How Jeannette got back on track after an insomnia relapse and moved away from ongoing struggle (#45)

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Ready to get your life back from insomnia? Learn more about the sleep coaching programs I offer at https://insomniacoach.com<br /><br />Jeannette thought of herself as a great sleeper until 13 years ago when she moved and her work schedule become less consistent. She started to stay up later and sleep in later and this led to some sleep disruption. When Jeannette tried to fix this, she ended up going down the insomnia rabbit hole and started researching how to get rid of her insomnia. The more research she did, the more she tried to fix her sleep, the more rules and rituals she engaged in, and the more she found herself struggling.<br /><br />After working with me, Jeannette’s sleep improved — but one night she woke up and found that she couldn’t fall back to sleep and all her old fears returned. She felt that something must be wrong with her as she found herself waking and finding it impossible to fall back to sleep night after night.<br /><br />This pulled Jeannette back into her old safety behaviors that she knew from experience weren’t helpful because she just didn’t know what else to do.<br /><br />In this episode, Jeannette describes how she moved away from the insomnia struggle; how she became more comfortable with nighttime wakefulness, how she stopped chasing after sleep, how she started to allow her mind to generate whatever thoughts it chose to generate — even the difficult ones, and how she started to be kinder to herself when things were difficult.<br /><br />Perhaps most importantly of all, Jeannette’s story shows that ups and downs are normal and to be expected. Just as we will have difficult days from time to time, we will have difficult nights from time to time. What truly matters is how we respond.<br /><br />Chapters:<br /><br />00:00:00 Introduction<br />00:03:11 How Her Routine Disruption Started It All<br />00:05:20 The Fixing Spiral: Rituals and Remedies<br />00:07:06 Rebound Insomnia and Desperation<br />00:09:14 Working with a Holistic Doctor<br />00:10:12 COVID and the Big Relapse<br />00:12:06 Relapse Triggers and the Downward Spiral<br />00:13:14 What Helped Jeannette Climb Out<br />00:14:30 The Role of Effort in Sleep Struggle<br />00:15:59 Why Fighting Thoughts Doesn’t Work<br />00:17:09 Struggle With Nighttime Wakefulness<br />00:18:38 The Brain's Misguided Protection Mode<br />00:20:03 Learning to Acknowledge Thoughts<br />00:21:33 Focusing on Behavior Over Feelings<br />00:23:08 Values-Based Action Despite Sleep<br />00:24:18 Sleep Window vs. Mindfulness Confusion<br />00:25:05 Reducing Time in Bed: Her Experience<br />00:27:01 Learning to Start the Day Slowly<br />00:29:03 Journaling Progress and Small Wins<br />00:30:12 Owning Her Chronotype and Routine<br />00:31:35 Why Mornings Feel So Awful (And Why It’s Okay)<br />00:33:05 Doing What Matters When Awake<br />00:34:43 Shifting from Perfectionism to Realism<br />00:36:44 Embracing Struggle as Part of Growth<br />00:38:01 Changing Her Relationship With Wakefulness<br />00:40:09 Finding Motivation to Try Something Different<br />00:41:26 A New Middle-of-the-Night Routine<br />00:43:15 What Getting Out of Bed Really Means<br />00:45:05 Changing Behavior to Teach the Brain<br />00:46:04 Staying Connected to Recovery Stories<br />00:47:22 Reengaging With Life and Movement<br />00:48:58 Practicing Self-Compassion Daily<br />00:50:29 Why Being Kind to Yourself Matters<br />00:51:14 Learning to Navigate Ups and Downs<br />00:52:22 How Education Helped Her Final Relapse<br />00:54:21 Recognizing Hyperarousal for What It Is<br />00:56:12 Final Thoughts on Long-Term Change<br />00:58:28 Coaching Advice for the Hopeless Sleeper<br />01:00:00 Why This Works When Nothing Else Did<br />01:01:49 Closing and Farewell<br /><br />▶ Subscribe to the Insomnia Coach channel (and be sure to click the notification bell afterward so you don't miss any videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL5LsLUeVA2j_Vsl5625shQ?sub_confirmation=1<br /><br />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 https://insomniacoach.com/sleep-training/?ref=youtube021723<br /><br />You can also find me here:<br /><br />Website: https://insomniacoach.com<br />Twitter: https://twitter.com/insomniacoach<br />Facebook: https://facebook.com/insomniacoach<br />Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myinsomniacoach/<br /><br />All content found on the Insomnia Coach YouTube 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.<br /><br />#insomnia<br />#sleep

