How Danny overcame the insomnia struggle by embracing acceptance & doing things that mattered (#66)

YouTube Video VVVMNUxzTFVlVkEyal9Wc2w1NjI1c2hRLmlneUVucXR5TUl3

Ready to get your life back from insomnia? Learn more about my sleep coaching programs at https://insomniacoach.com<br /><br />In 2019 Danny was going through a stressful period in his life while also being on a big health and fitness kick. When his sleep started to become a problem, Danny became very concerned and his doctor offered medication.<br /><br />When Danny started to make some lifestyle changes to reduce stress, reduce the intensity of his training, and ensure he was eating sufficiently, his sleep started to improve. Danny felt relief, believing that he’d found the cure — that sleep needed a certain amount of exercise or a certain type of diet to happen.<br /><br />As time went on, Danny found himself increasingly focused on protecting his sleep through diet and exercise. This, in turn, created a lot of sleep-related anxiety — and when really difficult nights returned in 2022, Danny realized that diet and exercise weren’t the guardians of his sleep after all. Looking for answers, Danny spent his days troubleshooting and trying to figure out a way forward.<br /><br />Danny discovered that the key to getting his sleep back on track was to reduce the power and influence sleep had over his life. For sleep to be effortless, he needed to move away from putting effort into making a certain amount or type of sleep happen.<br /><br />In this episode, Danny describes the approach he took. It involved committing to actions that mattered to him each day (no matter how small), independently of sleep. It involved identifying and eliminating sleep-related rules and rituals. It involved ensuring his actions served him rather than insomnia. It involved acknowledging all the difficult thoughts and feelings that came with insomnia and being kinder to himself when things were difficult rather than trying to fight or avoid them and being harder on himself.<br /><br />This process wasn’t easy. It took commitment, resilience, and effort. It requires ongoing practice. Today, Danny’s sleep is back on track. And, when the occasional difficult night shows up, it no longer has any power or influence over him or the life he wants to live.<br /><br />Chapters:<br /><br />00:00:00 Introduction <br />00:04:08 Sleep Anxiety and Control <br />00:10:48 Struggling Again After Medication Change <br />00:14:20 Falling into the Research Rabbit Hole <br />00:16:14 A Turning Point: Birthday Trip to LA <br />00:20:16 Sleep Fixes That Became Rituals <br />00:27:01 What the Worst Nights Were Like <br />00:30:05 Starting CBT-I and Sleep Restriction <br />00:36:27 Frustration with the Rules of CBT-I <br />00:38:02 Shifting Toward Acceptance <br />00:43:44 Committed Action Despite Struggle <br />00:50:00 Feelings, Fatigue, and Functioning <br />00:57:13 Observing vs Fighting Thoughts <br />01:00:12 Letting Go of Sleep Rituals <br />01:03:10 Choosing Actions That Serve You <br />01:06:31 How Long Recovery Took and What Helped <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 />You can subscribe to the Insomnia Coach® Podcast through the following platforms:<br /><br />Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/insomnia-coach-podcast/id1469454957<br /><br />YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzlNKjoB23Ll7PSEJHquZjx4QSbZAtQy9<br /><br />Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2eVnnsowPQAnS4cZX73dEf<br /><br />Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=432360<br /><br />TuneIn: https://tunein.com/podcasts/Health--Wellness-Podcasts/Insomnia-Coach(R)-Podcast-p1232227/<br /><br />PodBean: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/gz957-98ea6/Insomnia-Coach%C2%AE-Podcast <br /><br />iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-insomnia-coach-podcast-46606122/<br /><br />My name is Martin Reed and I am the founder of Insomnia Coach®. I offer sleep coaching programs that will help you stop struggling with sleep so you can get your life back from insomnia. I also offer a free two-week sleep training course for insomnia at https://insomniacoach.com/sleep-training/?ref=youtube020325<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 2.2K views February 3, 2025 11:17 pm

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

In 2019 Danny was going through a stressful period in his life while also being on a big health and fitness kick. When his sleep started to become a problem, Danny became very concerned and his doctor offered medication.

When Danny started to make some lifestyle changes to reduce stress, reduce the intensity of his training, and ensure he was eating sufficiently, his sleep started to improve. Danny felt relief, believing that he’d found the cure — that sleep needed a certain amount of exercise or a certain type of diet to happen.

As time went on, Danny found himself increasingly focused on protecting his sleep through diet and exercise. This, in turn, created a lot of sleep-related anxiety — and when really difficult nights returned in 2022, Danny realized that diet and exercise weren’t the guardians of his sleep after all. Looking for answers, Danny spent his days troubleshooting and trying to figure out a way forward.

Danny discovered that the key to getting his sleep back on track was to reduce the power and influence sleep had over his life. For sleep to be effortless, he needed to move away from putting effort into making a certain amount or type of sleep happen.

In this episode, Danny describes the approach he took. It involved committing to actions that mattered to him each day (no matter how small), independently of sleep. It involved identifying and eliminating sleep-related rules and rituals. It involved ensuring his actions served him rather than insomnia. It involved acknowledging all the difficult thoughts and feelings that came with insomnia and being kinder to himself when things were difficult rather than trying to fight or avoid them and being harder on himself.

This process wasn’t easy. It took commitment, resilience, and effort. It requires ongoing practice. Today, Danny’s sleep is back on track. And, when the occasional difficult night shows up, it no longer has any power or influence over him or the life he wants to live.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Introduction
00:04:08 Sleep Anxiety and Control
00:10:48 Struggling Again After Medication Change
00:14:20 Falling into the Research Rabbit Hole
00:16:14 A Turning Point: Birthday Trip to LA
00:20:16 Sleep Fixes That Became Rituals
00:27:01 What the Worst Nights Were Like
00:30:05 Starting CBT-I and Sleep Restriction
00:36:27 Frustration with the Rules of CBT-I
00:38:02 Shifting Toward Acceptance
00:43:44 Committed Action Despite Struggle
00:50:00 Feelings, Fatigue, and Functioning
00:57:13 Observing vs Fighting Thoughts
01:00:12 Letting Go of Sleep Rituals
01:03:10 Choosing Actions That Serve You
01:06:31 How Long Recovery Took and What Helped

▶ 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

You can subscribe to the Insomnia Coach® Podcast through the following platforms:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/insomnia-coach-podcast/id1469454957

YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzlNKjoB23Ll7PSEJHquZjx4QSbZAtQy9

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2eVnnsowPQAnS4cZX73dEf

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=432360

TuneIn: https://tunein.com/podcasts/Health–Wellness-Podcasts/Insomnia-Coach(R)-Podcast-p1232227/

PodBean: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/gz957-98ea6/Insomnia-Coach%C2%AE-Podcast

iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-insomnia-coach-podcast-46606122/

My name is Martin Reed and I am the founder of Insomnia Coach®. I offer sleep coaching programs that will help you stop struggling with sleep so you can get your life back from insomnia. I also offer a free two-week sleep training course for insomnia at https://insomniacoach.com/sleep-training/?ref=youtube020325

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