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Hi @Sarah842
Welcome to the forum! When we begin associating our bed with restlessness and poor sleep, it can perpetuate the issue and cause us to become highly aroused as bedtime approaches. When you’re unable to go to bed and fall asleep, do you continue to lie there frustrated or do you get out of bed to do something more enjoyable? Since we can train our bed to associate our bed with poor sleep, we can also untrain it by removing yourself from what’s causing the anxiety (bed) and doing something more relaxing (watch tv, listen to a podcast, etc) and only returning to bed when you’re sleepy.
What time is your current sleep restricted window? Are you going to bed and getting out of bed in the morning to start your day consistently every day? A goal of implementing a sleep restriction window is to build a strong sleep drive that has an ability to override your arousal system at night so it’s important to commit to a consistent schedule, even on the weekend.
Scott J
—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.
Christine,
You make some very relatable and valid points above but even as you said, “it’s more of a marathon, not a sprint”. On the same token, I like to compare beginning these evidence-based techniques to starting a new exercise regimen. At first, you might find it difficult to remain committed to the program, you’re tired and may even start wondering if you’ll ever see results. You could even experience short term regression but if you remain committed and consistent to the program, you’ll begin to see real results.
Hang in there, you’re on the right track and if you have questions along the way, certainly let us know!
Scott J
—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.
Hi @Seah0130!
Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your newborn! Having a baby is such an exciting time but it shouldn’t come as any surprise that it’s not uncommon to experience some sleep disruption. Generally, when the baby develops a consistent sleep routine, our sleep is restored to a more normal schedule also. When our thoughts toward sleep change and we begin to implement new behaviors to improve our sleep though, our sleep might not recover as it should.
If you can address those thoughts and behaviors that make sleep more difficult then there’s absolutely no reason to believe you can’t restore your sleep as it was before parenthood! I encourage you to review the resources on this site that outline how these evidence-based techniques can improve your sleep.
Scott J
—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.
Hi – welcome to our forum!
Did you and your specialist determine your new sleep window through discussion or did she set it based on the information you provided to her? I wouldn’t want to circumvent your specialists advice so I’d encourage you to continue having those discussions with her if you feel your sleep window and time in bed needs to be altered. Typically, TIB (time in bed) is calculated from reviewing the person’s sleep journal and taking the average number of hours of sleep and adding 30 minutes to the average, but the total time in bed should not be less than 5.5 hours. Your sleep restricted window is determined by that calculation and, generally, when you want/need to start your morning. For example – if my TIB is 7 hours and I need to be out of bed at 6am to start my day, then my sleep window should start at 11pm.
It sounds like your sleep dramatically improved the second night of your new sleep window so how has it been since then? You mentioned having anxiety the first night – was that due to being nervous about your new sleep window or something else – can you expand on why the increased arousal that night?
Hope that helps,
Scott J—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.
@buckeyemama – since you achieve 5-6 hours of sleep a night, how are you feeling the next day? As we age, our body doesn’t have the same sleep requirements as we had when we were younger and the best gauge for how much sleep you really need depends on how you feel the following day.
Now that you’ve found this website and forum focused on these evidence-based techniques, do you think it’d be beneficial for you to reconsider experimenting with them to restore your sleep? I’m sure you’ve seen as you’ve explored this site, Martin has some in-depth explanations and resources that you might find helpful. If you have questions, we’re certainly here to provide that support for you.
It sounds like you’ve created some relaxing activities that you enjoy before bedtime – that’s great! I’d encourage you to continue those activities but be mindful of not doing them in an attempt to generate sleep. Oftentimes, people who experience insomnia will create a specific bedtime routine and while that’s great to have some down time as bedtime approaches, sometimes it can spotlight your sleep issue and cause some anxiety as you go to bed. Sleep is one of those rare things where the harder we try to improve it, the harder sleep becomes.
Scott J
—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.
Hi @Rowell!
Welcome to the forum! Can you tell us more about your sleep issues and let’s see if we can troubleshoot it for you?
Scott J
—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.
Hi @martinlest!
