How CBT-I techniques stop you obsessing about sleep even though they are focussed on sleep!

If you have chronic insomnia, you likely spend a lot of time thinking about sleep, researching sleep, worrying about sleep, and experimenting with new techniques to improve your sleep. Unfortunately, all of these actions risk making insomnia worse.
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The best treatment for chronic insomnia is usually cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I).
CBT-I involves the introduction of techniques that can take a lot of commitment and effort.
CBT-I also involves recording (and monitoring) your sleep - usually with a sleep diary - to identify behaviors that might be making sleep difficult and to help you monitor progress.
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So, if thinking about sleep and monitoring sleep can make sleep more difficult, how do CBT-I techniques help you reach a point where you no longer pay much attention to sleep and, therefore, improve your sleep?
The short answer is that CBT-I techniques can draw more attention and focus on sleep in the short-term, but they do this in a constructive way! Ultimately, CBT-I techniques help change the way you think about sleep and give you a roadmap to follow that helps set the stage for sleep and give sleep the best possible chance to happen.
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Typically, as sleep beings to improve, you become more confident in your ability to sleep. As you become more confident in your ability to sleep, you worry less about sleep, so your sleep improves even further. Soon, you will no longer need to rely on the CBT-I techniques that helped you reach this point - and this is why CBT-I is such a great long-term solution for insomnia.
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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.com/sleep-train...
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[@InsomniaCoach]

All content found on the Insomnia Coach KZbin 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. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[@Gwynbuck]

I've seen lots of your videos and I've made notes. Whenever I have a 'bad' night, I read those notes and they help. The main thing i got from watching them is to stop worrying. You taught me the following: insomnia doesn't lead to other, more serious health conditions. Regarding the battle between anxiety and sleep, then sleep always wins. You can get by on just 2 hours of good quality sleep. Once the sleep drive reaches a high enough level, it will lead to sleep. The body will always give us the minimum amount of sleep we need. If you can't sleep after say 15 minutes or so, get up and do something you enjoy - none of this sitting in a darkened room rubbish, watch Tv, listen to music, read a book and so on. When you are tired enough, go back to bed - that usually works for me. Finally, the less effort we put into sleep, the less pressure we put on ourselves, the easier sleep becomes. So relax, if you can't sleep, don't worry about it, CBTi techniques, will help the body to sort itself out.

[@TheMgarvey]

That is a wonderful explanation of CBT-I. I didn’t go through it officially with a doctor, but implemented techniques I read about. It helped, but what really helped was getting to the point of not thinking or worrying about sleep, and not being overwhelmed by a lot of sleep hacks, that sleep happened.

[@InsomniaCoach]

Thanks for sharing! Yes, the more we move away from trying to make sleep happen the more effortless it becomes!

[@lotusli9144]

Thank you so much. I'm currently going through insomnia. It's situational turned into psychophysiological insomnia. You have brought so much light into my life! I can resonate with everything you said in the video.

[@InsomniaCoach]

This is wonderful to hear, Lotus Li! I am so glad to hear you found the video helpful. Remember - you CAN sleep!

[@stevewood3853]

Thanks very much Martin, having suffered on and off for lots of years, yours is easily the most concise clear message about CBTi and am watching closely and will continue to as i improve my knowledge and implement these strategies, great work

[@InsomniaCoach]

I really appreciate your kind words, Steve! Without my ongoing interaction with people like yourself, this channel would not survive. So, thank you for contributing and please keep in touch!

[@eddakraynak5951]

Definitely need to develop my sleep confidence.

[@InsomniaCoach]

It's a process, but if you're committed and determined, you will get there!

[@weiszsantosify]

Thank martin

[@InsomniaCoach]

You're welcome!

[@OliviaaG]

Thank you so much, I am truly grateful to have found your channel. Not sure what’s going on, but all of a sudden I’m dealing with insomnia. Because of your channel, I’ve realized I’ve been trying to deal with it all the wrong ways. Forcing myself to stay in bed, tossing & turning. Crying. Trying to force myself out of feeling anxious. Even canceling work the next day because I’m not getting the sleep I need. Now I know to go about this with a whole new approach. I do have a question, before this sudden insomnia I would wake up early and go to the gym. I’ve been very into fitness my whole life & This was my routine for years. I refuse to let insomnia take that away from me. Should I continue doing this early gym routine even after a bad night? That way I stay within my sleep window..

[@InsomniaCoach]

Don't blame yourself for all those perpetuating thoughts and behaviors you have identified - congratulate yourself for having identified them! You are already far ahead of many people with chronic insomnia. I would certainly encourage you to stick to your routine of going to the gym - *especially* after a hard night! Modifying your day in response to a hard night usually only guarantees that a difficult night leads to a negative outcome. By staying active you will think less about sleep, not allow insomnia to take over your life, and give yourself the opportunity to recognize that sleep isn't quite as important as we usually think when it comes to the quality of our day. I hope this helps!

