How Kristina dealt with anxiety as insomnia went from not staying asleep to not falling asleep (#38)

YouTube Video VVVMNUxzTFVlVkEyal9Wc2w1NjI1c2hRLk5IcTVXZ0NHcWtv

Ready to get your life back from insomnia? Learn more about the sleep coaching programs I offer at https://insomniacoach.com<br /><br />Kristina had a very stressful job. One night, her husband woke her suddenly after experiencing a really bad nightmare. This event seemed to trigger the release of a lot of anxiety that had been building for some time and Kristina was unable to fall back to sleep. Unfortunately, sleep proved to be difficult on subsequent nights, too — and this created even more worry and anxiety.<br /><br />At first, Kristina found that she could fall asleep but would wake in the middle of the night with a racing mind and find it hard to fall back to sleep. This then shifted into difficulty falling asleep — and this change created even more anxiety and sleep disruption.<br /><br />Kristina’s mind constantly worried about sleep. Even if she was doing something she really enjoyed, her mind would interrupt her with thoughts like, “What if I don’t sleep tonight?”. She wondered if this would be her entire life from now on. She worried that if her sleep didn’t improve, she wouldn’t be able to live the kind of life she wanted to live.<br /><br />After trying lots of things that didn’t seem to help, Kristina started to do things that are known to starve insomnia of the oxygen it needs to survive. Instead of chasing sleep by going to bed earlier and staying in bed later, she started going to bed later at night — when she felt truly sleepy enough for sleep, rather than fatigued. She got out of bed by the same time each morning — no matter what. Whenever being awake at night didn’t feel good, she did something more enjoyable instead.<br /><br />Perhaps most importantly, though, Kristina decided to work on shifting her focus back to the present moment and what was in her control. She engaged in things each day that helped her continue to move toward the kind of life she wanted to live, independently of sleep and even in the presence of difficult thoughts and feelings.<br /><br />Sleep is no longer a problem for Kristina. There is no more mystery and there is no more struggle with wakefulness and difficult thoughts and feelings. Kristina’s experience proves that although we can get stuck, we are never broken.<br /><br />Chapters:<br /><br />00:00:00 Introduction<br />00:04:02 Daytime Anxiety and Sleep Worry<br />00:06:02 The Cycle of Sleep-Related Anxiety<br />00:08:01 Ineffective Quick Fixes Tried<br />00:09:44 Unhelpful Advice From Professionals<br />00:12:01 Understanding the Three Ps of Insomnia<br />00:14:18 Breaking the Cycle With New Habits<br />00:16:29 Discovering True Sleepiness<br />00:18:31 Confusing Fatigue With Sleepiness<br />00:20:30 Embracing the Sleep Window<br />00:22:29 Letting Sleepiness Guide Bedtime<br />00:24:00 Committing to a Consistent Wake-Up Time<br />00:26:04 Pushing Through Tough Mornings<br />00:28:00 Long-Term Payoff of Consistency<br />00:29:51 Sleep Recovery Takes Time<br />00:32:04 Accepting What You Can’t Control<br />00:34:00 Making Space for Difficult Thoughts<br />00:36:03 Getting Out of Bed When Awake<br />00:38:45 Doing It Differently This Time<br />00:41:08 Purpose of Stimulus Control<br />00:43:00 Rebuilding a Positive Relationship With Bed<br />00:44:14 Shifting Focus to Life Enrichment<br />00:46:45 Acceptance and Letting Go<br />00:49:03 Personalized Pace Toward Recovery<br />00:51:02 Acceptance Isn’t Giving Up<br />00:53:05 Building Confidence After the Course<br />00:55:01 Avoiding Timelines and Comparison<br />00:57:10 A New Normal With Sleep<br />00:59:16 More Fulfillment During the Day<br />01:02:11 Final Encouragement and Hope<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=youtube042822<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 5.7K views April 29, 2022 3:23 am

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

Kristina had a very stressful job. One night, her husband woke her suddenly after experiencing a really bad nightmare. This event seemed to trigger the release of a lot of anxiety that had been building for some time and Kristina was unable to fall back to sleep. Unfortunately, sleep proved to be difficult on subsequent nights, too — and this created even more worry and anxiety.

At first, Kristina found that she could fall asleep but would wake in the middle of the night with a racing mind and find it hard to fall back to sleep. This then shifted into difficulty falling asleep — and this change created even more anxiety and sleep disruption.

Kristina’s mind constantly worried about sleep. Even if she was doing something she really enjoyed, her mind would interrupt her with thoughts like, “What if I don’t sleep tonight?”. She wondered if this would be her entire life from now on. She worried that if her sleep didn’t improve, she wouldn’t be able to live the kind of life she wanted to live.

After trying lots of things that didn’t seem to help, Kristina started to do things that are known to starve insomnia of the oxygen it needs to survive. Instead of chasing sleep by going to bed earlier and staying in bed later, she started going to bed later at night — when she felt truly sleepy enough for sleep, rather than fatigued. She got out of bed by the same time each morning — no matter what. Whenever being awake at night didn’t feel good, she did something more enjoyable instead.

Perhaps most importantly, though, Kristina decided to work on shifting her focus back to the present moment and what was in her control. She engaged in things each day that helped her continue to move toward the kind of life she wanted to live, independently of sleep and even in the presence of difficult thoughts and feelings.

Sleep is no longer a problem for Kristina. There is no more mystery and there is no more struggle with wakefulness and difficult thoughts and feelings. Kristina’s experience proves that although we can get stuck, we are never broken.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Introduction
00:04:02 Daytime Anxiety and Sleep Worry
00:06:02 The Cycle of Sleep-Related Anxiety
00:08:01 Ineffective Quick Fixes Tried
00:09:44 Unhelpful Advice From Professionals
00:12:01 Understanding the Three Ps of Insomnia
00:14:18 Breaking the Cycle With New Habits
00:16:29 Discovering True Sleepiness
00:18:31 Confusing Fatigue With Sleepiness
00:20:30 Embracing the Sleep Window
00:22:29 Letting Sleepiness Guide Bedtime
00:24:00 Committing to a Consistent Wake-Up Time
00:26:04 Pushing Through Tough Mornings
00:28:00 Long-Term Payoff of Consistency
00:29:51 Sleep Recovery Takes Time
00:32:04 Accepting What You Can’t Control
00:34:00 Making Space for Difficult Thoughts
00:36:03 Getting Out of Bed When Awake
00:38:45 Doing It Differently This Time
00:41:08 Purpose of Stimulus Control
00:43:00 Rebuilding a Positive Relationship With Bed
00:44:14 Shifting Focus to Life Enrichment
00:46:45 Acceptance and Letting Go
00:49:03 Personalized Pace Toward Recovery
00:51:02 Acceptance Isn’t Giving Up
00:53:05 Building Confidence After the Course
00:55:01 Avoiding Timelines and Comparison
00:57:10 A New Normal With Sleep
00:59:16 More Fulfillment During the Day
01:02:11 Final Encouragement and Hope

▶ 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=youtube042822

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