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@Ebony – it sounds like you’re getting some sleep, albeit fragmented and not the desired amount to feel refreshed the next day. In short, a sleep restricted window is a consistent sleep schedule based on your bedtime and awakening each day, which is important for building a strong sleep drive. You can read more details about sleep restriction and other evidence-based techniques here: https://insomniacoach.com/sleep-restriction-therapy/
Since one of the goals with the sleep restricted window is to build sleep drive, it’s helpful to avoid daytime naps since they reduce sleep drive.
Hang in there – I think you’re on the right track!
Scott
—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.
A lot of times, insomnia sufferers try to compensate for a poor night’s sleep by going to be earlier instead of when they’re sleepy. When we make efforts to sleep, it tends to make the issue worse because our arousal system goes into overdrive. Sleep occurs when your sleep drive is stronger than your anxiety. Have you tried experimenting with a restricted sleep window to help build a strong sleep drive each night? Are you getting out of bed shortly after awakening consistently each day?
Scott
—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 @Liam!
There are three reasons (3 P’s) why insomnia is caused:
– Predisposing factors;
– Precipitating factors;
– Perpetuating factorsBased on your story, it appears that precipitating factors such as stressful life events that cause an occasional restless night has advanced to a perpetuating issue for you. Typically, once the stressful event (new job, new baby, moved to a new city, etc) has passed, sleep usually returns to normal. For some people though, one night of poor sleep can result in that person trying to compensate the next day by modifying their day/night (going to be earlier, worrying about another poor night, taking a nap, etc). When we change our behaviors in an attempt to improve our sleep, it makes the issue worse. Since sleep doesn’t respond to our attempts, it’s usually another night of restless sleep which heightens our arousal system the following day. Does that sound familiar?
As you mentioned, worrying about sleep usually makes sleep more difficult – which leads to more worry about sleep! One way to break the anxious cycle is to improve the quality of your day by keeping social events, eliminating daytime naps and exercising because the better you make your days, the less anxious you are about sleep.
Hope that gives you some insight!
Scott—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.
Hey @Juliana!
Welcome to the forum. Meditation and deep breathing are wonderful tools to relax our mind. A common behavior for those who experience poor sleep is to conduct these breathing activities around bedtime with the intent of generating sleep. Our attempts to force sleep often makes the situation worse since sleep doesn’t respond positively to our attempts. Building a strong sleep drive during the day – consistently getting out of bed at the same time each morning, not taking any naps, continue participating in life events and only going to bed when you’re sleepy – is vital in overcoming insomnia. Since you’re looking for natural solutions, have you experimented with cognitive and behavioral therapy for insomnia yet?
Scott
—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 Humayun Shah – that’s oustanding! Thanks for sharing your success story and much luck as you continue your coaching experience with Martin.
Scott
—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 @kobalap – what a wonderful story! It sounds like you’ve got a great understanding of these evidence-based techniques and they’ve worked well for you over the years.
Scott
—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.
@Mani – welcome to the forum and thanks for posting.
The concerns you outline are certainly factors that increase our arousal system and potentially trigger disruption in our sleep. When we experience a restless night, we usually change our behaviors (go to bed earlier, take a nap, cancel social events, etc) to compensate for poor sleep and that perpetuates the issue. How we react to sleep disruption determines if we continue to have sleepless nights or have sound sleep. To counter our arousal system, it’s important to build a strong sleep drive during the day by continuing to do the things you enjoy, only going to bed when you’re sleepy, get out of bed in the morning at the same time each day, etc.
Have you began Martin’s free sleep training yet? The training explains reasons why people experience insomnia and how to implement evidence-based techniques to overcome it.
Hope that helps!
Scott—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, Kostas!
The worry you describe during the day is normal since insomnia is considered a “24-hour issue”. Those with chronic insomnia tend to have anxiety about work performance, ability to sleep the next night, attending social events and so on after a restless night. Are you noticing that you experience these sleep disruptions throughout the year when a stressful event in your life occurs?
