Insomnia insight
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- Опубликовано: 1 ноя 2021
- When you learn about the Gas & Brake model, a common idea becomes: lack of hyperarousal is a requirement for sleep. This idea can create much struggle and pressure. In this video we see that this idea is not true, and that much less is required for sleep to happen. No action at all to be precise.
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Would you like a roadmap from Insomnia to immunity? Download using below link.
www.thesleepcoachschool.com/h...
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Would you like to work with a sleep coach? Awesome! Here are some great options:
- The Insomnia Immunity Group Coaching Program.
- BedTyme, a sleep coaching app for iOS and Android offering 1:1 text based coaching.
- Zoom based 1:1 coaching with Coach Michelle.
The Insomnia Immunity program is perfect if you like learning through video and want to join a group on your journey towards sleeping well.
BedTyme is ideal if you like to learn via text and have a sleep coach in your pocket.
The 1:1 Zoom based program is for you if you like to connect one on one with someone who has been where you are now.
For more about these programs here: www.thesleepcoachschool.com
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Do you like learning by reading? If so, here are two books that offer breakthroughs!
Set it & Forget it by Daniel Erichsen
www.amazon.com/Set-Forget-rea...
This is Natto by Daniel Erichsen
www.amazon.com/This-Natto-rea...
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Not sure where to start? Check out these playlists!
This is natto - the perfect place to start learning!
• This is Natto - Start ...
Success stories - if you need hope and inspiration, this is for you.
• Success stories
Insomnia insight - a list of every single episode.
• Playlist
Talking insomnia - guests with trouble sleeping or experts share their stories / tips.
• Talking insomnia
Hypnic jerks, hypnic awareness and other common issues.
• Hypnic jerks and more.
Fatal insomnia - for those concerned about ffi and sfi.
• Familial and sporadic ...
Speed bumps - when you think you had a setback or “relapse.”
• Talking insomnia #55: ...
The self coaching model
• The model
Best!
This content does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or other qualified healthcare providers. 
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And the more attention you pay to your hyperarousal, the more hyperarousal you get! For me, my hyperarousal has now come and gone in the forms of: hypnic jerks, maintenance insomnia, heart palpitations, chest pains, racing thoughts, hot flashes, panic attacks and lately - difficulty falling asleep at the start of the night. What I have now come to realize is that every time it changes and does something different, my immediate reaction is to sit and think about it. "It never used to be like this before! For the last x days I had y, why is it z now?" Our brains are problem solving machines and what you've taught me Daniel, is that the problem solving fuels the problem. It's really helpful to realize you can still sleep with hyperarousal (as we all have done in the past!) and to not over analyze it. Another great video!
Saniya! So so glad it made sense (especially since I felt I presented some half baked ideas in my excitement) and you’re just saying it so well here… I hope many get to read this comment because of fully believe this is the way 😊
Daniel: wanted to thank you for this channel and everything you’re doing. I found your channel during one of the worst bouts of insomnia in my life. We were on vacation and I had went on a 9-10 day run of averaging 4-5 hours of sleep per night. No more than 6 on “good” nights.
Like many who deal with insomnia, I was convinced I had developed sporadic fatal insomnia. Hours spent on google led me to your video on SFI - the first video that gave me some insight and some actual hope. I proceeded to watch dozens more of your videos, and then purchased your “Set it and Forget It” book on Amazon. That book was a game changer, and finally gave me some useful, tangible information that helped me where most all of the other content online could not.
Approximately one week after finding that first video, and a day after finishing the entirety of Set It and Forget It, I am sleeping much better again - around 6-7 hours per night on average. I’m falling asleep faster and those awakenings in the middle of the night are much less stressful, and easier to overcome. I have you to thank for that tremendous progress.
You’ve made a fan for life, and I look forward to seeing more of your work. You and your “Natto” philosophy are truly making a difference in the world. Thank you for your genuine and thoughtful approach to helping others - it is appreciated more than you know.
