All content found on the Put Insomnia to Bed RUclips channel 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 advice given to you by your physician, prescriber, or any other licensed healthcare provider. Dr. Steve Orma provides consulting services only and does not provide medical advice or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Something that has really brought home how severe my condition is was well two things. First just how long I have had this condition, 20+ years. Second one of your case studies was a gentleman who was seeking help because he was only getting 6 hours, that’s how long I get on my very best nights sleep. So even when I don’t think I am in an episode I actually am, it’s permanent. My bad night is generally 0-2 hours a night and this can go on for months. My longest stint with zero sleep was 9 days straight. I thought I was dying. Also I am embarking on this alone because I live in the UK and I can’t find useful help and I don’t have £500 to spend on a therapist.
Fellow sufferer here. I've also had the "I'm dying" thoughts many times. I read 'The Sleep Book' by Guy Meadows and it's been the most helpful thing by miles for me. As someone who would have poo-pood mindfulness only a month ago, I now practice daily and have far less anxiety around not getting sleep. Have you found any solace in ACT principles? Also UK based and without therapist.
I've been working through my insomnia for quite a while now (6-8 months), and accepting bad nights has helped a LOT. I still have train-wreck nights out of nowhere (maybe 1 every 3 weeks?), and I can't explain why it happens. I'm not particularly scared of a bad night's sleep, and I've functioned quite well the day after a sleepless night. But I guess when you've been battling insomnia for a long time, you still have those nights creep up on you. I take it as all part of the process. I've moved past CBTi at this point and generally lay down when I start to feel drowsy. Sometimes, that's 10PM; other times, it's closer to 11:30. All that said, I'm still not a fan of those rough nights (like last night). It just brings back the uneasiness I felt when I was in the middle of the insomnia fight.
Thanks for your comment and sharing your experience. I still have a difficult night every once in a while, and I think it's normal with sleep, even when you don't have insomnia. Things can be happening in our life, stressors, or even things were excited about that interfere with our sleep. The most important thing is how you RESPOND to those more difficult nights, so it's the least stressful as possible and that you get back on track as soon as you can.
@@PutInsomniaToBed I tend to have a trainwreck night of sleep (or basically LACK of sleep) about once every couple weeks. It's really strange to me. I had a good 10-day run there where I fell asleep quickly and slept through the night, except for occasional awakenings (in which I'd fall back to sleep pretty fast). Out of nowhere, I had another one of *those* nights of no sleep last night. The fleeting thought entered my mind: what happens if I don't fall asleep quickly? I'm not sure why that happened after many nights of great sleep. I guess it's all part of the long-term process, but I know it's taken me longer to fully escape rough nights than others. The biggest thing that helps is the acceptance part of bad nights and that sleep will happen on its own regardless of how I feel.
My insomnia is like a frustrating growing checkerboard of hundreds of windows offering an exit to fall asleep - All are closed except one. It`s the nightly challenge to find out which one it is....
Hi Dr Your videos are excellent!! Is it possible that you can implement all the techniques you talk about including accepting insomnia, but have the insomnia not go away, and be stuck with chronic insomnia for life? And just have to move on with your life and deal with it? Thank you
It's not a productive worry to have. CBTi is a very effective process for most people if they implement it correctly and stick with it long enough. I believe insomnia is a solvable problem and I wouldn't give up. Put your focus on solving the problem and have the expectation it's solvable.
Insomnia causes mental issues. It becomes almost impossible to control your emotions over sleep. Also medication changes your brain and makes it so difficult to follow a program.
Acceptance is the only thing I am having difficulty with. Would it be okay if I woke up in the second part of my sleep window and went outside to listen to an audiobook and be in the morning back? Or would it ruin my sleep patern which i want to implement? For me, it feels depressing to sit alone in the house at night and do something. Sry for my english 😊
Most sleep discussions start by scaring the heck out of you by sharing all the detriments to not sleeping! The opposite of helpful. I accept it now, get up without anger or fear. It hasn’t helped me get more sleep though and that’s frustrating.
That is sooo true! I get really angry when I read this sort of "help". Also I find equally scary is when they start talking about HOW IMPORTANT IT IS. The only thing that works is to not care and that is the secret.
Hi what is the most up to date model of insomnia being used is the neurobiological model most up to date or the most comprehensive? Is the 3p model out of date now?
Lots of theories about what causes insomnia and other psych disorders. My view is it's cognitive and behavioral. The cognitive (negative thoughts about sleep), lead to anxiety and other emotions, which leads to behavioral changes that create and maintain insomnia. So it's both thoughts and behavior, not just behavior. And then these changes have a biological effect on the body that shift the sleep system. Same thing with depression and anxiety. But the primary driver is the person's thoughts and behavior. Still lots to be discovered in neuroscience that could explain more, but that's my view.
