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Yes, we’ve come a long way, Mac. I can’t believe that just a little over 3 weeks ago I was a basket case with anxiety sky high, depression and panic attacks. Now the anxiety feels as though it’s completely gone and I basically go to bed assuming I’m going to fall asleep. Or if I don’t, it’s not big deal because I’ll just get up, read and bit and then I’ll fall asleep. I know that this is coming on the foundation of the last 3 weeks, but also the 2 months of the first go around. We know this works, so we just stick with the program knowing we’ll get better.
Try not worry about the bad night, Mac, and then over time they’ll become less and less. Sometimes there’s nothing we do wrong and still have a bad night. It’s just the nature of the beast. Having said that, it’s probably best to stick with a consistent bed time as much as possible. Our bodies like consistency and get used to certain sleep patterns. Maybe juggling things around stirred up your sleep. Since you really seem to need more sleep maybe just increase your sleep window by 15 minutes, but then really stick with it for at least a week to make sure your body is adjusting to it and you’re sleeping through the night. I know it’s not easy to keep ourselves awake when we’re very tired. I’ve had many a night where it was so hard to get through that last half hour of total exhaustion. Just remind yourself that it’s worth staying awake for another HALF HOUR in order to not spend the next ENTIRE DAY like a zombie.
I’m still doing well but haven’t been able to completely switch over to the 11:30 bedtime. I haven’t been sleepy enough. It’s my own fault though because I’m not good at jumping out of bed when the alarm goes off and have the tendency to stay in bed for 15 minutes or even more. I have to work on that. Also I can blame my husband for being out of town. When he’s gone I tend to get out of my usual routine and do things in the later evening like watch movies that get me too stimulated. So I’ve got to get back into a better routine. Fortunately, I’m still getting the sleep I need, sleeping through the night for the most part.
Edgar – have you tried SR and SC? Maybe ACT worked for you before, but now you may need something different. Check out the post “Support group for people doing SR.” Mac has the same issue as you, of waking up too early. Now he is back on SR and doing much better and sleeping through most of the night.
Alva – I recommend you work with Martin. Unlike the other professionals you’ve seen, he is available all the time. So if you have any questions or struggles, you can email or text him and he will get back to you soon (at the longest – 24 hours.) I agree that with this problem you need ongoing support or it can spiral out of control. That happened to me when I tried to do ACT on my own. There was no support except a video conference once every three weeks or so (for $200). I just got worse over time without the support, so I went back to Martin.
For myself recently, a good night is when I fall asleep right away or within a few minutes and stay asleep the whole night. I sleep through the whole sleep window or most of it and don’t have to get up and do SC. Having said this, I really hope eventually to get to the point of being able to take 10, 20 or 30 minutes to fall asleep and to be confident that I will actually fall asleep eventually even if I’m awake for little awhile (instead of staying awake for hours and having to do SC). But lately, I’m so tired when I go to bed that I fall asleep right away. I want to get to the point where I don’t have to be quite as exhausted, like the way it was before the insomnia. My husband would usually fall asleep in about 5 or 10 minutes and then I would fall asleep 10 to 20 minutes after that.
In comparison to the nights where I was up for hours, these nights are very good. So I’m thankful for the sleep I’m getting, even though I’m not back to normal yet.
Glad you’re doing well. So it seems that your sleeping in of 1/2 hour the other night didn’t hurt your sleep. I find that to be true for myself as well. A little sleeping in now and then doesn’t mess things up.
I’m doing well also this second time around. Last week I only had one bad night, but that was last Sunday, so now I’ve had 7 good nights in a row since then. I’m beginning my fourth week and have added on 1/2 hour, so my window is now from 11:30 to 6:30. Last night I slept a luxurious 7 hours!
Mac – how was your first week? Are you sleeping through the night, in other words, not waking up in the early morning?
My anxiety has gone way down since I started SR and taking an antidepressant three weeks ago. It’s hard to tell whether it’s from the antidepressant or from the fact that I started sleeping so much better at the same time. It usually takes 2 or 3 weeks for antidepressants to kick in. My husband swears it’s the antidepressant that has made me so much calmer, but I swear it’s the sleep. Just in case the antidepressant is contributing, I’m going to continue to take it for a few months until I’m completely over the insomnia.
Anyway, yes, I would recommend taking something for your anxiety. Anything that helps with the anxiety is worth it since the more your anxiety is reduced, the better you will sleep. And the better you sleep, the more your anxiety will go down – a positive upward spiral of improvement. Most people respond positively to anti-depressants, but sometimes it takes trying a few different ones before you get the one that works for you. I took one earlier that had the negative side effect of lousy, shallow sleep, which was the very last thing I needed! So I switched to something else that worked better.
That’s makes sense. Sounds like the meds had the opposite effect on you than they were supposed to.
When I said “I know I’m really stable” I was talking about my sleep stability. Emotionally I’m already at a good place.
Mine started in October too. Also, after surgery. I took an antidepressant years ago during a difficult period, but then wasn’t on anything for years. I started taking the antidepressant only because my anxiety from the insomnia was overwhelming. Once I know I’m really stable, I’ll stop taking it. So I see myself taking this just for 2 or 3 months, hopefully. When I suggested that to you, I was referring to taking something temporarily just to reduce the anxiety and get through this rough period. If your anxiety went down due to the medication, then you might begin to sleep better. Since you have a history of sleeping really well before, I’m sure you’ll get back there.
Hi Steve – good luck with the SR & SC. Sorry your first night was rough. My first two nights were rough too. I had a lot of anxiety also when I started, and was even beginning to get panic attacks. But once I started sleeping better, my anxiety went way down pretty quickly. I also started an antidepressant about the same time which is probably helping. Are you taking anything to help with the anxiety, Steve? Maybe that would take the edge off your anxiety.
Just wondering Steve, how long have you had the insomnia and what was your sleep like before the insomnia?
Glad you’re on the road to recovery, Chirppy. Yes those one or two bad nights a week are very frustrating.
She says, “Do you think any of the following statements is true for you?”
My problem is not the same as others I’ve read about.
The type of person I am means sleep remedies don’t work for me.
Nothing works for me.
<i>I don’t sleep like normal people.</i>
I have a broken sleep mechanism.
My problem is different.
I’m different.
She said this type of thinking kept her from getting well for 15 years.