I don’t know what to say, I’m stumped and touched and soo happy reading this message 😊
It’s so wonderful to see how this episode, the worst bout that you ever had, actually led to you finding the teaching that had been missing and most importantly - how your heart work, your willingness to learn and finding some courage led to more and more peace. So happy again reading this!
Oh and of course 0 pressure here, but if you’d ever like to be a guest, send me an email daniel@thesleepcoachschool.com.
So glad you’re here, thanks so much for this and hope you have a fantastic day today!!
Yes! This is a big one I remember crying my self to sleep even after arguments or bad days high anxiety. I slept with it and went strait to bed with exhaustion.
Case in point! And just seeing this can help so much 👍
Daniel, thanks for these clarifying thoughts. Last night I had difficulty falling asleep for the first time in probably a few months. What seems to set this off is when I find I am awake after say 30-45 minutes after turning off the lights. If I am still awake I can start to get concerned (worry?) about not getting to sleep. I am aware by now there is nothing i can do to cause sleep to occur and I am aware that I can function fine even if I have little sleep. In other words, I don’t believe I am experiencing hyperarousal yet it must be the case that there is some level of hyperarousal happening that is likely causing some degree of sleep effort (which obviously doesn’t work and is counterproductive). I suppose I may not be fully accepting of the annoyance that comes with difficulty falling asleep and how I have to feel the next day. On the one hand, I think I may be accepting of what is and not think there is hyperarousal but on the other hand, there may not be acceptance of the difficulty and subtle hyperarousal because what I think should happen is not happening.
I guess I am confused about how to approach the next time this situation occurs (which will eventually happen since I appear to be predisposed to this). Last night I ended up being awake a good deal of the night (didn’t look at any clocks!) but maybe there is really nothing to do at all but accept this may happen from time to time and move on. If you have any thoughts to guide me, I’d love to hear.
Hi Michael,
I was glad to read that you haven’t had trouble falling asleep for a few months. This shows the magic of just letting be and actually being willing to be awake. As odd as it sounds it is when we are willing to be awake that sleep happens easier. Someone for whom it was unacceptable to be awake, they would not have fallen asleep easy for months.
Now it is universally true that there’s nothing to do, nothing proactively to do in situations like the one you described. However we can always learn!
We call this experience a surfers window.
It is very common to think “if I don’t fall asleep by this time, I won’t sleep at all” (or very little).
It can seem like there is a window of opportunity. In reality it is simply that during an earlier part of the night you have less pressure to sleep. When it’s getting late or more time passes, you feel more pressure to sleep. And this is why it feels like if you fall asleep early you have caught the wave, you have caught the wave like a surfer and you’ll be fine. If you missed the wave you won’t sleep at all.
When you understand this, you often automatically are less afraid of missing a window because there is no real window, just some idea in the mind.
In addition to understanding, what also can help is going timeless and not knowing what time it is or tracking time. Then things get much more fuzzy and there’s less pressure.
Tracking time objectively is of course easy to do, but what about when the mind estimates and guesses?
In this case, we can just be a bit skeptical and say “well, you don’t really know this, it’s just a guess”. After some time, the mind sees that we aren’t that interested in it’s estimating and guessing and it stops sending us these ideas.
I have just found you and am barely 1% through your content and I bet I have more comments to come, but just want to say thank you for all you do for us insomniacs.
I’m so glad you’re here and thank you so much for the kind words 😊
Hi Daniel,
I recently wrote in a question for open class but I have a follow up. I talked about how I've recently been going through speed bumps. My sleep confidence seems to be going up and down and my sleep has been inconsistent. I found one of your older videos talking about how to try not to control your thoughts and anxiety and to just accept it. That was a new perspective for me and helped but I still have nights when I wake up in the middle of the night and even though I accepted my anxiety (which usually helps it go away) I'm unable to fall back asleep. I'll lay there for hours honestly feeling relaxed and confident but still not able to fall asleep. I'm lost by this point. I've been considering trying CBTI because I don't really have a set time to fall and wake up. I feel like it might help with my midnight awakens. But at the same time when I first got over my insomnia I did not have to do that. Let me know your thoughts.