Very good video. I am going through it hard right now myself. I was sleeping well, then out of the blue about 4 months ago it's like an insomnia bomb went off. Been really tough since. My question is, would reading during a break in the night make you more awake because of the light exposure? Is it better to stay in a dark environment during those times you are stepping away from trying to sleep? Thanks
Hi Brian, reading is a good thing to do when you can't sleep in the night. It's best to get out of bed and do it in another room, and also keep the light as dim as possible. But enough light to read is okay. You can also use a Kindle, as the light is not stimulating.
Hello Dr, If I have conditioned myself to be awake in my bed, then why do I find it much easier to fall asleep/ difficult to stay awake on the couch in my living room? Before I had insomnia, I never slept there, so surely that would be the last place my brain would associate with sleep?
You don't have to condition yourself to sleep anywhere (couch, car, movie theater, boring lecture) as the ability to sleep is within us and happens automatically under the right conditions. Insomnia happens when we get in the way of that automatic ability and condition WAKEFULNESS in the bed. You don't have that conditioning on the couch and that's why you can sleep there.
@@PutInsomniaToBed ok, makes sense. But what is it that conditions wakefulness in the bed that doesn’t condition wakefulness in those other environments if we spend plenty of time awake in all of them?
@@B1811-g1e Most people are awake most of the time on the couch during the day, so you could call this "conditioned wakefulness," as most of the time you spend on the couch you're awake and not sleeping. The sleeping tends to happen when people have not gotten enough sleep in the bed and then naturally fall asleep on the couch because they're relaxed and not trying to sleep. You'll notice that people with insomnia spend some of the time sleeping in bed, it's just less. The conditioning isn't all or nothing. It's a mixed conditioning of wakefulness and sleepiness. We can also then condition mixed responses in other places like the couch.
All content found on the Put Insomnia to Bed RUclips channel 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 advice given to you by your physician, prescriber, or any other licensed healthcare provider. Dr. Steve Orma provides consulting services only and does not provide medical advice or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Something that has really brought home how severe my condition is was well two things. First just how long I have had this condition, 20+ years. Second one of your case studies was a gentleman who was seeking help because he was only getting 6 hours, that’s how long I get on my very best nights sleep. So even when I don’t think I am in an episode I actually am, it’s permanent. My bad night is generally 0-2 hours a night and this can go on for months. My longest stint with zero sleep was 9 days straight. I thought I was dying. Also I am embarking on this alone because I live in the UK and I can’t find useful help and I don’t have £500 to spend on a therapist.
Fellow sufferer here. I've also had the "I'm dying" thoughts many times. I read 'The Sleep Book' by Guy Meadows and it's been the most helpful thing by miles for me. As someone who would have poo-pood mindfulness only a month ago, I now practice daily and have far less anxiety around not getting sleep. Have you found any solace in ACT principles? Also UK based and without therapist.
@@helowako thank you for this information, I will look into this book and technique.
how are you now
I've been working through my insomnia for quite a while now (6-8 months), and accepting bad nights has helped a LOT. I still have train-wreck nights out of nowhere (maybe 1 every 3 weeks?), and I can't explain why it happens. I'm not particularly scared of a bad night's sleep, and I've functioned quite well the day after a sleepless night. But I guess when you've been battling insomnia for a long time, you still have those nights creep up on you. I take it as all part of the process. I've moved past CBTi at this point and generally lay down when I start to feel drowsy. Sometimes, that's 10PM; other times, it's closer to 11:30.
All that said, I'm still not a fan of those rough nights (like last night). It just brings back the uneasiness I felt when I was in the middle of the insomnia fight.
Thanks for your comment and sharing your experience. I still have a difficult night every once in a while, and I think it's normal with sleep, even when you don't have insomnia. Things can be happening in our life, stressors, or even things were excited about that interfere with our sleep. The most important thing is how you RESPOND to those more difficult nights, so it's the least stressful as possible and that you get back on track as soon as you can.
@@PutInsomniaToBed I tend to have a trainwreck night of sleep (or basically LACK of sleep) about once every couple weeks. It's really strange to me. I had a good 10-day run there where I fell asleep quickly and slept through the night, except for occasional awakenings (in which I'd fall back to sleep pretty fast). Out of nowhere, I had another one of *those* nights of no sleep last night. The fleeting thought entered my mind: what happens if I don't fall asleep quickly? I'm not sure why that happened after many nights of great sleep. I guess it's all part of the long-term process, but I know it's taken me longer to fully escape rough nights than others. The biggest thing that helps is the acceptance part of bad nights and that sleep will happen on its own regardless of how I feel.