Welcome to the forum and for sharing your story. In your second post, you mentioned that your sleep window began at 11:30pm, but what time did that window end? Keep in mind that the beginning of your sleep window is simply the earliest time for you to go to bed. If you’re not sleepy at the start of your sleep restriction window, I’d encourage you to continue engaging in relaxing activities instead of trying to force sleep. The harder we try and more effort we put into sleep, the more difficult sleep is to obtain. When you were implementing a sleep window, what type of activities were you doing when you’d get out of bed? Are they activities that was intended to generate sleep or were they enjoyable activities like watching tv, reading a book, journaling, etc?
If you can shed some additional details on the roadblocks you experienced with implementing some of the techniques the consultant provided, maybe we could troubleshoot it for you.
Scott J
—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.
@Frima – that’s great news! It’s always refreshing to hear someone’s success story!
Scott J
—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.
Hi @buckeyemama!
Welcome to the forum! Did you experience any roadblocks while you were implementing CBT-I that caused you not to continue experimenting with it? Some people will stop using these evidence-based techniques if they don’t begin to see results rather quickly but I compare it to beginning an exercise routine. If you don’t see immediate results some people begin to wonder if what they’re doing is really beneficial but patience and commitment are key to success. As the cliché goes, “short term pain for long term gain”!
Unfortunately, meds (and wine) can’t generate sleep so I’m not surprised you’re not having a lot of success with those options. Since you mentioned having some anxiety towards sleep, can you describe your activities within an hour or so of going to bed? One strategy in easing an anxious mind is to create a buffer zone 1-2 hours before bedtime. Relaxing activities during this time may include watching tv, listening to a podcast, journaling, reading a book, etc. They aren’t designed to create sleep, but are intended to relax and quiet an active mind.
What time are you going to bed, getting out of bed to start your day and how many hours of sleep do you get, on an average night?
Scott J
—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 don’t think you’re alone, @ladybird. The pandemic has certainly affected our lifestyles, how we interact with others, conduct business and has disrupted the sleep of some, among other things. What time do you go to bed at night? Do you go to bed at the same time every night or only when you’re sleepy? Do you get out of bed and do something enjoyable when you wake in the night or continue to lie in bed feeling anxious?
Scott J
—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’s great, REM! Creating and being committed to a sleep window every day, like you’re doing, is a critical component of these evidence-based techniques.
As you pointed out, worrying about life events disrupting your sleep usually makes sleep more difficult but what if you implemented the advice from Barry’s DARE method into your daily routines also? Do you think that would be beneficial? One of the turning points for me during my insomnia was my attitude towards my thoughts and how I perceived they’d impact my sleep. Although I hadn’t read the book at the time, instead of being consumed by my thoughts and allowing them to determine my actions during the course of the day, I took the approach of, “so what, it’s going to be fine”. The better you make your day, the less pressure you put on yourself to sleep so I’d encourage you to go about your day as planned regardless how you slept the night before.
Scott J
—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.
Alexander,
It sounds like your actions are really moving the needle in the right direction!
Scott J
—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.
Outstanding, Melissa, it sounds like your own actions have been beneficial for your sleep. It appears as though you have a great understanding of those evidence-based techniques too!
Scott J
—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.
Hi REM,
Welcome to the forum!
Like yourself, I found sleep restriction difficult when I was experiencing insomnia, but remaining consistent and persistent is absolutely the key to success with these evidence-based techniques. It can take time for a new sleep window to lead to noticeable improvements in your sleep and, in the short-term, sleep can even worsen. Your commitment to the evidence-based techniques could determine how soon you begin to see positive results in your sleep but everyone adapts and sees results differently so try to be patient. When you began sleeping for at least 6 hours consistently, that should be proof that you haven’t lost the ability to sleep and implementing those techniques are beneficial. I like to compare starting this type of sleep program to starting an exercise regimen – at first, you may find it difficult to remain committed, you’re tired, body is sore, you’re not sure what you’re doing has any benefits, etc. but if you continue to be steadfast with your instructions, you’ll begin to see positive results.
Hope that helps,
Scott J—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.
Hi Cat lady,
Welcome to the forum! Stressful life events can certainly impact the quality of our sleep but it’s usually a short-term affect until the trigger passes. How long have you been experiencing these awakenings and worry during the night? Instead of tossing and turning in bed unable to fall back to sleep, have you tried getting out of bed and doing something enjoyable? You mentioned that your bed is comfortable and you’d prefer to remain in bed, but our mind can begin to associate the bed with disrupted sleep if continue to lie in bed frustrated.
Scott J
—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.