Hi Sophia,
Thanks for asking this and you know, this situation can be so confusing.. I call it the wonder wall. It is very common though, this alone can be helpful often.
Let’s learn about this experience.
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It can often seem odd that you don’t sleep even though you’re not anxious. Of course it does because if anxiety was the reason you had trouble sleeping, then when it fades you should sleep right?
Here’s the thing, anything that makes us hyperaroused can keep sleep from happening. Imagine a kid before Christmas for example. They’re excited, not anxious.
You know what else can create hyperarousal? Curiousity! Or puzzlement, being bewildered.
So when you’re thinking “I’m not anxious so why am I not sleeping?” the answer is right there. It’s now the curiosity that’s keeping you awake!
A natural next question becomes, so how do I become less curious? Guess what, you probably already have. Because when you understand something, there’s no mystery and less for the brain to figure out.
But the best of all is that you’re less anxious. That may not seem like a big step right now because you slept little, but it is.
As the anxiety fades and you’re no longer puzzled, sleep will come to you.
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As for CBTi, I think the education can really help and as long as the intent with having a pretty set wake up time and not spending much time in bed is to become more welcoming to being awake, rather than to try to make sleep happen… this can help for sure. Intent is what truly makes a difference…
Did this make sense Sophia?
This is sooo true, Daniel! And I think it hits home. It’s my same fear of sleeplessness that is driving the anxiety and my mind is trying to find a solution to protect it by having me change things. It’s on overdrive and that’s why it looks for other things to solve expecting the result will be “no hyperarousal” so I can sleep. It makes so much sense! So, I believe this is why making no changes is the best way to go, right? Otherwise you fall into the trap of making changes that never end and you go down that rabbit hole.
Michelle / Daniel - I second this comment! I am in the same position, where I have tried EVERYTHING to try and get rid of this anxiety at bed time, but in essence, they are all methods to try and get rid of the anxiety / hyperousal and it never goes away, so I am at the point where I am going to just give in to it, give into the anxiety and stop trying to 'solve' it because the more I am trying to solve the more I am in a tug of war. I have been down this rabbit hole for months and now I am jus going to surrender to it
Hi Michelle! I literally just stopped recording a reply to you that I think became really really nice!!
I think you and Daniel are so so so seeing the way here :-)
But yes to both of you, check the next video I’m gonna upload, I think it will bring much value!
Thanks, Daniel!! I’ll check out the other video you’ll upload. 😀
Hi Daniel, thank you for your videos they are great. I have had periods of acute insomnia over the last couple of years, rarely more than a couple of weeks or so. What is your view on how to manage a situation when sleeping next to a partner? Usually I find I am pretty hyperaroused for the first 2 hours of the night, then I move into the spare bedroom and immediately feel much calmer and inevitably do sleep. But I do want to sleep next to my partner. Do you think it is a case of just accepting the hyperarousal is there and there may be one or two nights of poor sleep whilst I ‘retrain’ my body to sleep next to her? I usually stay pretty calm but it does bother me that I feel the need to keep having to move rooms. Thanks so much in advance!
I've been educating myself about insomnia from your channel, but I've had 6 sleepless nights (maybe sleeping 1 hr each). I lie calmy in bed awake each night but everyone in the comment talks about how theyre sleeping better with 4-5 hrs of sleep. I feel like I'm getting more resistant and worst.
Hang in there, often even educating ourselves about efforts can become one it itself. We try to use education as a way to sleep, this is very very normal and common… and something we can learn from. Once we understand that it became an effort…the efforts automatically fade and things get easier.
I have fear of insomnia and I am pregnant … I just have some nights in the week where I don’t sleep at all like 0 hours. No sleep drive, when I want to drift off I have heart palpitations so it make me awake … I am going crazy. I am not sure if CBTI will work on me since I don’t get sleepy at all … any hope to share ? Will I ever overcome this nightmare
Hi Daniel. Any advice for someone who gets a surge of adrenaline each time they start to drift off? It's like my mind fears sleep.
Hi Ashton,
It is very common to have those rushes or jerks when you’re just about to fall asleep when you’ve had trouble sleeping. In fact, they are very common period!
