The both of you gave me so much insight! I have watched twice and will refer back to it for sure. The idea of how personality types may affect the journey makes so much sense. I am self critical and put myself down in all areas of my life including insomnia. I also have a fear of fear. I have so many layers of struggle around sleep! I will be dreaming and then suddenly wake up realizing I fell asleep. You have described where I am in my insomnia journey! Thank you so much for this discussion!
Hi Daniel and Alina, thank you so much for your content! I started to realise that the thing I fear the most now is how I feel the next day after one or more sleepless nights. I really try to enjoy my day and do the things I like the most, but most of these days I feel so sad, numb and very anxious all the time. Is this common? Do you know how I can be less afraid of how I feel the next day?
Hi Coach Alina and Daniel thank you very much for your wonderful insights. May i ask this question: is it normal for some people for being too emotional?
Thank you Alina and Daniel, for these videos you share with us. I have been struggling with a severe form of Insomnia for about 2 years and your videos give me a lot of recognition and confidence and helped me through some stages of insomnia. Now I actually have a question about my current process that I can't find anything about anywhere on the internet or with coaches (I haven't recovered from insomnia yet unfortunately, it keeps taking new forms). So I thought I'd ask you this question anyway. Meanwhile, I don't sleep at all, but I also don't feel anxiety (which I felt before). I lie at rest all night but I don't fall asleep. I am so incredibly exhausted that I don't get to feelings of anxiety. There is complete exhaustion so I can't help but rest, but my consciousness remains on, so I don't "fall asleep". Do you have any experience with this? And what to do about this? I have been unable to work for 2 years because I am too exhausted during the day. Thanks a lot in advance! Love, Eva
@@AyeshaKhan-q9s do you have the same experience? I don't understand this process. Before I had many ups and downs. But I could always feel that anxiety was the reason why I was still awake. So to fully accept and embrace this feelings I had periods where I slept ok. Not a lot, but I didn't care that much anymore. Now I still didn't care in the beginning. But I noticed I dont fall a sleep at all, while I have no signs of fear in my body. How is your process?
Thank you Alina, this was so good and helpful. I'll probably listen again as there were so many insights lol. I do have a question about coffee. I've always believed no coffee after lunch. My experience is usually I would not sleep at all or sometimes not until like 3am. But with insomnia having so many sleepless nights you get very tired, and coffee later in the day or evening would be great lol. Do you have any advice on coffee and insomnia? How late to have it without effecting sleep, etc?
Great question! I love coffee myself and was also avoiding it for a while when started having insomnia. I stopped avoiding that after I realized that I slept terribly even without drinking, so I might as well enjoy it :) And while coffee has energizing properties for sure, it can't keep us awake the whole night, especially if we drunk it during the day. Also, it's not coffee that makes us feel very scared, but (!) our thoughts and beliefs around coffee (like "coffee is really bad for people") are more likely to make us anxious rather than coffee itself, if that makes sense. I would say approaching it with common sense and based on our current needs is all that we need to keep in mind. Meaning that when it's 10pm, I probably wouldn't drink double espresso (although in some countries people do that), but sometimes I would have a cup of cappuccino at around 4-5pm when I feel like it without it impacting my sleep in any noticeable way. When I have too much coffee (but I really need to drink a lot to feel that) I would find myself energized even in the evening, but that feels differently than hyperarousal we have during insomnia. This effect wears off with time, allowing sleep to come. So all in all, I don't think that coffee is our enemy during insomnia, and when approaching it with common sense, it becomes a non-factor.
Ninth week of change. I have a long history of insomnia and waking after just three hours sleep. The last thing I want is to take up my prescription for sleep medication. I need some words of encouragement, please, im coming to the end of my tether. .
Wonderful and very helpful talk. Thank you both. One of the main pointers/teachings that jumped out for me was Fear of Fear. Recently I had a couple of weeks of less struggle & sleeping better followed by a period of difficult nights with little sleep interspersed with a few nights of good sleep. I realize that my hyperarousal increases and I have increased anxiety and fear and I am very fearful that my recovery journey is being sabotaged because of fear and anxiety . It is good to hear that anxiety/fear are not purely incompatible with sleep. A part of me wants to accept this and another part brings up doubt, perhaps because I have experienced this for a long time on and off! I understand that we do not have to get rid of fear to recover and that there is nothing wrong. Can you clarify what you mean about going with the fear - is it being willing to experience it? Also is this learning to feel safe? Thank you
Willing to experience the fear, yes. But willing doesn't mean liking or preferring fear. We can allow something without necessarily enjoying it. Sometimes all our brain wants is to be understood and when we actively fight with the fear, we get more resistance from the brain. But when we approach it with understanding and compassion, the inner friction starts to dissolve and things get easier.