Hi Dr Orma, can you recommend a coach in The UK? I live in South Wales and love your videos.
My insomnia is like a frustrating growing checkerboard of hundreds of windows offering an exit to fall asleep - All are closed except one. It`s the nightly challenge to find out which one it is....
I worked graveyard shift for years and now my internal clock is off
Hi Dr
Your videos are excellent!!
Is it possible that you can implement all the techniques you talk about including accepting insomnia, but have the insomnia not go away, and be stuck with chronic insomnia for life? And just have to move on with your life and deal with it?
Thank you
It's not a productive worry to have. CBTi is a very effective process for most people if they implement it correctly and stick with it long enough. I believe insomnia is a solvable problem and I wouldn't give up. Put your focus on solving the problem and have the expectation it's solvable.
Insomnia causes mental issues. It becomes almost impossible to control your emotions over sleep. Also medication changes your brain and makes it so difficult to follow a program.
Acceptance is the only thing I am having difficulty with. Would it be okay if I woke up in the second part of my sleep window and went outside to listen to an audiobook and be in the morning back? Or would it ruin my sleep patern which i want to implement? For me, it feels depressing to sit alone in the house at night and do something. Sry for my english 😊
I've tried the whole "just don't worry about it bro" approach and I still can't sleep.
Heard that so many times too.
The key is, HOW do we NOT worry about it? 😅
Is it ok to listen to an audio book while in bed?
Most sleep discussions start by scaring the heck out of you by sharing all the detriments to not sleeping! The opposite of helpful.
I accept it now, get up without anger or fear. It hasn’t helped me get more sleep though and that’s frustrating.
That is sooo true! I get really angry when I read this sort of "help". Also I find equally scary is when they start talking about HOW IMPORTANT IT IS. The only thing that works is to not care and that is the secret.
Hi what is the most up to date model of insomnia being used is the neurobiological model most up to date or the most comprehensive? Is the 3p model out of date now?
Lots of theories about what causes insomnia and other psych disorders. My view is it's cognitive and behavioral. The cognitive (negative thoughts about sleep), lead to anxiety and other emotions, which leads to behavioral changes that create and maintain insomnia. So it's both thoughts and behavior, not just behavior. And then these changes have a biological effect on the body that shift the sleep system. Same thing with depression and anxiety. But the primary driver is the person's thoughts and behavior. Still lots to be discovered in neuroscience that could explain more, but that's my view.
Very good video. I am going through it hard right now myself. I was sleeping well, then out of the blue about 4 months ago it's like an insomnia bomb went off. Been really tough since. My question is, would reading during a break in the night make you more awake because of the light exposure? Is it better to stay in a dark environment during those times you are stepping away from trying to sleep? Thanks
Hi Brian, reading is a good thing to do when you can't sleep in the night. It's best to get out of bed and do it in another room, and also keep the light as dim as possible. But enough light to read is okay. You can also use a Kindle, as the light is not stimulating.
@@PutInsomniaToBed OK, good to know. Thanks Dr. Orma
Hello Dr,
If I have conditioned myself to be awake in my bed, then why do I find it much easier to fall asleep/ difficult to stay awake on the couch in my living room? Before I had insomnia, I never slept there, so surely that would be the last place my brain would associate with sleep?
You don't have to condition yourself to sleep anywhere (couch, car, movie theater, boring lecture) as the ability to sleep is within us and happens automatically under the right conditions.
Insomnia happens when we get in the way of that automatic ability and condition WAKEFULNESS in the bed. You don't have that conditioning on the couch and that's why you can sleep there.
@@PutInsomniaToBed ok, makes sense. But what is it that conditions wakefulness in the bed that doesn’t condition wakefulness in those other environments if we spend plenty of time awake in all of them?
@@B1811-g1e Most people are awake most of the time on the couch during the day, so you could call this "conditioned wakefulness," as most of the time you spend on the couch you're awake and not sleeping. The sleeping tends to happen when people have not gotten enough sleep in the bed and then naturally fall asleep on the couch because they're relaxed and not trying to sleep.
You'll notice that people with insomnia spend some of the time sleeping in bed, it's just less. The conditioning isn't all or nothing. It's a mixed conditioning of wakefulness and sleepiness. We can also then condition mixed responses in other places like the couch.
@@PutInsomniaToBed thank you, that makes a lot of sense
💯🙏🏼👌🏼