[TripTrap]

Hi Martin…just saw you replied and most appreciated!

Yes…I don’t get out of bed as most suggest as honestly I don’t have a lot of anxiety just laying there in bed. I know obsessing over lack of sleep is one of the main culprits for lack of sleep so I have been pretty good staying out of that trap. I feel if I were to get up I would simply be up and no chance of getting back to sleep. I do fall back to different amounts of sleep typically but not much. If I play a sleep story app I do often fall back to sleep but soon after it finishes I pop back awake. It has been years since the alarm clock has ever woke me up at 6am. I also rarely look at the time when I wake up in the night as again I know this is another trap.

I have played around with sleep restriction a little bit in the past but will take your suggestion and commit to it this time. I know it’s hell to go through but if one emerges with a cure on the other side it would be well worth it.

I am also now taking steps to meditate for short periods of time everyday to lower the arousal as you say.

Will let you know how it goes…thanks again for replying!

[TripTrap]

Hello Martin…thanks for replying….
I am 58 years old happily married.
Usually I am in bed right around 11pm.
Alarm goes off at 6am (but I am always already awake) and out of bed by 6:10am.

I fall to sleep usually within 30 minutes or less no problem and most night wake up between 2-3:30am. From there I get little bits of sleep depending on the night. I try doing deep breathing/meditating or listening to a sleep story app. I have been trying to “accept” my insomnia and not fight it. Trying to be present and observe thoughts that pop in out of my head.

I am on no meds and no prescription sleeping pills as I know that will not work in the long run. I literally have a large plastic storage bin that is full of all the over the counter pills and potions that I have tried over the years. I could fill a shelf with all the books I have acquired. I have slept with my mouth taped shut and don’t have sleep apnea. I have light block out curtains, comfortable firm mattress and sleep in a separate room now so not to disturb my wife.

I don’t drink coffee anymore but do drink green tea in the mornings. No soda or processed foods. I’m not over weight and eat mainly a plant based diet. I exercise/workout 6 days a week in the mornings. I recently had a life insurance exam/bloodwork and they said I was one of the healthiest men in my age group they had ever seen. (No I did not tell them about my insomnia 🙂

I hardly tell anyone what I am going through and this is the most I have ever talked about it. I belong to no other sleep forums as I don’t want to obsess over it…but I realize I need to do something. Over the last few months my insomnia has been getting worse. My ears ring, my eyes sting…

One thing I have just picked up on yesterday is the need for more Vitamin D. From what I understand it effects sleep greatly and most people all deprived of it unless you work all day outside in the sun. Also the B vitamin complex is important for sleep from what I have read. I am hopeful this realization may be the solution.

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