How Chad improved his sleep by undoing all the changes he had made in response to his insomnia (#28)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
- Chad experienced some sleepless nights during a stressful period at work but his sleep started to get back on track - until one completely sleepless night created an avalanche of anxiety and insomnia.
This led Chad to develop an obsession with sleep. He would go to bed earlier to try to catch up on sleep, try to take naps, and he withdrew from activities that added meaning and enrichment to his life in an attempt to protect his sleep.
Fortunately, Chad discovered that it was his obsession with sleep and the changes he had made in response to difficult nights that were giving insomnia the oxygen it needed to survive.
So, he started to undo all those changes. He started to spend less time in bed and a sense of sleepiness returned. He started to live his life without allowing insomnia to control his decisions, plans, or activities - and this improved the quality of his days and helped him realize just how capable he can be, even after nights of little or no sleep.
By abandoning all efforts to create or control sleep and by living his life according to his values, regardless of how he slept, Chad was able to shift attention away from sleep, create better conditions for sleep to happen, and put his insomnia behind him.
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My name is Martin Reed and I am the founder of Insomnia Coach®. I offer sleep coaching services that give people with insomnia all the skills and support they need to enjoy better sleep for the rest of their lives. I also offer a free two-week sleep training course for people with insomnia at insomniacoach....
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All content found on the Insomnia Coach TH-cam 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 any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. The statements and opinions expressed by guests are their own and are not necessarily endorsed by Insomnia Coach LLC. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
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All content found on the Insomnia Coach TH-cam 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 any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. The statements and opinions expressed by guests are their own and are not necessarily endorsed by Insomnia Coach LLC. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
I still haven't forgotten that we should do a podcast together. My project was extended. I apologize for the delay in getting back.
@@Fruitbasket5101 No worries, Stephen! I'd still love to have you on - please reach out to me when your schedule is looking a bit better and we'll make it happen!
I really enjoyed this one, Chad's story is very close to mine.
Thanks for sharing that you enjoyed this episode! If you can relate to any of my guests, I think that implies you can move past your insomnia, just as they did!
Your podcasts are the most helpful thing I encountered on my two year journey of insomnia.
Wow, I really appreciate you sharing that with me! Thank you!
Thank you so much for the great content you are creating and sharing!
It helps a lot to know that you are not alone with your struggles (especially through hearing others sharing their stories!)
You are welcome, Melissa! As you pointed out, I think it can be so helpful to recognize that nobody with insomnia is alone - and that, from person to person, insomnia is pretty much exactly the same!
I wish we had a switch . Sleep mode on
We do, in a way - if we stay awake for long enough, the flip switches and we sleep. Every time, without fail!
I know it sounds silly but I get anxious that my lack of sleep makes me look older
That doesn't sound silly at all! As far as I know, there isn't any evidence that chronic insomnia accelerates the aging process - but we might be more tempted to look for evidence of this after difficult nights.
When we look for something we are more likely to find it - and this can then perpetuate our belief that how we sleep has a big influence on how we look. Then we can get caught up in the vicious cycle of more worry about sleep, more sleep efforts, and more sleep disruption.
@@InsomniaCoach Thanks I realised that too much research can cloud the mind and cause even more anxiety. Obviously if you don’t get a good nights sleep you won’t look as good as if you got the whole thing and when you catch up on your sleep your back to normal.
can u make a video about how to increase sleep drive apart from not laying in bed all day, as i understand two conditions for sleep sleep drive wakefulness for long enough and low arousal which has to do with too much social media. light hearded relaxing stuff like laughing or podcast before bed is advicable adding rich enjoyable activities sound good to me
Laying in bed all day might not be too helpful for building sleep drive since it could lead to some sleep during the day - and that can disrupt nighttime sleep. Being sedentary for the entire day might also reduce the body's need for sleep. You might find it helpful to be a bit more active/less sedentary during the day and to reserve sleep only for nighttime.
What would be an ideal sleep window? I'm going to implement sleep restriction, but I have no idea how long it should be. I think I sleep anywhere from 4 to 6 hours a night usually, so should it be 6? I used to sleep 7 to 8 before my sleep troubles.
Six hours might be a good start, Ben! You might find the calculator on this page helpful, too: insomniacoach.com/sleep-restriction-therapy/
Hello Martin, I’m starting antidepressants soon. I already have insomnia tendencies will the meds make it worse, or affect my sleep in anyway? Thanks
That would be a conversation to have with your doctor, Matthew.
@@InsomniaCoach thanks for the reply Martin. I’m currently only going to therapy. However, how can I beat insomnia when I usually get it the day before exams and then having a fear of feeling that lightheaded sleep deprived feeling which creates more anxiety and makes me stay up longer? Thank you.
@@InsomniaCoach I have been following everything you say in your vids and they’ve really helped my insomnia and sleep obsession but the thoughts get to me sometimes.
@@matthewxaviur8930 There's not much we can do about temporary periods of sleep disruption since they're part of the human experience! What we can do is tackle the behaviors that might perpetuate that temporary sleep disruption and turn it into a longer-term problem.
4 to 5 hrs a night I'd be happy with that. I can't break this I get 5 or 6 few days than a week back to one or two hrs a night sometimes 0 just lost and not sure what to do I've been delt just about everything medication witch made it worse and felt worse alcohol supplements u name it just not sure what to do this Rollercoaster sucks
Have you tried to implement any of the techniques that are discussed in these episodes or in the other videos on this channel, Dale? You might also find this video helpful, if you haven't seen it yet: How to stop the sleep roller coaster and make sleep more consistent and more predictable - th-cam.com/video/86qD_SFPd24/w-d-xo.html
When I watch your videos at the first 5 nights I sleep 7-8 hours, even I wake up multiple times I can still go back to sleep. But when a one night of bad sleep that continues for 2 days my anxiety go back again much more stronger that it's hard to go back again. What should I do?
Spend less time sleeping. It is the only thing that is guaranteed to rev up your sleep drive again.
How long your insomnia last?
16 months?
First of all, the fact you got five nights of seven to eight hours of sleep proves that you are capable of getting seven to eight hours of sleep! It might be worth exploring what it is about having a difficult night that seems to generate anxiety. What is the disaster or catastrophe that seems certain to happen after a difficult night, and how often has that disaster or catastrophe occurred?