Daniel, i have a very bad insomnia right now i am not able to sleep 5 days in a row for now and i dont know why is it happening, i have sensation that my body is failing me during a day. I am very tired but my mind just doesnot turn off. Please let me know your thoughts, thanks!
Hi, if I may relpy, I can feel you, my insomnia started by what felt like many more days than yours on no sleep. Then basically, I was advised to a psychiatrist and got sleeping pills - this I consider as not the luckiest advice. It just confirmed that there is something wrong with me and that I need something external to make me sleep. After that started my 8 years long struggle with insomnia. A few times in this period my insomnia thanks to mindshifting got resolved, but always came back, since I was missing the educational part that this channel offers. So just hang in here and absorb as much as you can! Right now I think you are very scared. You don't know what and why is happening to you or if it can hurt you. You cannot shut your brain. Let's look at it closer: 1. First thing to know is what insomnia really is - in short: confusion in the brain. Insomnia is just a percieved threat and your brain needs to learn that there is nothing to be afraid of. You are basically in fight or flight mode, your brain sees a threat (being awake at night) and so it is just logical, that it will not let you sleep peacefully. 2. Secondly, hyperarousal is a break in our brain. Gas is the sleep drive, if the sleep drive is strong, but the hyperarousal (any state of elevated emotion, like fear) kicks in, you will not sleep. Racing mind is a normal part of hyperarousal. 3. Befriend wakefulness - the more you want to sleep the less you get. Sleep is a passive process. So being ok with wakefulness is the way. The less you resist the craving for sleep, the more sleep you get as a result. 4. Your body is failing you as you are exhausted, but exhaustion in itself cannot hurt you. Good thing to do is mindfulness. Acknowledge your feelings in a present moment, a headache, sickness, heavy breathing, racing mind. Just know that they are there and do not fight them, because the more you fight them the stronger they become. 5. Education is what gave me the biggest relief, when I watched the first success story, I cried, because I could relate so much. I understood that nothing that is happening with me is unusual and I can get out of this as many others before me. It will not happen overnight, but it is absolutely worth it. Good luck!
Hi Mr Iko, I’ll say Veronika said it so well, and you know I’ll just add that when the brain thinks we are in danger, it wants to keep us awake even when we are tired… but when it sees that there’s no danger, then we sleep peacefully again. So yes, education is one of the most helpful things as she said. Hang in there!
Thank you so much for taking your time out of your day to respond. After 5 days i was told to took a valerian pill and i think subconsciously i believed that it would work and as a result it took some anxiety aways and i was able to sleep that night. but yesterday it did not work. I know all is mindset at the end, but fear is too much in my case i am afraid of how am i gonna sleep today or what if that this will continue, also i dont have appetite and i have been experiencing weight loss which leads me to more anxiety. Your comments gave me hope, thanks god for people like you ❤️ i know i will overcome this!
i have insomia to for more than decades on and off and is worst now that im in menopause as im typing my eyes so dry and heavy bec i didnt sleep at all lasnight and not even nap i was worried bec i run out of sleepings pills and i cant talk to my doctor till tuesday im so worried if i cant sleep tonight ahhhh and my anxiety get worst when its bed time i sleep good when everytime i take sleeping pills and if i dont sometimes i sleep on my own but i dream as soon as i fall asleep and wake me up
When I went for CBT I the therapist told me I couldn’t even sit in my bed with a cup of tea and talk to my husband. I became terrified of CBT I as it is said to be ‘the gold standard’. I felt I’d never be able to do it. Finding you had completely changed my attitude to sleep. The relief is enormous. Last night I was awoken by my dog barking at next door’s dog which had gone into the garden. My heart was racing. I just got up,comforted my dog,told myself I was awake and anxious,then I just dropped back to sleep. I can’t thank you enough.
Judith, this is so wonderful to hear 😊 And you know, I do the easy part of sharing some thoughts on doing some education. You have done the harder parts of being willing to learn and go towards your fear, well done! And you know, it’s so unfortunate that there’s so much confusion when it comes to CBT for insomnia. Hopefully this will change in time!
Hey Daniel, love your videos ! My insomnia is I’m waking up after 4 hours of sleep and very difficult to fall back asleep been happening almost every night? Any suggestion?