People in general do have these sleep jerks very commonly, but they don’t notice them and aren’t aware of them.
What happens with insomnia is that there is some component of anxiety and that makes us more perceptive. We now take note of things which is part of hyper arousal, that heightened alertness that happens when we are anxious.
So they often you will notice these jerks and that will alarm you. It will seem odd and often a bit scary.
What happens next is that you become more hyper aroused and you have more jerks and you also take note of them more frequently.
As you can tell, the key is actually simply to understand that they are a normal part of falling asleep. When you do, then there’s less mystery and less anxiety which is always very helpful.
Understanding this also leads towards not investigating them and not trying to stop them.
And just like with insomnia in general, the less attention the better.
A helpful analogy that I have started using is one of an airplane landing. There is often some turbulence and some shakiness on the airplane touches the ground. Which is completely normal! If the pilot would abort landing because of turbulence, then the landing would be delayed. But if they proceed, the airplane is soon on the ground. Similarly, when we transition from wakefulness into sleep, there is some normal turbulence there. Nothing strange or unusual!
In fact, when you start looking at these jerks as a welcome sign the sleep is about to happen, that really helps. Because not only does it take you away from trying to stop them, but you’re actually OK with them happening. And when that happens, you are no longer going to be anxious and you’re going to experience less of them and sleep better!
Hi Daniel - I love your definition of insomnia in this video (it's the first time I heard it). However, it has me thinking of sleep disruptions. If they perpetuate (e.g. you have a medical issue l issue that's untreated), then is it fair to say that could lead to true insomnia, per your definition?
So glad you found your way here Lori 😊! I’d say this, we can have sleep disruption for a perpetuated time, let’s say from having a newborn baby. But this only leads to insomnia if we during that time become afraid of not sleeping.
@@thesleepcoachschool8192Thanks Daniel! I've been continuing to think about this and have a follow-up question (I can't seem to find an answer anywhere!). How can you tell if someone has insomnia or a sleep disruption? Is it just a question of exploring all possible causes until you have nothing left but an obvious fear of wakefulness? Or are there particular symptoms that only manifest in insomnia vs. sleep disruption?
@loriblahey hi Lori! You know, I’ll make an in depth video on this soon, but by coincidence I actually reviewed this yesterday 🙂! Check the episode from yesterday and you’ll find education on how to tell sleep disruption from insomnia
So can a person condition their brain to be stuck in hyperarousal, even if they feel calm and at peace at bedtime? Many nights I do have some anxiety and a bounding heart... But other nights I feel very calm... Yet no sleep! I really want it to just be hyperarousal, but is it truly just that? Not one good night of sleep in 1.75 years. Like maybe one hour on a really good night. I been following you forevor, and you're so smart on all of this. It's just it seems my scenario is different, like there's more to it than just hyperarousal? Either that or I've brainwashed my own brain to be permanently hyper aroused.
Clear your mind its not about staying calm also check your nutrional like vitamins you may lack D or C vitamins, Magnesuim or others or maybe your still hyperarousal if you think about sleeping and being calm it might still not work.
Hi Rover,
Do you know the way I would answer this is that the brain cannot be stuck. It is very flexible, however when we are making ongoing efforts not to be stuck then it can seem like we are stuck. It is this paradox where the more we want to sleep well the more struggle we have. The more we want to be calm the more anxious will become. So in a way, if you spend a lot of time and a lot of effort trying to make yourself calm, it can seem like you’re stuck in an anxious state.
And what can often help us understand things like for example how there is no sleep even when you feel calm. Often this is because there’s a hyperarousal which comes from curiosity. When you feel calm you’re curious to see if you will sleep, and that curiosity leads to no sleep.
Another thing by the way that can make us feel stuck is the thought that something different is happening. That something is wrong with us. It is such a tricky loop because how can we not think that something is wrong with us when we are experiencing all this discomfort. But what if it is thinking that something is wrong with us that is the source of the discomfort.