@@FearlessSleep Thank you Alina. I am sure that your teachings are benefitting so many people going through this painful insomnia journey. You are what Buddhists call a bodhisattva🙏
I realized for me it was my anxiety. After taking benzos to sleep I would sleep normal again. I have to allow the anxiety to be there for this to go away which is hard when it feels so awful mentally and physically
Hi Daniel and Alina, I have a question and would love if you could answer. About sleep efforts, what to do when eliminating sleep efforts become and effort itself? And how to notice that? Thank you so much
Wonderful conversation. Thank you Daniel and Alina. Daniel’s comprehension of insomnia is impressive even though he did not really go through the struggle. Thank you for asking Daniel about this. I find that both of you are brilliant and I really appreciate your work. Thank you from 🇨🇦.
I have a question. I take a long time to fall asleep and have a difficulty to stay at sleep. My sleep circle is falling sleep- waking up many times along night. As far as ı understand, ı wake up because of need of turning. I wonder that ı need to turn why ı feel quite uncomfortable comparing to other people or can not fall asleep enough deep.
we are all normal sleepers before sleepless nights went on a bit too long . And what we did was go back to sleep and did not happen …… we all just want to go back to as before .
I wonder if part of recovrry is going thriugh periods of wanting to just sleep and having no issues sleeping after many monyhs of insomnia and then sleep disruption. I have these nights now of just crashing and dreaming and waking up tired and exhausted all day. I end up getting head aches and migraines... Is this part of recovery or catching ip on sleep? I wake up anxious and drowsy everyday. Pls help?
It’s anxiety. The insomnia is only a symptom. Our nerves are sensitized and the more we struggle the worse it gets. I am learning how to accept in order for this to go away. It’s a simple solution but incredibly difficult to do
The both of you gave me so much insight! I have watched twice and will refer back to it for sure. The idea of how personality types may affect the journey makes so much sense. I am self critical and put myself down in all areas of my life including insomnia. I also have a fear of fear. I have so many layers of struggle around sleep! I will be dreaming and then suddenly wake up realizing I fell asleep. You have described where I am in my insomnia journey! Thank you so much for this discussion!
❤️
You both are so amazing. I’m in the program and it’s really helped me mentally.
What a talk! When briliant minds get together
Hi Daniel and Alina, thank you so much for your content! I started to realise that the thing I fear the most now is how I feel the next day after one or more sleepless nights. I really try to enjoy my day and do the things I like the most, but most of these days I feel so sad, numb and very anxious all the time. Is this common? Do you know how I can be less afraid of how I feel the next day?
It’s so nice to have Daniel on to talk about the insomnia subject, thank you Alina, it’s a great discussion and wonderful conversation !
Would like to thank you for being "there" while i needed more knowledge. Thank you.
❤️
Hi Coach Alina and Daniel thank you for wonderful insight. May i ask this question: is it normal for some people for being too emotional?
Hi Coach Alina and Daniel thank you very much for your wonderful insights. May i ask this question: is it normal for some people for being too emotional?
It’s an emotional journey for sure ❤️ sadness, anger, impatience, frustration are really normal
@@FearlessSleep thank you very much coach❣️. I read a lot of your letter and i understand everything. Really appreciated 😊
Thanks for this video. ❤
Thank you Alina and Daniel, for these videos you share with us. I have been struggling with a severe form of Insomnia for about 2 years and your videos give me a lot of recognition and confidence and helped me through some stages of insomnia. Now I actually have a question about my current process that I can't find anything about anywhere on the internet or with coaches (I haven't recovered from insomnia yet unfortunately, it keeps taking new forms). So I thought I'd ask you this question anyway. Meanwhile, I don't sleep at all, but I also don't feel anxiety (which I felt before). I lie at rest all night but I don't fall asleep. I am so incredibly exhausted that I don't get to feelings of anxiety. There is complete exhaustion so I can't help but rest, but my consciousness remains on, so I don't "fall asleep". Do you have any experience with this? And what to do about this? I have been unable to work for 2 years because I am too exhausted during the day. Thanks a lot in advance! Love, Eva
How has your insomnia been? I would like to know the answer to your above question too
@@AyeshaKhan-q9s do you have the same experience? I don't understand this process. Before I had many ups and downs. But I could always feel that anxiety was the reason why I was still awake. So to fully accept and embrace this feelings I had periods where I slept ok. Not a lot, but I didn't care that much anymore. Now I still didn't care in the beginning. But I noticed I dont fall a sleep at all, while I have no signs of fear in my body. How is your process?
its maybe because of your hormones do the analyse
Thank you Alina, this was so good and helpful. I'll probably listen again as there were so many insights lol.
I do have a question about coffee. I've always believed no coffee after lunch. My experience is usually I would not sleep at all or sometimes not until like 3am. But with insomnia having so many sleepless nights you get very tired, and coffee later in the day or evening would be great lol. Do you have any advice on coffee and insomnia? How late to have it without effecting sleep, etc?
