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Welcome to the forum, Jesse. Can you describe a typical night for us? What time do you go to bed, when do you get out of bed, and roughly how many hours of sleep do you get on a typical 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 trouble you have with sleep. Periods of catchup sleep demonstrate that your capability to sleep has not gone away. What is likely happening is your natural urge and propensity to sleep is being negatively affected by your arousal system (also known as the ‘fight or flight’ response).
This is a survival mechanism that helps us delay sleep in times of danger. However, the arousal system is easily triggered. As soon as we ‘try’ to sleep, we activate the arousal system. As soon as we worry about sleep, we activate the arousal system.
Although the arousal system is effective at keeping us awake, sleep pressure eventually wins and forces us to sleep for a few days — exactly as you have described.
Once this sleep pressure has been relieved, the arousal system recovers its ability to suspend sleep. So, you get the familiar cycle of nights of poor sleep followed by nights of good sleep, and on and on.
It sounds as though your arousal system is extremely strong and you have a strong association between sleep (maybe even the bed, too) and wakefulness, worry, and stress. This makes these periods of poor sleep increasingly long as the arousal system becomes stronger while the other systems that control sleep (sleep pressure and the sleep/wake cycle) become weaker.
Did your doctor mention cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)? This treatment option doesn’t require drugs and studies have proved that it is just as effective as sleeping pills over the short-term, and more effective than sleeping pills over the long-term.
CBT-I works because it helps address the thoughts and behaviors that usually interfere with sleep. In particular, it helps weaken the arousal system while strengthening sleep pressure and the sleep/wake cycle. Over time, the bed becomes a strong trigger for sleep rather than wakefulness.
You do NOT have to live with insomnia. Do not give up!
—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.
Being on medication for the long-term must be expensive — particularly since it seems that as soon as you stop taking the meds, insomnia returns.
—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.
For many women, sleep is disrupted during (and after) menopause. A 2015 study found that:
- At premenopause, 28% of women reported moderate/severe poor sleep
- At the final menstrual period, 34% reported moderate/severe poor sleep
However, at late postmenopause (at least three years after the final menstrual period), poor sleep was found to decrease slightly.
Interestingly, the study found that the biggest predictor of sleep problems after menopause was moderate to severe poor sleep before menopause. In other words, menopause itself was not the primary reason for sleep disturbances.
The study also found that hot flashes were not experienced by all the participants who reported poor sleep (anxiety and stress were found to be other factors for poor sleep at menopause).
A 2018 study investigated the effectiveness of the following treatments as a way of improving sleep in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women:
- Escitalopram (Lexapro)
- Exercise
- Yoga
- Omega-3 supplements
- Estrogen
- Venlafaxine (Effexor XR)
- Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)
All the above treatment options (apart from omega-3 supplements) were found to improve sleep symptoms to some degree. Out of all the options evaluated, the study found that cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) was far more effective at treating moderate-to-severe insomnia.
The researchers suggested that if CBT-I is not available, exercise and venlafaxine were the next-best options.
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.
Thanks for sharing, Rowan. Do you do this while standing up, or when lying in bed?
—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.
Have you been diagnosed with RLS, Helaconia?
—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 think you have written what many people feel and what many people here go through. The fact of the matter is, people without insomnia (or people who have never experienced insomnia) don’t know what it’s like to live with long-term sleep issues.
Everyone has heard the word insomnia, but the word is misunderstood, overused, and misused. Insomnia is not simply one bad night of sleep — it’s a long-term issue that can have a very real impact on quality of life. People with insomnia don’t get the support they need (or deserve).
One of the main aims of this forum is to have a place where those living with sleep deprivation can chat with others who know exactly what they’re going through. Thank you for sharing.
—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 Jilly. If you are allotting 5.5 hours for sleep, that suggests that you normally get 5 hours of sleep (or less) each night. Is that the case? If so, why do you think spending more time in bed will lead to more sleep?
I am guessing (but please correct me if I am wrong) that before you restricted your sleep time to 5.5 hours you were spending a lot more time in bed. Did spending more time in bed lead to more 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.
Insomnia can go away, and sleep can improve. The fact of the matter is, sleep is a normal biological process — much like breathing. We can hold our breath for a few moments, but after a while, the body will take over and force us to start breathing again.
In a similar way, our mind (and behaviors) can stop us from sleeping — but, after a while, the body will take over and force us to sleep again. I don’t recommend trying this, but if you actually try to stay awake for seven days straight, you will find it very difficult since the body will eventually force you to sleep.
Insomnia is often caused by the arousal or ‘fight or flight’ system making it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. However, by implementing the right techniques (such as those found in evidence-based cognitive and behavioral treatments for insomnia), we weaken the arousal system and this once again tips the scale in favor of the body’s natural ability to sleep.
I have worked with clients who struggled with insomnia for decades. But, with the right techniques, and with a lot of commitment and dedication, they were able to improve their sleep within a couple of months.
It’s important to emphasize that you never lose the ability to sleep. You can recover the ability to sleep. You do not need to rely on long-term sleeping pill use to get sleep.
Jilly — I would suggest you start a new topic about coping with sleep restriction nights. These should actually be relatively straight-forward to follow since you are allotting a similar amount of time for sleep as you actually spend asleep. Perhaps you are thinking of stimulus control, which involves getting out of bed when you can’t 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.
Welcome to the forum, Loneal. Your experience is quite common among those with sleep issues. When you wake during the night, why do you think you struggle 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.
Congratulations on getting off the Ambien, Gary. Waking during the night is actually quite normal — and is common even among healthy sleepers. The difference is that healthy sleepers don’t pay much attention to these awakenings so they fall back to sleep quickly and rarely even remember waking during the night. By accepting your nighttime awakenings, you are helping to reduce the disruption caused by these awakenings. Keep up the great attitude!
—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 Christian. Have you tried (or has your psychiatrist mentioned) cognitive behavioral therapy 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.
Thank you for sharing your experience and positivity, elcid. I am sure a lot of people here will find it 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.
Have you undergone a sleep study and been told you are experiencing alpha intrusion? Were you given any recommendations or suggestions?
—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.
Relaxation techniques can definitely help if you get enough practice in (relaxation is a skill that takes time to master). Anxiety and worry are very common disruptors of sleep — even after the initial problem that created the anxiety and worry passes. That’s because we begin to pay more attention to sleep than ever before — and, as soon as we pay too much attention to sleep, we make it harder to sleep. This then creates a negative spiral of increasing worry about sleep and worse sleep.
Techniques such as stimulus control and sleep restriction can be helpful but they are very challenging to implement. That’s why having the support of a therapist or coach as you implement the techniques can be invaluable.
—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.
