How sleep restriction helped Dave fall asleep faster, spend less time awake, and sleep longer (#15)

[@InsomniaCoach]

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[@Redhitcz]

Its really nice to visit a channel where people share experience about how they cure their insomnia insted of watching some not helpful channel about sleep hygiene, where everyone in comments are sad and full of frustration. About CBT-I it really work!!! Going in bed more later is magical, its very nice to shift focus from time to sleep to feel to sleep.

[@InsomniaCoach]

Thanks for your support - creating a channel with constructive, supportive, and useful evidence-based information is my primary goal here! It's great to hear that you are finding CBT-I techniques helpful!

[@forneyCBDshop]

Taking off my apple watch and only getting out of bed has made a big difference, now I will implement not looking at the time when I wake up. I believe this will only continue to improve my sleep and and feel more optimistic and better rested. Thank you Martin for your continued effort to help countless people.

[@InsomniaCoach]

Thank you for sharing, Michelle! So many people have told me that it was really helpful (but certainly not always easy!) to get rid of the sleep trackers and to move away from checking the time during the night!

[@rachaelibanez]

Totally related to all of this, thank you

[@InsomniaCoach]

This is so good to hear - it can often feel as though our insomnia is somehow unique and therefore it will be impossible to address. When you are able to identify with others it can help you recognize that your insomnia isn't particularly unique so it can be addressed! Nobody needs to live with chronic insomnia!

[@rachaelibanez]

@@InsomniaCoach that's exactly what it did for me! Mirror neurons help with healing. Your program is working so well for me so far. I'm only two weeks in but I've seen incredible growth already in such a short amount of time.

[@christophershelton6301]

Hi Martin, thanks for bringing out Dave's precipitating experience with over-the-counter sleep medication in Canada. It reminded me of my own experiences and I suspect that many people's sleep gets messed up by medication and then they don't know how to restore it. Also, thanks very much to Dave for sharing his experience. I'm doing sleep restriction now with good but only gradual results and hearing other people's stories helps me get through the discouragement.

[@InsomniaCoach]

Thank you for sharing, Christopher - and all the best to you on your journey, too!

[@evertonclayton32]

I stared CBTI yesterday, and my doc is doing this, told me to go to bed at 12:45 and and get up at 7 i feel tired already lol ... Even under sleep meds

[@InsomniaCoach]

Thanks for sharing, and all the best!

[@wenbudro7597]

Thank you.

[@InsomniaCoach]

You are so welcome!

[@yogafitnesswithvbw187]

Thank you Martin sir, I'm going to try for one week by stop watching clock...

[@InsomniaCoach]

Such a small change can make such a big difference!

[@yogafitnesswithvbw187]

@@InsomniaCoach really it has worked greatly 🙏🏻 awesome technique my sleep had improved 1 hour longer it all because you I have no words thank you so much 🙏

[@InsomniaCoach]

@@yogafitnesswithvbw187 This is great to hear!

[@mrhbarker]

I like your style mate...might come back to you if my Sleepio course doesn't do the business ! Regards

[@InsomniaCoach]

Good luck with the Sleepio course, Michael!

[@theDEPINspirationHUB]

Hi Martin, thanks for the very educative video, my question is can someone still try sleep restriction when on sleep medication? And should one stop the medication do you have to restart the cycle to re-adjust the cycle?

[@InsomniaCoach]

I don't think there's any reason why someone can't implement sleep restriction while on sleep medication other than possible concern about residual daytime sleepiness if taking sedatives. I'd suggest someone raise any possible concern about this with their prescribing physician.

[@theDEPINspirationHUB]

@@InsomniaCoach thanks a lot for your response. A follow-up with a physician is definitely mandatory

[@bijalmemories]

I've been scheduling sleep time to 12am but find I feel sleepy between 10am to 11am . Been staying up to 12am now for almost 2 weeks and it's hit and miss sometimes asleep within 15 mins sometimes over an hour. By 12am the sleepiness feeling has gone . Should I carry on going to bed at 12am and hopefully in time my body gets use to it?