So yes, to me, everything leads to a place of being kind to oneself and seeing that there’s nothing happening that is strange and unusual.
I very much appreciate how you are still tuning in even when the struggle has been ongoing. And yes please leave some comments and let us know how things go and myself and everybody else will share things that I hope will really help!
I’m going through a crazy loop of all kinds of ideas - my GP is also looking at my hormones perimenopause?
Any comments on hormones being a problem?
Hi Sharan, I'd say look at the recent video on Sleep disruption vs Insomnia, also tomorrow on Heard online we will look at this!
Hi i just wanted to share something regarding hyperarousal, ive had many of the hypnic jerks etc due to hyperousal but the last couple of weeks it's gone to something new im very jumpy, lastnight I was asleep in bed my husband came to bed after me as he was getting into bed it gave me a fright I screamed like he startled me, ok i know this can happen to someone who isn't hyperaroused but i know it's hyperousal as im having it qiete often the last couple of weeks my brain is on edge, anyway I made my husband jump and as he said he nearly had a heart attack 😂. Learning from this channel about hyperarousal helps tremendously as I know what is making me anxious/jumpy so thank you
Hihi hope he’s okay ☺️! And thanks so much for sharing, so glad it’s been helpful
Yeah totally get it daniel. And when the pressure to sleep is more than the arousal you will sleep exactly. And when both are kind of equal and high and seesawing if you like, you will get the kind of superficial light hypersleep/feeling you never slept frequent awakenings etc. And if you do end up with no arousal or low arousal and enough sleep drive/wakefullness you sleep like a log lol. If you have not been awake long enough and you are at fever pitch with anxiety you will struggle to sleep. So 3 scenarios basically in lay terms 😀. Does that sound about right? So in my case using this explanation if my sleep window is 5.5 hours 1am to 7:30am and get some excercise during the day as a bonus and still dont feel sleepy or sleep all that well (time skipping/hypersleep) its likely i have a brake issue rather than gas?
Hi Colin!
Yes you described this very well! Now what’s soo tricky though is that when we try to increase sleep drive to produce sleep, we step on the brake! That’s why exercise or a tight sleep window often leads to some struggle.. a timeless approach and education and self kindness, I think these help soo much!
I have bipolar disorder. Upon finally getting diagnosed two days ago, my Hyperarousal went down, but the sleep disorder is still there. I hate it 😐
Hang in there, often when we feel less anxious, we wonder how this will affect sleep, and then wondering becomes another source of hyperarousal. When there is no mystery though, when we don’t wonder, then things get easier and easier
Hi, we recently change to winter time in Norway. I've had trouble adapting. I wake up way early. And Its like my body is in slumber mode like your alarm clock is on slumber every 10 minutes. Should I get up and do the bed restriction or should I just let it happen and don't do anything, bc I am calm in my mind, thanks to your channel.
Hi Sebastian!
Oh yes we are also changing the time here next week. And every year there are many questions about this hour!
To me this is a question of circumstance and sleep disruption vs Insomnia - it’s true that something like changing the time will have some impact on your sleep of course! But this is pretty limited as long as we don’t respond to it. Is when we wonder how we can avoid having sleep disruption, wonder how we can get back to sleeping well, wonder what we should be doing, this is where we can have some ongoing trouble.
On the other hand when we are willing to have some sleep disruption and maybe not feel so rested for a while but don’t respond to it, then we soon sleep well again and feel rested!
@@thesleepcoachschool8192 thanks for taking the time to respond. I appreciate it a lot. I'm experiencing kind of a speed bump right now now right after I had like a perfect night haha lol. But things are turning generally in the right direction which I'm thankful for. Thanks again for what you guys are doing.
So glad overall things are becoming easier and you know, we just uploaded a speed bump episode! Thanks for all the support 😊
@@thesleepcoachschool8192 hi Daniel! Does this apply to sleeping in a new environment as well? I just started renting a little guest house and am having a sleep disruption. Even though the house is on a quiet street, I do hear some traffic in the distance and sometimes an airplane that I can not block out. I keep telling people that the house must not be built right (not insulated, windows not thick enough, etc). The most I've given this house is 3 nights in a row, and since I didn't sleep well any of those nights, I feel like I can't sleep there, and started staying with my family again. I'm paying rent and not staying there because of the sleep disruption. Any thoughts or tips on where to go from here?
