How Vicky changed her approach to insomnia when sleeping pills stopped working after 20 years (#43)

YouTube Video VVVMNUxzTFVlVkEyal9Wc2w1NjI1c2hRLllMb0tFMGZBNnVF

Ready to get your life back from insomnia? Learn more about the sleep coaching programs I offer at https://insomniacoach.com<br /><br />Vicky dealt with her insomnia by taking sleeping pills and this seemed to work well until one night, after 20 years of regular use, the medication didn't help her sleep. <br /><br />She started to experience a lot of anxiety and would wake up in the middle of the night and have panic attacks.<br /><br />This all led Vicky to explore a new approach to insomnia that involved letting go of the struggle. She began to recognize that difficult thoughts and feelings, although very unpleasant, didn't need to prevent her from doing things that mattered — so she didn't need to engage in a battle with them.<br /><br />Vicky started to allow her mind to think what it wanted to think and to generate the full range of human feelings and emotions. She started to acknowledge and make space for thoughts and feelings — even though she often wished they weren't showing up — instead of going to war with them.<br /><br />She committed to doing things that were important and meaningful even after difficult nights and even in the presence of uncomfortable thoughts and feelings.<br /><br />Today, Vicky still experiences some difficult nights from time to time but she is no longer engaged in an exhausting and distracting battle with her mind throughout the day and throughout the night.<br /><br />She is living the kind of life she wants to live even when difficult nights happen and even when uncomfortable thoughts and feelings show up. In fact, Vicky now thinks of her insomnia as a gift — as something that has helped her become more resilient and better able to react in a more workable way to the difficulties we all experience as human beings.<br /><br />Chapters:<br /><br />00:00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer<br />00:04:58 Vicky’s Insomnia History and Family Influence<br />00:06:01 Transition to Motherhood and Sleep Disruption<br />00:07:11 The Night the Medication Failed<br />00:08:36 The Fear of Losing a Safety Net<br />00:10:00 Understanding the Pill’s Psychological Effect<br />00:11:15 Finding Comfort in Others’ Stories<br />00:12:41 Why the Struggle Stuck Around<br />00:14:00 Stressful Nights and Loneliness<br />00:14:43 Patterns of Sleep Disruption<br />00:16:02 Sleep Prep Routines That Backfired<br />00:17:56 When Effort Becomes the Problem<br />00:19:06 Supplements, Sleep Hygiene, and Overwhelm<br />00:21:11 Why the Brain Screams Louder<br />00:22:51 The Brain Sees Wakefulness as Threat<br />00:23:26 Why the Bed Becomes the Enemy<br />00:24:53 Sleep Pressure vs. Sleepiness<br />00:25:21 Tools That Actually Helped<br />00:26:49 Getting Support and Trying CBT-I<br />00:28:09 Shifting Mindset: Short-Term Pain, Long-Term Gain<br />00:29:25 Challenging Catastrophic Thinking<br />00:30:39 Letting Go vs. Avoidance<br />00:31:03 How Vicky Learned to Let Go<br />00:33:01 Riding the Wave of Anxiety<br />00:34:29 Getting Out of Bed to Reset<br />00:35:18 Making Wakefulness More Pleasant<br />00:36:19 The Reality of Slower Progress<br />00:37:29 Tapering Off Medication Gradually<br />00:40:18 Realizing the Pill Wasn’t Worth It<br />00:41:02 Spending Less Time in Bed<br />00:42:36 Creating a Consistent Wake-Sleep Schedule<br />00:44:38 Finding Balance and Flexibility<br />00:45:53 Sleepiness vs. Fatigue<br />00:46:54 Accepting Bad Nights as Normal<br />00:48:16 Separating from Thoughts Takes Practice<br />00:49:04 Responding Differently After a Bad Night<br />00:50:18 Keep the Day’s Commitments<br />00:51:10 Focus on What You Can Control<br />00:52:16 Discovering Meaning and Spiritual Growth<br />00:53:43 Seeing Insomnia as a Gift<br />00:54:20 Final Advice to Listeners<br />00:55:39 Closing Thanks 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=youtube100622<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 3.9K views October 6, 2022 7:01 pm

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

Vicky dealt with her insomnia by taking sleeping pills and this seemed to work well until one night, after 20 years of regular use, the medication didn’t help her sleep.

She started to experience a lot of anxiety and would wake up in the middle of the night and have panic attacks.

This all led Vicky to explore a new approach to insomnia that involved letting go of the struggle. She began to recognize that difficult thoughts and feelings, although very unpleasant, didn’t need to prevent her from doing things that mattered — so she didn’t need to engage in a battle with them.

Vicky started to allow her mind to think what it wanted to think and to generate the full range of human feelings and emotions. She started to acknowledge and make space for thoughts and feelings — even though she often wished they weren’t showing up — instead of going to war with them.

She committed to doing things that were important and meaningful even after difficult nights and even in the presence of uncomfortable thoughts and feelings.

Today, Vicky still experiences some difficult nights from time to time but she is no longer engaged in an exhausting and distracting battle with her mind throughout the day and throughout the night.

She is living the kind of life she wants to live even when difficult nights happen and even when uncomfortable thoughts and feelings show up. In fact, Vicky now thinks of her insomnia as a gift — as something that has helped her become more resilient and better able to react in a more workable way to the difficulties we all experience as human beings.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer
00:04:58 Vicky’s Insomnia History and Family Influence
00:06:01 Transition to Motherhood and Sleep Disruption
00:07:11 The Night the Medication Failed
00:08:36 The Fear of Losing a Safety Net
00:10:00 Understanding the Pill’s Psychological Effect
00:11:15 Finding Comfort in Others’ Stories
00:12:41 Why the Struggle Stuck Around
00:14:00 Stressful Nights and Loneliness
00:14:43 Patterns of Sleep Disruption
00:16:02 Sleep Prep Routines That Backfired
00:17:56 When Effort Becomes the Problem
00:19:06 Supplements, Sleep Hygiene, and Overwhelm
00:21:11 Why the Brain Screams Louder
00:22:51 The Brain Sees Wakefulness as Threat
00:23:26 Why the Bed Becomes the Enemy
00:24:53 Sleep Pressure vs. Sleepiness
00:25:21 Tools That Actually Helped
00:26:49 Getting Support and Trying CBT-I
00:28:09 Shifting Mindset: Short-Term Pain, Long-Term Gain
00:29:25 Challenging Catastrophic Thinking
00:30:39 Letting Go vs. Avoidance
00:31:03 How Vicky Learned to Let Go
00:33:01 Riding the Wave of Anxiety
00:34:29 Getting Out of Bed to Reset
00:35:18 Making Wakefulness More Pleasant
00:36:19 The Reality of Slower Progress
00:37:29 Tapering Off Medication Gradually
00:40:18 Realizing the Pill Wasn’t Worth It
00:41:02 Spending Less Time in Bed
00:42:36 Creating a Consistent Wake-Sleep Schedule
00:44:38 Finding Balance and Flexibility
00:45:53 Sleepiness vs. Fatigue
00:46:54 Accepting Bad Nights as Normal
00:48:16 Separating from Thoughts Takes Practice
00:49:04 Responding Differently After a Bad Night
00:50:18 Keep the Day’s Commitments
00:51:10 Focus on What You Can Control
00:52:16 Discovering Meaning and Spiritual Growth
00:53:43 Seeing Insomnia as a Gift
00:54:20 Final Advice to Listeners
00:55:39 Closing Thanks 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=youtube100622

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