can be challenging to implement — but CBT-I has been found to be helpful even for those who have suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Heres something I wrote about sleep and traumatic brain injury. I hope you might find it helpful:
https://www.healthcentral.com/article/how-and-why-traumatic-brain-injury-harms-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.
Waking during the night is actually quite normal and tends to occur between sleep cycles. These only tend to become a problem if we start to worry about these awakenings because worry activates the arousal system and makes it harder to fall back to sleep. When you wake during the night, why do you think you find it difficult 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.
Sleep compression and sleep restriction techniques will naturally increase the amount of time you spend in bed asleep rather than awake, and — over time — will also lead to fewer awakenings and less time spent awake during the night. I am glad you are experiencing these beneficial effects and that you are finding the relaxation techniques and resources provided in the Insomnia Coach course to be 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.
Sleep studies aren’t typically helpful unless you exhibit symptoms of a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea (symptoms include snoring, waking during the night with a gasp, waking with a dry mouth or headache, not feeling refreshed after a full night of sleep).
From what you’ve described, it sounds as though you are experiencing sleep disruption due to stress and worry — and this is very common. Normally, sleep will recover naturally once the stressful period comes to an end.
There are three key mechanisms that help control and regulate sleep:
1. The sleep/wake cycle,
2. Sleep pressure/sleep drive,
3. The arousal system.Our arousal system (the same system responsible for the ‘fight or flight’ response) can interrupt our natural ability to sleep. This is a survival mechanism designed to delay sleep during times of danger. Unfortunately, when we live with insomnia for long periods of time, the repeated sleep problems become ever-more worrisome and frustrating, and this kicks the arousal system into overdrive. In effect, the longer we have trouble sleeping, the stronger the arousal system and its power over our sleep. So, over time, sleep can often become progressively worse.
Fortunately, the arousal system is outnumbered by the two other mechanisms that help us sleep — the sleep/wake cycle and sleep pressure. In particular, sleep pressure will always lead to sleep when it builds to a high enough level. Unfortunately, as we catch up on sleep, sleep pressure falls and this allows the arousal system to become the dominant sleep mechanism once again, which leads to another period of poor sleep. This probably explains why you tend to go through periods of good sleep, only for the insomnia to return.
Have you looked into a course of CBT for insomnia or discussed this with your doctor? From what you’ve shared, I suspect you will find it to be very 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.
Welcome to the forum. Is your narcolepsy currently under control, or are you still falling asleep without warning during the day?
—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.
Many people with insomnia do underestimate the amount of sleep they get each night. However, this doesn’t mean that sleep restriction or stimulus control is without merit. That’s because these techniques don’t rely on completely accurate estimates of time. Instead, they are intended to help you more closely match the amount of time allotted for sleep and the amount of time spent in bed with the amount of time spent asleep.
To use your example of stimulus control (which involves getting out of bed when unable to sleep), it would be rare for someone to get up needlessly for a couple of reasons. First of all, if the individual is actually asleep, they wouldn’t physically be able to get out of bed. Second, if they are awake and feel that around half an hour has passed, it’s still a good idea to get out of bed in order to strengthen the association between the bed and sleep.
It’s also worth mentioning that the amount of time allotted for sleep should be constantly adjusted based upon an individual’s progress as they go through a course of CBT for insomnia. So, although there may be a slight discrepancy when it comes to how much time someone thinks they are sleeping compared to how much sleep they are actually getting, constant adjustments to the amount of time allotted for sleep over time will still lead to improvements because the way we estimate time tends not to change over time.
It’s usually best to think of the fact that many insomniacs underestimate sleep duration as a way of recognizing that you are probably getting more sleep than you think you are — and this should lead to less sleep-related worry and anxiety.
—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 nighttime awakenings, jb. What do you think stops you from falling back to sleep when you wake after three to five hours of 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.
I’m sorry to hear about the return of your insomnia, Lori. Going for two nights without any sleep is going to make you feel lethargic, tired and run-down.
Do you know what triggered the return of your insomnia? You mentioned that your “chronic insomnia is back” — what did you do to get rid of it before?
—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 sleep issues, Anna. It’s completely normal for stress to make sleep more difficult. Usually, when the stress passes, sleep will recover. Have you taken any steps to reduce the stress that originally triggered your sleep issues? For example, is there anything you can do to reduce the stress you feel about school? Have you tried to repair your relationship with your coach?
—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, Luditte. How often do you experience a poor night of sleep? Have you discussed these symptoms with your doctor?
—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, Lisa. I’m sorry to hear about your sleep issues. What do you think makes it hard for you to fall asleep or 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.
Sorry to hear about the results of your sleep study, Davy. With that being said, you are now able to develop an appropriate plan for addressing your sleep issues — because knowledge is power.
If your sleep disruption is caused by sleep apnea, CPAP can be extremely effective at improving sleep. The key when it comes to CPAP success is to be consistent and not to give up if you find it hard to tolerate, because there are many adjustments that can be made to make the treatment more tolerable (different types of mask, different pressure settings, etc).
I am confident that 2019 will be the year you make huge strides in addressing your sleep issues. Good luck, and keep us updated!
—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 can’t comment on the Paxil, unfortunately. Did you start taking the medication, or discuss your concerns about medication with your doctor? Did he or she offer any alternative suggestions to medication?
—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 the post, Davy. I would have to disagree with your suggestion that sleep restriction should not be recommended for individuals with serious insomnia. Sleep restriction is evidence-based and has been proven to be an effective way to increase sleep efficiency and improve sleep. With that being said, it is only one technique that can be used to address insomnia — other techniques such as stimulus control and practicing relaxation are also helpful.
Sleep restriction might not be recommended for individuals with mania, obstructive sleep apnea, seizure disorder, or those with careers that can make sleepiness dangerous (such as long-distance drivers or heavy machinery operators). For these individuals, medical advice should be sought prior to implementing sleep restriction.
Finally, there is an alternative to sleep restriction that can make reducing the amount of time allotted for sleep a bit more tolerable. Known as sleep compression, it involves gradually reducing the amount of time allotted for sleep over time to more closely match sleep duration.
—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.