Thanks Simon! And you know, I have an answer for this that I use often, let me share it! - What should you do when you wake up in the middle of the night or early in the morning? One thing that can really help is to know that humans wake up many times per hour (!) to scan the environment and make sure there is no threat and it’s safe to sleep. Waking up often is a normal part of sleep, most people just don’t remember! However, when being awake itself is starting to be thought of as a threat we can have long awakenings that we remember. Here are some practical ideas that can help. 1. How many times have you woken up, checked the time, and felt a wave of relief? And how many times have you seen what time it is and then started calculating - how much you’ve slept, how much time you have left to sleep and, how much you would sleep in total if you just fell asleep now?! Checking the time almost always leads to calculating and more pressure to sleep! So resist the urge! This is a very powerful act of letting go of control. 2. Acknowledge that you are awake. This may sound silly but it’s important. If you try to fight reality and make yourself sleep and you’re not accepting that you are awake, then you’ll have more frustration and more wakefulness. And by the way acknowledging is different from resignation. It’s kind of like saying it’s 72° outside it’s just like stating a fact. 3. This is probably the most important - befriend wakefulness! When you have had trouble sleeping, the brain has started seeing wakefulness at night as a threat. And this is why insomnia happens! When you teach it that being awake actually isn’t a threat, it can’t harm you, you start sleeping much better! So how does befriending wakefulness work? When you wake up at night try to see how you feel. If you are comfortable in bed and you can easily think of something pleasant then just stay in bed. You’ll probably sleep soon enough. If you are not easily distracted by your own thoughts, if you feel annoyed, then it’s important to do something that you enjoy. You can read a book or watch some Netflix in bed or outside of the bad. Whatever makes you feel least pressured and that you have the most pleasure. I know it’s hard when you want to be asleep, but it’s really important. Something that often comes up is, wouldn’t that make me more awake? It could. And that’s kind of the point! Insomnia happens because you’re trying to escape wakefulness. So when you do things that teach your brain that you are OK with being awake, everything changes. When your mind sees that being awake even at night is not a threat or an enemy, it becomes less excited when you’re awake at night and it allows you to sleep again.
Daniel, i have a very bad insomnia right now i am not able to sleep 5 days in a row for now and i dont know why is it happening, i have sensation that my body is failing me during a day. I am very tired but my mind just doesnot turn off. Please let me know your thoughts, thanks!
Hi, if I may relpy, I can feel you, my insomnia started by what felt like many more days than yours on no sleep. Then basically, I was advised to a psychiatrist and got sleeping pills - this I consider as not the luckiest advice. It just confirmed that there is something wrong with me and that I need something external to make me sleep. After that started my 8 years long struggle with insomnia. A few times in this period my insomnia thanks to mindshifting got resolved, but always came back, since I was missing the educational part that this channel offers. So just hang in here and absorb as much as you can!
Right now I think you are very scared. You don't know what and why is happening to you or if it can hurt you. You cannot shut your brain. Let's look at it closer:
1. First thing to know is what insomnia really is - in short: confusion in the brain. Insomnia is just a percieved threat and your brain needs to learn that there is nothing to be afraid of. You are basically in fight or flight mode, your brain sees a threat (being awake at night) and so it is just logical, that it will not let you sleep peacefully.
2. Secondly, hyperarousal is a break in our brain. Gas is the sleep drive, if the sleep drive is strong, but the hyperarousal (any state of elevated emotion, like fear) kicks in, you will not sleep. Racing mind is a normal part of hyperarousal.
3. Befriend wakefulness - the more you want to sleep the less you get. Sleep is a passive process. So being ok with wakefulness is the way. The less you resist the craving for sleep, the more sleep you get as a result.
4. Your body is failing you as you are exhausted, but exhaustion in itself cannot hurt you. Good thing to do is mindfulness. Acknowledge your feelings in a present moment, a headache, sickness, heavy breathing, racing mind. Just know that they are there and do not fight them, because the more you fight them the stronger they become.
5. Education is what gave me the biggest relief, when I watched the first success story, I cried, because I could relate so much. I understood that nothing that is happening with me is unusual and I can get out of this as many others before me. It will not happen overnight, but it is absolutely worth it.
Good luck!
Hi Mr Iko,
I’ll say Veronika said it so well, and you know I’ll just add that when the brain thinks we are in danger, it wants to keep us awake even when we are tired… but when it sees that there’s no danger, then we sleep peacefully again. So yes, education is one of the most helpful things as she said.