Hi Lisa,
This is my belief for sure, it’s not noise or a new house that makes us suffer, it’s the fear that noise or a new house will make us stay awake. But it can be confusing when the fear of noise keeps struggling, because we can think it’s the noise that does!
To me, this is one of those places where courage and kindness both are so helpful. On one hand, we can deploy courage and stay where we are afraid to be, and teach our brains that we are safe, there’s no threat or danger. We can see that even if we sleep little, we are still safe in the new place… and after some time, the brain isn’t so scared of not sleeping in the new place and sleep happens as easy as elsewhere.
On the other hand, we don’t want to push ourselves, so we can deploy kindness. It’s ok to be with one’s parents when we are scared! We all need some love and security.
And when we aren’t criticizing ourselves… then everything is much easier 😊
Now summer.come back and I feel uncomfortable due to hot nights and l know this thing again starts from Easter when I went to my relatives and feeling more uncomfortable there.
Then I search about ffi or sfi or cjd.it makes me scary and I again merge myself in study and spent time with my frndz and study.
I
Hi Sagar, glad you found our channel, I think there’s much here that can help
@@thesleepcoachschool8192 do you watch my all comments
Hi Daniel,
Thanks a lot for all your material. I bought both of your books and I’m mostly sleeping better.
However, when I do have a night without sleep I can’t help it but all the fears of the entire spiral starting again creeps back in. The next day as much as I try not to think about it the thought is still somehow there.
I know you got through speed bumps - but how to not have all the memories coming back of how unpleasant it was when in the middle of an insomnia episode I haven’t figured out. Any advice ? Will this thought go away at one point ? ❤❤
Hi Denise,
You’re so welcome, and thanks for getting my books 🙂
You know, I think a really nice reply here is to look at our fear of the spiral happening again and wondering how to prevent this.
Insomnia really is a cycle of resistance. There can be for example this random thought “what if I don’t sleep tonight again” and then some resistance to the unpleasant thought. We don’t want this thought or the anxiety it creates. Because of the resistance, the brain wants to make sure we really hear this warning message it thinks we need and it pushes the thought more and then there’s some more resistance.
More resistance becomes more intense thoughts and feelings and less sleep. And then of course the thought “what if I don’t sleep tonight again?” happens again.
Now, when we’ve slept easier, it was because we gave up on resistance, and here’s the teaching point… wondering “x” is an invitation to see that this IS an expression of that same resistance.
Seeing this, being aware, automatically leads us to less resistance and more peace.
@@thesleepcoachschool8192 thank you for the reminder ♥️
I'm pretty sure there's such a thing as a strictly non-phsycological state of hyperarousal (for example after a 40-50 hours of not sleeping: which is, strictly physiologically, stressfull) which would mean not all insomnia is related to fear, anxiety or your mental state. I've never heard this definition of insomnia before, why use another definition? 99% of my insomnia is definitely not related to mental anxiety and also not caused by any outer disturbance.
Hi there,
It’s been really helpful for lots of people to see insomnia this way… but of course this may not make sense for everyone, but it’s why I use the definition.
For example, I totally agree that for example pain unrelated to how we think about it produces hyperarousal. Not psychological at all. But, the hyperarousal from pain goes away when the pain does, it’s not an ongoing self perpetuating struggle hyperarousal like we see with insomnia…
Thanks for the input and hope you find a nice way to where you want to be 😊
I think i managed to accept anxiety when im in bed and dont feel anxiety because of it. Still i didnt sleep at all... so annoying to think ive made steps but then i seems i didnt.. i Just think i dont know what to think about when i lay down.. its not fear anymore but i Just dont know where i should let my mind think of when i lay down
Hi Gideon,
This is a very common place to be in, and I’m glad anxiety isn’t bothering you.