Great question! I love coffee myself and was also avoiding it for a while when started having insomnia. I stopped avoiding that after I realized that I slept terribly even without drinking, so I might as well enjoy it :)
And while coffee has energizing properties for sure, it can't keep us awake the whole night, especially if we drunk it during the day. Also, it's not coffee that makes us feel very scared, but (!) our thoughts and beliefs around coffee (like "coffee is really bad for people") are more likely to make us anxious rather than coffee itself, if that makes sense.
I would say approaching it with common sense and based on our current needs is all that we need to keep in mind. Meaning that when it's 10pm, I probably wouldn't drink double espresso (although in some countries people do that), but sometimes I would have a cup of cappuccino at around 4-5pm when I feel like it without it impacting my sleep in any noticeable way.
When I have too much coffee (but I really need to drink a lot to feel that) I would find myself energized even in the evening, but that feels differently than hyperarousal we have during insomnia. This effect wears off with time, allowing sleep to come.
So all in all, I don't think that coffee is our enemy during insomnia, and when approaching it with common sense, it becomes a non-factor.
Ninth week of change. I have a long history of insomnia and waking after just three hours sleep. The last thing I want is to take up my prescription for sleep medication. I need some words of encouragement, please, im coming to the end of my tether. .
Not being mean but I would love 3 hours without med 🤗
Wonderful and very helpful talk. Thank you both. One of the main pointers/teachings that jumped out for me was Fear of Fear. Recently I had a couple of weeks of less struggle & sleeping better followed by a period of difficult nights with little sleep interspersed with a few nights of good sleep. I realize that my hyperarousal increases and I have increased anxiety and fear and I am very fearful that my recovery journey is being sabotaged because of fear and anxiety . It is good to hear that anxiety/fear are not purely incompatible with sleep. A part of me wants to accept this and another part brings up doubt, perhaps because I have experienced this for a long time on and off! I understand that we do not have to get rid of fear to recover and that there is nothing wrong. Can you clarify what you mean about going with the fear - is it being willing to experience it? Also is this learning to feel safe? Thank you
Willing to experience the fear, yes. But willing doesn't mean liking or preferring fear. We can allow something without necessarily enjoying it. Sometimes all our brain wants is to be understood and when we actively fight with the fear, we get more resistance from the brain. But when we approach it with understanding and compassion, the inner friction starts to dissolve and things get easier.
@@FearlessSleep Thank you Alina. I am sure that your teachings are benefitting so many people going through this painful insomnia journey. You are what Buddhists call a bodhisattva🙏
I realized for me it was my anxiety. After taking benzos to sleep I would sleep normal again. I have to allow the anxiety to be there for this to go away which is hard when it feels so awful mentally and physically
Hi Daniel and Alina, I have a question and would love if you could answer.
About sleep efforts, what to do when eliminating sleep efforts become and effort itself? And how to notice that?
Thank you so much
Wonderful conversation. Thank you Daniel and Alina. Daniel’s comprehension of insomnia is impressive even though he did not really go through the struggle. Thank you for asking Daniel about this. I find that both of you are brilliant and I really appreciate your work. Thank you from 🇨🇦.
Glad you enjoyed it! 😊
I have a question. I take a long time to fall asleep and have a difficulty to stay at sleep. My sleep circle is falling sleep- waking up many times along night. As far as ı understand, ı wake up because of need of turning. I wonder that ı need to turn why ı feel quite uncomfortable comparing to other people or can not fall asleep enough deep.
we are all normal sleepers before sleepless nights went on a bit too long . And what we did was go back to sleep and did not happen …… we all just want to go back to as before .
I’m crying to thir comment because I just had it for a week and my head hurtss
I wonder if part of recovrry is going thriugh periods of wanting to just sleep and having no issues sleeping after many monyhs of insomnia and then sleep disruption. I have these nights now of just crashing and dreaming and waking up tired and exhausted all day. I end up getting head aches and migraines... Is this part of recovery or catching ip on sleep? I wake up anxious and drowsy everyday. Pls help?
It’s anxiety. The insomnia is only a symptom. Our nerves are sensitized and the more we struggle the worse it gets. I am learning how to accept in order for this to go away. It’s a simple solution but incredibly difficult to do
I’m back at struggling with insomnia after almost 5 years of sleeping really well 😭 I feel scared and hopeless, any suggestions? 🙏🏼
Turn to Jesus. Our insomnia stems from anxiety; we worry too much about things that are out of our control. Let go and trust God.
You've beaten it before it will go again
Anyone else on lunesta I know how dangerous it is but I need sleep I’ll bet if there was a placebo blue pill as the brain is powerful
Ime the same