Lauren's journey from insomnia to LIVING life again (Talking insomnia

[@LaurenMeikle]

Thank you so much for having me Daniel, it was an honor to share my story and I hope it gives others hope ❤

[@alexandramontesino6046]

@laurenmeikle Thank you so much for sharing! Your story is almost identical to mine. I’ve had OCD since I was a girl and during postpartum I had a string of several days I didn’t sleep and I thought I was going to go crazy. Now I live in fear of having it happen again. Been on meds since then and I’m hoping to eventually get off them but every time I try I panic! Your story gives me hope!

[@92hpayne]

I loved hearing your story! So similar to mine (also gave birth on no sleep, was so anxious about taking care of my baby and checking her breathing so I couldn't sleep, was told to wake her up every 3 hours to feed, and all this triggered an insomnia spiral). I've been watching this channel's content for the past few months and it's made such a huge difference in working through it. Hearing others' personal stories has been so helpful. It has been so nice to know that new mom insomnia is fairly common and we're not alone!

[@LaurenMeikle]

⁠@@alexandramontesino6046I’m so sorry to hear about your struggle. That sounds so much like me! I really thought there was no hope for me but if I could get better, I truly believe anyone can. Thinking of you. Just remember that it is physically impossible to lose your ability to sleep. You can only lose your CONFIDENCE in your ability to sleep. ❤

[@LaurenMeikle]

⁠@@92hpaynethis sounds so similar to me! I’m so sorry to hear about your struggles. Hang in there. I promise it gets better even though it feels like the world is ending. You have more control than you think ❤

[@alexandramontesino6046]

@@LaurenMeikle❤❤❤ thank you for responding! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@phoebe8983]

Thank you so much for this. I am at the beginning of my journey away from the fear of sleeplessness. Your story is such a beacon of hope for me. I am beginning to believe it’s possible for me too.

[@Stephthechickenlady]

Relate to this so much! Its comforting to see someone who has felt like me and is now smiling and sleeping well. I really hope i get there too.

[@skeptik-ci5xo]

Uggghhh the fear of going permanently insane is terrifying. Thank you for sharing your story. I have been binge watching the videos for the last week or so since I discovered this channel and I relate to every single person in one way or another. I can't believe that there are so many of us out there who think we're the only ones! Safety in numbers.

[@mariorivera8140]

Great interview, gives me hope! I have so much admiration for moms with young children who have to deal with insomnia, can't imagine how challenging that must be

[@traceyvance8032]

Hello I hope your ok. Yes it's very hard with children but then at the same time they keep us going x

[@Amyyp0518]

Wow this really resonates with what I’m going through at this moment. I feel like I’ll never sleep again, like I have SFI, like I will die, scared that my family thinks I’m nuts, scared to even talk about it!!! It’s so lonely being here!

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

So glad it did Amy, you’re absolutely not alone… what you’ve gone through will resonate with so many who’ve left the struggle… and knowing this can help, hang in there

[@teasaipi]

Hey I’m going through the same thing! If you would like someone to talk to let me know because I feel you, I also want to talk about it but I’m scared that I’m being annoying 😢

[@melissawilson4796]

@@teasaipihello, I feel the same way, I really need someone to talk to about these struggles. How are you doing today? I am in the thick of it all, it’s incredibly difficult not to think about it

[@traceyvance8032]

What a lovely lady, again can resonate soo much ❤️

[@janieellington1014]

Thank you, Lauren!

[@SergioRussoPlus]

Great interview. Thank you!

[@taylorandreozzi5241]

Thank you so much Lauren. I really needed this

[@aronjohnson2553]

Its like she's speaking for me. This is my exact problem. 3 years of insomnia every night, i don't know what to do.