It can often seem odd that you don’t sleep even though you’re not anxious. Of course it does because if anxiety was the reason you had trouble sleeping, then when it fades you should sleep right?
Here’s the thing, anything that makes us hyperaroused can keep sleep from happening. Imagine a kid before Christmas for example. They’re excited, not anxious.
You know what else can create hyperarousal? Curiousity! Or puzzlement, being bewildered.
So when you’re thinking “I’m not anxious so why am I not sleeping?” the answer is right there. It’s now the curiosity that’s keeping you awake!
A natural next question becomes, so how do I become less curious? Guess what, you probably already have. Because when you understand something, there’s no mystery and less for the brain to figure out.
But the best of all is that you’re less anxious. That may not seem like a big step right now because you slept little, but it is.
As the anxiety fades and you’re no longer puzzled, sleep will come to you!
@@thesleepcoachschool8192 thank you for these words!! Is it possible to get in touch with People who went True this phase aswell?
How do you know that you have insomnia and not sleep disruption due to a medical issue you don’t know about?
Hi Sab E!
I think the key here is asking oneself if it’s obvious why you’re having choppy sleep and you therefore have not emotions around it. Like of course I don’t sleep well, I have a broken rib! That’s sleep disruption.
If it’s not obvious and/or we think the choppy sleep is out of proportion, if there’s a lot of pondering, wondering what’s happening, problem solving, anxiety - that’s insomnia!
In the example of a medical issue you don’t know about, then I think a key thing to know is that the only thing that causes insomnia is fear!
I have a fear that my sleep insomnia is caused by bipolar not saying I have bipolar (never got tested). But I assume that is not the case. I relapse on insomnia last week due to shift changes I take melatonin, but I have fear it might not work rely on it.
I used to sleep from between 1 to 3 am. I sleep a good 8 to 9 hours but I now sleep 7 to 8 pm because I have to wake up early for work.
I'm hoping to recover soon I just get anxiety and think I have mental illness I do get mood swings and sometimes sadness but I feel it's my diet doing that. I took a b1 vitamin it did chill me down
Hope you’ll feel like yourself and sleep well soon too! And you know, no medical advice here but - our thoughts are that many things can make us have choppy sleep, like loud noise or pain or a medical issue, but that can’t create ongoing sleep struggles we call insomnia. Only fear of not sleeping creates that loop. Knowing this can make us worry less about circumstances and when our fear fades, sleep happens by itself
Hi Daniel. Can I ask what you mean by education and self-exploration? Because of my sleep issues, my brain has registered hyperarousal as a threat, so much so, that I keep checking my body for indications for hyperarousal during the day. Also, whenever something happens as part of day to day life (e.g. had a big meeting with my boss), I notice the tension in my chest and I can’t focus on anything else for hours. I know they say we should accept the hyperarousal rather than fight it but it is hard when it seems like the reason I can’t sleep is because of the sensations I know too well. Any advice? P.S. your videos and books are the best!
Hi Saran, thanks much for the kind words 😊 And you know, I think it’s so true that when we aren’t fighting it, then there is no fight… we have abandoned the struggle. But, that’s difficult when our brains belief that if we don’t fight, we will be in danger. So, as intangible as it sounds, I think it’s when we think “this should be easy to accept” that there’s pressure and it’s hard, and when we think “this IS hard to accept for anyone” then there’s less pressure and it becomes a little easier
I didn't know it isn't normal to sleep just 4/5 hours each day. I'm suffering from cptsd, but never thought about my sleep patterns and that I always try not to fall asleep by reading and if I fall asleep I wake up screaming after sleep paralysis 10 minutes later.
My stomach is chronically sick, I'm fatigued and have sleep-exhaustions-shutdowns after each meal, that's why I always eat just in the evening. Suffer from nightmares and racing heart almost all day and elevated hypertension. I've no family and no money for treatment.
I come to realize rn, that I'm a pure wreck. Well, that's an insight at least.
Hi Vektor,
I’m glad you found something here that’s helpful and you know, if you decide to spend some time learning here.. you may find other insights that can help… welcome and be in touch 🙂