[@philoza1000]

But after nine weeks of implementing cbti techniques, still no change, so I'm still thinking about sleep a lot of the time. If i could see a difference, I would then be worried less, but sadly this isn't the case. Chicken and egg situation 😢

[@veryhugenick]

So after you complete the cbt i and sleep regularly, do you have to maintain the same sleep schedule everyday? Even on the weeknds?

[@InsomniaCoach]

That's not a requirement - it's simply a tool that's available to you, to use any time you feel it would be helpful.

[@vladradu8875]

Greetings coach, Although i don't have insomnia yet i have developed conditioned arousal due to the fact that i tried forcing myself to sleep a few nights which led to 2 consecutive sleepless nights. During the third night i got really proeminent goosebumps and i panicked right in the moment i should have fallen asleep. I was able to break the cycle that night with stimulus control which i have been doing eversince. This was a month a go. After that for two weeks i was able to sleep but i was still getting anxious before bed. A week ago i had another sleepless night due to the fact i had to sleep on a big couch at work during overtime. After that i started having bad nights again one with 3 - 4 hours followed by a normal one 7+. I use natural medication (melatonin with passiflora and valerian everynight) but i still have 2 3 hours latency altough i feel very relaxed due to the arousal before bedtime. I also started sleep hygiene ( a fee sips of coffee only in the morning after a strong 7-8 hours, no more chocolate, only a little sport during the day). I went to the doctor and she told me i need CBT - I with a psychotherapist. Now i ask you, is there more to cbti than stimulus control and sleep restriction ( which i have not tried yet due to the fact that i have the latency from arousal) with an actual psychotherapist?

[@InsomniaCoach]

There is usually more to CBT-I than sleep restriction and stimulus control - and even with those two components, there's variation in how individual practitioners might suggest they're implemented.

[@akkhan8972]

I have been ur watching videos and I feel much much better thank you so much... but some days I have relapse and it takes me again long time to forget about the worries and fear.... is relapse normal?

[@greatdanelegend7001]

Yeah, relapses are normal. Just implement all of the techniques again, it should be a little easier when you relapse because you've already had success once

[@InsomniaCoach]

Completely normal! You might find this video helpful, too: "When insomnia comes back: how to deal with insomnia relapses when insomnia returns" - kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKawg5Kkjtp8qbc

[@rebekahbrown4052]

How can it improve when CBT makes you concentrate on sleep more? This makes no sense at all

[@InsomniaCoach]

Did the video help at all? My aim was to answer that exact question!

[@osiris7945]

how to jot thinking & worrying about sleep when you have insomnia ?

[@InsomniaCoach]

I don't think anyone can successfully control their thoughts and emotions over the long term. That would be a bit like trying to force ourselves to fall in love with the next person we saw!

[@SumitSingh-ki1xf]

Sir i am getting 5 hours sleep but still feeling unrefreshed?what should i do?is it still insomnia

[@InsomniaCoach]

Only a doctor can provide a medical diagnosis. Does how you feel when you first wake change as the day progresses?

[@SumitSingh-ki1xf]

​@@InsomniaCoach I feel tired during the day but still can't take a nap

[@InsomniaCoach]

@@SumitSingh-ki1xf That's not unusual since tiredness/fatigue is not the same as sleepiness: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJuVdodugdmDbaM

[@Joey-dj4cd]

But I don't have access to CBT I, I'm 18 and I'm having the worst thing that's ever happened to me

[@InsomniaCoach]

You might find my free sleep training emails helpful if you are keen to learn more: insomniacoach.com/sleep-training/

[@Joey-dj4cd]

@@InsomniaCoach thank you

[@InsomniaCoach]

@@Joey-dj4cd You're welcome!

[@viskovandermerwe3947]

"Less sleep with age". Not true. Older people sleep less because of underlying joint pain. (Of course there may be more reasons). I am now 68 yo, who discovered that an electric blanket solved my sleep problems. I also tried CBT and THC oils, which also helped. CBT-I is third in line...for me. All helped me to the point where I started dreaming again and feel refreshed in the mornings. So...there!

[@InsomniaCoach]

People will generally find that their sleep duration is more likely to fall as they get older (and they are more likely to fall asleep earlier at night and wake earlier in the morning) - independently of any joint pain. With that being said, any kind of pain can make sleep more difficult - and everyone is different! Glad to hear an electric blanket solved your sleep problems - that's great to hear and I wish you all the best for the future! Thank you for dropping by and for sharing your thoughts and experience.

[@blinskylmft]

This was NOT helpful. No ACTUAL advice or techniques offered. You told us what they can do without telling us how to do anything.

[@seanking6184]

This video doesn’t address the techniques because there’s hundreds of videos on the channel regarding that