[@bijalmemories]

I only average 3 to 4 hours of broken sleep per night. Sometimes a lot less.

[@joewalker8098]

I think thats the idea, it worked for me after about 3 weeks. But sadly i relapsed earlier on this week after going back to normal far too quickly so I'm implementing it again. No sleep last night for me but onwards and upwards 👍

[@joewalker8098]

It's also the arousal of bedtime thats making you less sleepy around then. The same thing happened to me. I think i built such a sleep deficit that it completely diminished my arousal. I remember getting into bed one night thinking I'm not going to sleep but was so tired it didn't really register if that makes sense. Martin may correct me but i think thats the idea of it.

[@bijalmemories]

@@joewalker8098 thank you so much for replying I've had 2 bad nights and was losing hope. When I say bad i mean hardly no sleep. I've got a really bad habit of stressing about sleep or researching last thing at night which didn't help either.

[@joewalker8098]

@@bijalmemories I'm having the same problem at the moment so your not unique. I've still managed to watch my nephew play football, bounce on a trampoline and be civil to my family with no sleep. I'm sure we will get through this. Sometimes it takes people longer than others.

[@Joe-wf2jp]

Hi Martin, I've just started sleep restriction last week and feeling slightly frustrated that it hasn't yet produced results, in fact I'm now only getting about 4 hours a night whereas pre sleep restriction I was getting closer to 6. Is this normal and do you find that SRT produces results for everyone as long as they commit?

[@InsomniaCoach]

It's great to hear that you started implementing sleep restriction, Joe! It can take longer than a week or two to notice significant improvements - so I would encourage you to stay persistent and consistent. Due to the way sleep drive works, I cannot see how sleep restriction cannot be effective at improving sleep consolidation and reducing nighttime wakefulness if implemented appropriately! It's worth mentioning that sleep restriction is only one technique in the "CBT-I arsenal" - so you might, for example, benefit from the addition of others (such as stimulus control) if you are still experiencing a lot of unpleasant wakefulness during the night.

[@TheDarknight7000]

Hi Martín, in case of not feeling sleepy at 12 that was my last latest bed time, it's okay to change it for other time more late?

[@InsomniaCoach]

You could do that, yes! Alternatively, you might simply consider the start of your sleep window as an "earliest possible" bedtime.

[@soniczforever5470]

Things have gone from bad to worse with sleep, I have had one fit therefore will not take certain drugs I've become infertile from sleeping 5 hours

[@InsomniaCoach]

Sorry to hear that sleep has got more difficult lately. I have not heard of insomnia causing infertility and know of no evidence to suggest that getting five hours of sleep (or less) can cause infertility. Is that something your doctor told you?

[@jimbrow83]

Dave sounds like me for 10 years I've had trouble sleeping before never I work out eat right etc. I have been using trazadone for years just to get some sleep. I toss and turn wake up multiple times a night struggle to get back to sleep and I can't sleep in a bed with anyone else or I won't fall asleep at all and to this day I still can't get good refreshing sleep without taking anything. I've tried anxiety meds etc nyquil does nothing melatonin nothing I'm lost

[@InsomniaCoach]

Hello Jim - unfortunately, your experience is not unusual. It sounds as though you've tried all the sleep hygiene rituals, which don't work for chronic insomnia, and different drugs and supplements (which do not generate sleep). Have you tried cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), though? CBT-I is usually the best treatment for chronic insomnia because it gets to the root cause of insomnia - our sleep-related thoughts and behaviors. You can sleep without medication and you do not need to live with insomnia!

[@1timbarrett]

If I ever get to the point where I complain about “only” 4-5 hours of sleep, I will know I have turned a corner…! Currently I am packing in 1-2 hours of broken sleep on a good night. 😢

[@InsomniaCoach]

It sounds as though you are a similar situation to the one Dave found himself in and that is hard. I wish you all the best - you are not alone.

[@__-kf4vp]

if you were sleeping 1-2 hours a night on a good night youd be dead