Hang in there!
Thank you so much for taking your time out of your day to respond. After 5 days i was told to took a valerian pill and i think subconsciously i believed that it would work and as a result it took some anxiety aways and i was able to sleep that night. but yesterday it did not work. I know all is mindset at the end, but fear is too much in my case i am afraid of how am i gonna sleep today or what if that this will continue, also i dont have appetite and i have been experiencing weight loss which leads me to more anxiety. Your comments gave me hope, thanks god for people like you ❤️ i know i will overcome this!
You will!
i have insomia to for more than decades on and off and is worst now that im in menopause as im typing my eyes so dry and heavy bec i didnt sleep at all lasnight and not even nap i was worried bec i run out of sleepings pills and i cant talk to my doctor till tuesday im so worried if i cant sleep tonight ahhhh and my anxiety get worst when its bed time i sleep good when everytime i take sleeping pills and if i dont sometimes i sleep on my own but i dream as soon as i fall asleep and wake me up
You are doing great Basilio! You have a great mindset! Eventually you will start to think about sleep less and less!!! Self kindness always wins!
Self kindness always wins 🤗 love this one!
Thanks, appreciate your kind words!
When I went for CBT I the therapist told me I couldn’t even sit in my bed with a cup of tea and talk to my husband. I became terrified of CBT I as it is said to be ‘the gold standard’. I felt I’d never be able to do it. Finding you had completely changed my attitude to sleep. The relief is enormous. Last night I was awoken by my dog barking at next door’s dog which had gone into the garden. My heart was racing. I just got up,comforted my dog,told myself I was awake and anxious,then I just dropped back to sleep. I can’t thank you enough.
Judith, this is so wonderful to hear 😊 And you know, I do the easy part of sharing some thoughts on doing some education. You have done the harder parts of being willing to learn and go towards your fear, well done! And you know, it’s so unfortunate that there’s so much confusion when it comes to CBT for insomnia. Hopefully this will change in time!
Hey Daniel, love your videos ! My insomnia is I’m waking up after 4 hours of sleep and very difficult to fall back asleep been happening almost every night? Any suggestion?
Thanks Simon! And you know, I have an answer for this that I use often, let me share it!
-
What should you do when you wake up in the middle of the night or early in the morning?
One thing that can really help is to know that humans wake up many times per hour (!) to scan the environment and make sure there is no threat and it’s safe to sleep. Waking up often is a normal part of sleep, most people just don’t remember!
However, when being awake itself is starting to be thought of as a threat we can have long awakenings that we remember.
Here are some practical ideas that can help.
1. How many times have you woken up, checked the time, and felt a wave of relief? And how many times have you seen what time it is and then started calculating - how much you’ve slept, how much time you have left to sleep and, how much you would sleep in total if you just fell asleep now?!
Checking the time almost always leads to calculating and more pressure to sleep!
So resist the urge! This is a very powerful act of letting go of control.
2. Acknowledge that you are awake. This may sound silly but it’s important. If you try to fight reality and make yourself sleep and you’re not accepting that you are awake, then you’ll have more frustration and more wakefulness. And by the way acknowledging is different from resignation. It’s kind of like saying it’s 72° outside it’s just like stating a fact.
3. This is probably the most important - befriend wakefulness! When you have had trouble sleeping, the brain has started seeing wakefulness at night as a threat. And this is why insomnia happens! When you teach it that being awake actually isn’t a threat, it can’t harm you, you start sleeping much better!
So how does befriending wakefulness work?
When you wake up at night try to see how you feel. If you are comfortable in bed and you can easily think of something pleasant then just stay in bed. You’ll probably sleep soon enough.
If you are not easily distracted by your own thoughts, if you feel annoyed, then it’s important to do something that you enjoy. You can read a book or watch some Netflix in bed or outside of the bad. Whatever makes you feel least pressured and that you have the most pleasure. I know it’s hard when you want to be asleep, but it’s really important.
Something that often comes up is, wouldn’t that make me more awake?
It could. And that’s kind of the point!
Insomnia happens because you’re trying to escape wakefulness. So when you do things that teach your brain that you are OK with being awake, everything changes.
When your mind sees that being awake even at night is not a threat or an enemy, it becomes less excited when you’re awake at night and it allows you to sleep again.