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Hi Jess, I’m so happy to hear of your progress. It really reinforces my belief that it’s all about finding ways to strengthen the sleep drive. I will definitely think of implementing a shorter sleep window.
I had a minor sugery yesterday that required anesthetic. I wasn’t sure how my body would react to it, but when they give it to me- I was completely knocked out. And afterwards when I went home, I had a short sleeping session. Made me think of all those times when you’re desperate for relief, and anesthesia was a hospital away, haha.
Anyway, as I’m recovering, I’m on bed rest for a short while, so tons of naps that I cannot control. But when things return to norm I will give your suggestion a try.
I don’t use melatonin, but I have been using ashwagsnda for a while, which helps to calm the body. It’s good to be off of here so as to not think of sleep, but from time to time I will aim to return and share positive updates.
Cheers
So good to hear from you. I only come on here to check messages from you, as to be honest, you are the only person that understands what I’m experiencing.
Your counselor is right, in that you have to take baby steps in changing your mindset on sleep. It isn’t easy, but I feel it is a key component in healing on a mental level.
See, the issue is complex as it has a mental and physical component and both has to be addressed. On a physical level, like you- I’ve followed the sleep hygiene rules to where I can recite it with my eyes closed. While I no longer follow a strict schedule, I have a general sleep window that I try to adhere to. So I feel the cardiac rhythm is not hard to fix. The hardest element is rectifying the sleep drive. It’s super important, and i feel that once insomnia becomes chronic it’s challenging to tackle. As I feel like the sleep drive becomes weaker and weaker in time. But I assure you I will solve it! I’m determined to do so, and be my own healer.
Are you still taking the melatonin, valerian and chamomile? Have the helped a bit at least?
I went on a short trip with my family, and the motion of the car made me doze which I feel also helped my sleep the next night. But ofcourse I cannot be traveling in cars every day. There is a solution to what we are experiencing. So don’t lose hope!
Happy to see you’re off the forum as it means you must have improved. But can you not shared what helped you?
So did you transcend into another realm? In the previous communication, I meant to say Ambien. Was wondering how you were faring.
~S
Hi, It’s been a while since I’ve visited this site. I tried to log on 2 times in the New Year, but there was an issue with my account and I eventually grew frustrated and didn’t bother to do the whole password reset thing.
Anyway, hope your new year is off to a great start. I was surprised to see that you had turned to Ambien. Are you still using it? Did it help?
I have no new updates to share, which is a bit frustrating. I try not to think of sleep too much, if I can help it. But from time to time, I do give some thought as to what else I could do or try that I haven’t done a thousand times over.
Also amenable to chatting and trying to troubleshoot this together, if you ever felt like it could help. I know you’re seeing a counselor now, so this new person you’re seeing may help you to do just that. So it’s just an additional option, if it could be of value. I would so like to break this stupid cycle- just as much as I know you do.
Forgive the gap, but these have been really rough days on all fronts. Someone from my team was fired and all his work was transferred to me, which doesn’t help stress levels. So I’ve been pulling a lot of late hours.
Thanks for the info on the book. I’ll ensure to look it up. I’ve never heard and insights into our specific problem, so this should be interesting. I’m doing a bit better with getting up at a certain time each morning. Though most times, like this morning I find myself dozing on the couch after climbing out of bed. But I only dozed for like an hour, so didn’t feel terribly guilty. I’m hoping that the pattern and routine will have a positive impact.
Outside of using a sleep window, I honestly haven’t been trying any other techniques. It’s super cold now like I mentioned, so very little incentive to be outdoors. But I still run errands from time to time, and also do some light stretching in the mornings. Also try to stay on my feet as much as possible during the day so a bit less sedentary.
H Jess, I well understand your frustration and desire to engage a counselor for that additional support. It’s challenging to stick to a sleep schedule when you’re not getting sleep. At some point, the body is so weak and fatigued that you just do what you can to get a bit of relief.
I’m personally at the point where I refuse to spend a single dime on someone that’s going to make me fill out a sleep dairy, and give me tips for stimulus control and a sleep window. About 2 months ago, I saw this one sleep psychologist (Jack Edinger) in Colorado; recognized as one of the best in the sleep field; wrote tons of books and conducted a lot of research on sleep. I said to myself that if he’s unable to help me, then I’ll stop looking outside of myself for any support.