Insomnia Coach 2.7K views February 17, 2023 11:20 pm

Ready to get your life back from insomnia? Learn more about the sleep coaching programs I offer at https://insomniacoach.com

Jeannette thought of herself as a great sleeper until 13 years ago when she moved and her work schedule become less consistent. She started to stay up later and sleep in later and this led to some sleep disruption. When Jeannette tried to fix this, she ended up going down the insomnia rabbit hole and started researching how to get rid of her insomnia. The more research she did, the more she tried to fix her sleep, the more rules and rituals she engaged in, and the more she found herself struggling.

After working with me, Jeannette’s sleep improved — but one night she woke up and found that she couldn’t fall back to sleep and all her old fears returned. She felt that something must be wrong with her as she found herself waking and finding it impossible to fall back to sleep night after night.

This pulled Jeannette back into her old safety behaviors that she knew from experience weren’t helpful because she just didn’t know what else to do.

In this episode, Jeannette describes how she moved away from the insomnia struggle; how she became more comfortable with nighttime wakefulness, how she stopped chasing after sleep, how she started to allow her mind to generate whatever thoughts it chose to generate — even the difficult ones, and how she started to be kinder to herself when things were difficult.

Perhaps most importantly of all, Jeannette’s story shows that ups and downs are normal and to be expected. Just as we will have difficult days from time to time, we will have difficult nights from time to time. What truly matters is how we respond.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Introduction
00:03:11 How Her Routine Disruption Started It All
00:05:20 The Fixing Spiral: Rituals and Remedies
00:07:06 Rebound Insomnia and Desperation
00:09:14 Working with a Holistic Doctor
00:10:12 COVID and the Big Relapse
00:12:06 Relapse Triggers and the Downward Spiral
00:13:14 What Helped Jeannette Climb Out
00:14:30 The Role of Effort in Sleep Struggle
00:15:59 Why Fighting Thoughts Doesn’t Work
00:17:09 Struggle With Nighttime Wakefulness
00:18:38 The Brain’s Misguided Protection Mode
00:20:03 Learning to Acknowledge Thoughts
00:21:33 Focusing on Behavior Over Feelings
00:23:08 Values-Based Action Despite Sleep
00:24:18 Sleep Window vs. Mindfulness Confusion
00:25:05 Reducing Time in Bed: Her Experience
00:27:01 Learning to Start the Day Slowly
00:29:03 Journaling Progress and Small Wins
00:30:12 Owning Her Chronotype and Routine
00:31:35 Why Mornings Feel So Awful (And Why It’s Okay)
00:33:05 Doing What Matters When Awake
00:34:43 Shifting from Perfectionism to Realism
00:36:44 Embracing Struggle as Part of Growth
00:38:01 Changing Her Relationship With Wakefulness
00:40:09 Finding Motivation to Try Something Different
00:41:26 A New Middle-of-the-Night Routine
00:43:15 What Getting Out of Bed Really Means
00:45:05 Changing Behavior to Teach the Brain
00:46:04 Staying Connected to Recovery Stories
00:47:22 Reengaging With Life and Movement
00:48:58 Practicing Self-Compassion Daily
00:50:29 Why Being Kind to Yourself Matters
00:51:14 Learning to Navigate Ups and Downs
00:52:22 How Education Helped Her Final Relapse
00:54:21 Recognizing Hyperarousal for What It Is
00:56:12 Final Thoughts on Long-Term Change
00:58:28 Coaching Advice for the Hopeless Sleeper
01:00:00 Why This Works When Nothing Else Did
01:01:49 Closing and Farewell

▶ Subscribe to the Insomnia Coach channel (and be sure to click the notification bell afterward so you don’t miss any videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL5LsLUeVA2j_Vsl5625shQ?sub_confirmation=1

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 https://insomniacoach.com/sleep-training/?ref=youtube021723

You can also find me here:

Website: https://insomniacoach.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/insomniacoach
Facebook: https://facebook.com/insomniacoach
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myinsomniacoach/

All content found on the Insomnia Coach YouTube 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.

#insomnia
#sleep