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Yes Deb. I meant 6 days, not 6 weeks. I understand about how SR wants you to be exhausted so it overrides your anxiety. But it’s hard getting to that point because as i say, I am so sleepy in that hour waiting for the sleep window to open and then when I get into bed, I am wide awake. That’s how I know my anxiety about sleep is still there. Last night, I had to get up three times because I couldn’t sleep. That’s three hours of the window I couldn’t sleep. (30 minutes I couldn’t sleep and the 30 staying up x three) So even though I have a sleep window of 5.5 hours, Martin’s minimum, I am in bed a lot less than that. I think that’s why he sets that minimum because in the beginning, I am not going to achieve that minimum anyway.
It might take several weeks for the override to happen. I read one article where the woman was on a four hour window and it took her two weeks. Another woman had to wait six weeks for it to happen. And even then I know it will still be rough as I might start to slowly get better, but the path to getting better is long and I will have setbacks in there as well. Anyway, thanks for your support.
Martin, the owner of this site, will be along to answer your questions specifically. But in the meantime, I can suggest one thing. The first is to take either of Martin’s sleep courses. The first one is free and the second one is a paid course. He is very good at what he does and many of his clients have only good things to say about him. I took his free course and am doing Sleep Restriction now. While the course is free, he has never failed to answer any of my questions I have asked him. Both of these courses will be a lot more involved than the handout you received. You can find info about them by clicking on the Resources tab in the menu at the top of the page. Read it over and get back to him with any questions you may have. Good luck to you.
Hi Julie. Can I ask you a couple of questions? I would appreciate your honesty in answering them. The first is, where did you take your CBT-i course? Online or in person with a trained sleep therapist? The second is, did you follow your Sleep Window religiously? And the third is, did you practice Stimulus Control religiously, such as getting out of bed after 30 minutes if you aren’t asleep, and even if it means getting out of bed 2, 3 or 4 times a night? Thanks you for answering.
Hi Jonna. Can I ask you a couple of questions? I would appreciate your honesty in answering them. The first is, where did you take your CBT-i course? Online or in person with a trained sleep therapist? The second is, did you follow your Sleep Window religiously? And the third is, did you practice Stimulus Control religiously, such as getting out of bed after 30 minutes if you aren’t asleep, and even if it means getting out of bed 2, 3 or 4 times a night? Thanks you for answering.
Thanks Mac. I know. I guess I am just looking for the support. I’m not trying to be a whiner or complainer. I was thinking of taking a melatonin tablet before bedtime to cut down on the time it takes me to go to sleep. I know Martin says I shouldn’t take them on an “as needed” basis. Besides, a 3mg melatonin tablet has been known to give me severe “maelatonin hangovers’. But I was wondering if I cut it up into quarters so that it is only .75mg. Maybe in another week I’ll try that if I continue to have 2 hour sleeps.
Well, I did the last night of my first week of SR and it did not go well. All in all, I got between 1 3/4 hours and 2.0 hours of sleep. It took me a long time to get to sleep. I had to do SC and get out of bed three times before I initially fell asleep. The only good thing is that I was so exhausted, I slept in the 3:00 to 5:00 time slot which normally I wake up in and can’t get back to sleep. I don’t fear a bad night of sleep as it relates to work the next day as I have had plenty of bad nights and survived the next day. I just hope my sleep improves soon. Obviously, I still have anxiety about the bed and sleep but it is getting into my brain that either I sleep or it’s out of bed I go. Hopefully, that will be conditioned in me soon. Not sure about the more sleep part. I think I have to solve the anxiety about bed/sleep in order to relax enough to get to sleep. Or, I get so exhausted with SR that I just pass out. But that doesn’t seem to be going to happen for awhile. I read somewhere where it took a woman 6 weeks for her sleep to improve using CBT-i. She said it was the longest six weeks of her life. I am only at the end of week 6.
I am at the end of night 6 of SR and SC and I see no changes yet. I know it takes awhile but already I am concerned this isn’t going to work for me. Especially when I read several people coming on here recently in the last two days asking how much longer it’s going to take because it isn’t working for them. I always come into something with overblown expectations and I’m just trying to remember that it can take awhile for the SR to kick in. But when I wake up feeling like I do today after a poor night of sleep, I get discouraged. I am going to keep trying though as I have no other choice.
Hang in there Mac. Don’t try to push it. Remember why you are on SR again. Try to stick to the rules and don’t increase your SW so much. But at least you got some good sleep in.
As for me, I had an “okay” sleep last night but I honestly don’t know how long I slept. I was exhausted yesterday but I still had trouble falling asleep last night. My sleepiness seems to come in spurts and if I miss the spurt, I have to wait for the next one. Then I was in and out of it all night. Every time I woke up I thought I had to leave the bed but remembered that I woke up from a dream so I had to have been asleep. I did end up getting up twice. Once for a half hour and once for 15 minutes, but I really don’t think I had to. It was one of those nights where I don’t know what to put for my sleep diary as I’m not sure what I slept. I feel better than yesterday but still extremely tired. I am still sticking to the SW tonight. This is obviously going to take awhile.
That’s one definition of it. I use the term to describe it when you momentarily nod off and then snap back awake. When you start SR, get everything ready ahead of time. Like your reading material. Blanket if it’s sold. Deck of cards. Things that will keep you occupied. Don’t wait until you start because then you’ll have to look around for things to do.
How am I? Exhausted! lol. Last night was my fifth night on sleep restriction and I had to keep getting out of bed and going to another room because I couldn’t sleep. All in all, I got about 2 and a half hours of sleep out of 5.5 hours. That’s three low sleep days in a row and I felt it today at work. My biggest problem is trying to stay awake throughout the day without taking “microsleeps”. Hopefully I’ll start to sleep better soon but I’m reading some people are on SR 6 weeks before they start sleeping better. I hope I can stay on SR that long. I sincerely hope you are doing better.
Hi Sydonia. Here is a story I found on the Internet that gives those of us using SR and SC some hope. Although it’s from 2014, I think it’s still relevant.
https://news.vcu.edu/article/Sleep_boot_camp_A_wakeup_call_for_chronic_insomnia_sufferers
Hi Sonia. How are you coming along with your sleep restriction? Hope your sleep is improving some.
You arte probably right about the 5.5 window being too long but not a problem right now because with SC, I am constantly out of bed because I can’t sleep. Last night I only slept about 2 hours and 45 minutes. The night before that 3 and a half hours and the night before that 2 and a half hours. Still, I also agree with Martin when he says that 5 hours (+ the 30 minute add-on) is the least amount of sleep a person needs to function so that person should have the opportunity to get it. Also, it may take a bit longer, but I have to work the next day as well so I prefer the 5.5 window just in case I can get it soon. Good luck to you with your future SR.