I no longer use a strict sleep window, as normal sleepers do not do that. This said, I do restrict my time in bed- say to 5.5-6.5 hours, and try to get up no later than a set time +/- 1 hour. I think this is sufficient for training my cardiac rhythm. However, all this sleep restriction has done absolutely nothing for building my sleep drive. So while the cardiac rhythm part is a no-brainer, the bit that’s most challenging is strengthening the sleep drive. Despite all the sleep restriction, it’s rather weak (and often feels non-existent). So, yes- do share the link to that book that you mentioned, as I am still trying to piece together what creates and sustains the light sleep.
You had mentioned seeing progress and experiencing deep sleep (a few weeks ago) in your previous note. How many days of deep sleep did you get?
And you’re so right. In reflecting on things, I have been too afraid to break the rules. Trying not to watch TV at night, getting into bed when my sleep window arrives out of concern of how I’ll be the next day. I’m so brave in so many aspects, but never had the courage to pull an all nighter. I tried never to lie awake in bed out of concern of forming a negative association with the bed. If I didn’t try so hard to adhere to all the rules, this whole experience may have been less of a struggle.
Haha, no worries about the sentence structure, I understood everything. Your note also makes me feel hopeful. Really good to hear of your progress. I’ll give all your advice a go, and hope I can see some progress too.
I really needed a bit of encouragement, as these days things have really felt so futile. Which is another reason my responses slowed, as I didn’t feel I had anything positive to report.
What course are you studying for, if you don’t mind me asking? And how is it that you’re working in your yard. Is it not yet cold where you are? Things are freezing here!
Oh, but I never read thru the other posts on this forum. Whenever I visit this site it’s only to respond to this thread. But you are indeed correct about taking a break from that sort of stimuli.
If you do have a chance to read this, can you tell me again how you broke thru the non-sleep phase? About a month ago, as shared I was getting light sleep. It was superficial but i was giving me some form of energy. Without warning, the light sleep went away. I thought, oh well, if I continue to do the same things, the stupid light sleep would at least return. It hasn’t.
My sleep window is 11:30 to 5am. I try to maintain it as much as possible. I also try to maintain some thread of optimism thru this experience, but the optimism is really starting to wilt.
Can you share a bit on your level of activity within the day? You talked about getting outdoors. Do you spend most of the day outside the house? Also, how much in advance of bed do you turn off the TV and switch to podcast? Do you feel sleepy now when you get into bed?
I turn off my TV at least an hour before bed, and listen to something. An hour later, I don’t feel sleepy but I may experience a slight head nod or may yawn. It’s not to where I cannot keep my eyes open though- not anywhere close. Though I do feel tired from the build-up of lack of sleep. I jump into bed then, and the stupid cycle repeats itself.
x stands for ya hoo. I did it this way as I don’t want my note to get censored. Hope you figured it out lol
Additionally, I would love to continue our communication, and share tips and motivate each other – but I’m quite private and highly desire to get off this forum. You can always reach me at shonellhindsatx.
Happy Thanksgiving Jess! In a better space meaning that my sleep quality was a bit better. And good question, but I cannot trace it back to any one thing I was doing. I was indeed using a loose sleep window – I’d say 6-6.5 hours, getting up at a fixed time. I would take a short walk in the late afternoon, watch TV at night, and jump into bed when I felt too fatigued to continue. The other thing that I was doing back then is keeping a sleep dairy.
You say you get into bed at 3am. How do you even do that. You must have an iron-clad will. I run out of things to engage my body and mind by 10pm. What time do you get on your couch?
I hear your point on engaging the mind. As I’m working remotely, I’d say there’s an element of that for me during the day- less so at night. I have tried reading in the evening, but more often than not, my eyes feel fatigued, and mindless TV seems like the best vice – or even sitting in the dark.
So no tips just yet, but I too have been following many of the guidelines, apart from stimulus control and using a super strict window. I will adopt a tighter window once my body feels stronger.