Sleep responds negatively when we make attempts to improve it but creates additional worry and perpetuates the issue. Cognitive and behavioral therapy for insomnia is a collection of techniques that is used to overcome negative sleep related thoughts and behaviors. For a more detailed look into these evidence-based techniques, please explore this article: https://insomniacoach.com/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-insomnia/
Thanks,
Scott—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 @Jonas!
Welcome to the forum! Can you explain what refular refers to?
Scott
—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 @Ebony!
Welcome to the forum! Oftentimes, those who’ve struggled with insomnia will try to compensate for a poor night’s sleep by going to bed early. This thought is understandable but we could be doing more harm than good if our sleep drive isn’t strong. Are you going to bed only when you’re sleepy at night or because it’s a specific time?
When you return from the restroom and aren’t able to fall asleep within 30 mins or so, are you getting out of bed and doing something pleasurable such as reading a book, listening to a podcast, etc?
Scott
—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, @Cesare!
It’s completely normal to experience a poor night’s sleep when you begin new life events, such as starting a new private activity. Stress, a new career, moving to a new city, a new baby, etc activates our arousal system and can cause sleep disruption but as soon as the trigger passes, normal sleep patterns return. However, some people experience continued sleep problems because they attempt to fix a poor night’s sleep and that perpetuates the issue. Any attempts to make sleep occur instead of allowing it to naturally occur often makes the sleep issue worse.
Have you had a chance to read Martin’s article about cognitive and behavioral therapy for insomnia located here: https://insomniacoach.com/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-insomnia/ In the article, Martin explains how insomnia can occur and some of the evidence-based techniques to address the problem.
Hope that helps!
Scott—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! Specifically, what aspect of sleep are you having difficulty – anxiety towards sleep, waking up in the middle of the night and being able to return to sleep, had a major life event occur that’s caused some sleep disruption, etc.?
More than likely, someone on the forum has experienced similar issues and may be able to offer some suggestions.
Scott
—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.
Jay – It’s important for you to realize that your sleep can return to normal and that’s something you’ve already proven to yourself in those 16 days! You’ve been able to get on with your life, continue working out, eliminating sleep meds and so on – that’s incredible and something you should be proud of! It’s normal for everyone to experience an occasional night of sleep disruption but when we try to fix it the next night, it usually leads to heightened anxiety at bedtime. Although I’ve restored my sleep using the same techniques as you, I still have an occasional night of poor sleep, but I follow those evidence-based tools to ensure my beliefs about insomnia doesn’t cause a relapse.
You bring up some great questions. Like you, I had some difficult nights staying awake while implementing sleep restriction so I ensured I had pleasant but not arousing activities ready, such as reading a book, coloring (yes, with crayons! ? ), a series queued up in Netflix, etc. If your sleep drive is greater than your arousal, you should sleep well that night.
Daytime napping reduces your sleep drive, which is vital for a restful night. Are there other fun activities that you could participate in during the day to avoid the desire to nap?
Hope that helps!
Scott
—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 Sally – welcome to the forum! You mentioned that your sleep worsened in December, so has there been an external circumstance in your life such as, retirement, new job, moved to a new city, etc that you feel led to a change in your sleep quality that month? Sleep hygiene practices are necessary for quality sleep to occur but are rarely sufficient. What time are you going to bed at night and when are you getting out of bed to start your day? How many hours of sleep would you say you get on an average night?
As Chee eluded to, cognitive and behavioral therapy for insomnia can be very beneficial to those who are seeking improved sleep.
Scott
—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.
Great information, Mandy, and it’s wonderful to hear another success story! As you pointed out, attempting to sleep before you’re sleepy or while you’re aroused usually has poor results. Creating a buffer zone of relaxation an hour or so prior to your bedtime is essential in calming an active mind. It sounds like you understand the importance of not performing arousing activities too close to bedtime, which is key during your buffer zone. Thanks for sharing your successful insights!
Scott
—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.