[@srividhyap5392]

One other great episode.. I can relate so much.. Thank you for sharing

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

So glad to hear 😊

[@margaretpeelen3968]

Nice to hear your South African tongue Lauren . I am suffering insomnia big time and went to one of those courses of being in bed for certain hours . I am full on a the time . I hope I have finally found some help here.lovely to be positive about everything. You have given me inspiration to go on and enjoy my life Big cuddles to your girls Much love from me xxx

[@LaurenMeikle]

I'm so sorry to hear about your struggles. I'm thrilled I could help a bit. Hang in there, and remember you cannot lose your ability to sleep! 💪

[@margaretpeelen3968]

Yes I have more hope now of just letting it be. My mind racers ( creative ideas ) pop up late at night . Thank you 🙏

[@Lina_rose226]

To me the sun rising is a huge trigger too. Whenever I have a sleepless night and I see the light behind my curtains is getting brighter and brighter my heart is racing so so much because I know about what time the sun is rising and then I start calculating how much time I have left to sleep.

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

Hang in there Lina, hopefully seeing you’re not the only one and many who experienced this left insomnia will help. Rooting for you!

[@jertho8482]

I had this from the dawn chorus. I used to dread it, hours before I’d actually hear it.

[@soumyasinha5015]

You are fabulous. I loved this.

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

🤗

[@IfeanyiEmmanuel-ps6uk]

Amazing. Learned a lot from your story Lauren, thank you. Daniel, I don't only want to take care of sleep struggles but also become a coach to help others. It's been 17 years of torture but I believe it's gonna be over soon with your guidance.

[@maxiscece]

I also have the feeling that somehow I am being punished . Thanks .

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

Sorry to hear of course but glad you found you’re not the only one who’s felt this on the path of leaving the struggle.

[@waltergrauer2735]

Started going to bed at midnight & getting up whenever I felt like it, slept good 5 days in a row.. then watched TV too late.. about 5AM ..Even though it was very late i wasn't sleepy because of too many movies. I lay down to go to sleep.. All of a sudden I became anxious.. It's been a long time since I was anxious.I was afraid of the anxiety so much i never tried going back to bed.. Did not sleep at all tonight. at different times during the day I could feel the anxiety building a little bit.. then at 10 PM I could feel it building up.. I walked the hallway about 10 times slowly 3 times, this helped me calm down. I started to say: gently let it go.. something I learned from Nina's recovery. then I did one finger light tapping from my head to my toe.. saying gently let it go.. working down the body relaxing each part of my body.. I would picture in my mind: Paradise saying in paradise I will go walking along the creek and maybe go fishing, talking with my friends and pick black berries and fruit and have a delicious meal with all my friends And then maybe we'll go hiking in the valleys in mountain area and have a great time as we look at all the beautiful things around us, living such a happy life full of joy and peace In God's new kingdom. this calmed me down so much I just went to bed at 11:00 PM I got up I think four times just relaxed in bed thinking about nothing.. got up at 9 AM. This was my best experience ever so far since having insomnia for a long time. I learned everything from watching over 75 recovery insomnia talks, thank you very much Daniel Erichsen.

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

Hi Walter, thanks for letting me know, I’m so glad to hear of things getting easier for you 😊! No doubt thanks to your willingness to learn from so many stories, as well as courage and kindness! Hope many will see your comment hear and that things will be easier for the community thanks to it 🙏

[@User98681]

Hey Daniel! Just began implementing your sleep strategies last night after a long year of BATTLING insomnia in every way possible. (Obsessive thinking, anxiety, heart palpitations, etc) Had the best night sleep I’ve had in a while last night. (6.5hrs) Question regarding SRT. I hear a lot of negativity on your channel regarding this practice. What is it? Is it something you recommend? I understand there will be speed bumps along the way. I will send family and friends your way as MANY are facing INSOMNIA due to life stress. Thanks for your work Daniel. You are a life saver, literally. I can tell I’m in the right spot/mindset now.

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

I’m so so glad you found your way here!! And just by reading this comment, seeing that the battle is why we have a struggle, but there’s not enemy… I can tell you’re on a nice path. Check Insomnia insight 376 and you’ll see why we think SRT is tricky and how we can approach things in a different way. Thanks for the support!! Any new person here means a chance to make a difference 🙂

[@User98681]

@@thesleepcoachschool8192 thank you for your response Daniel I appreciate the effort you put into your work. I watched the video you mentioned and it is clear to me now what SRT is. I believe my problem was like many others trying to control / force sleep on me which was creating anxiety around it. That being said: Would a good approach be to simply go to bed when I’m tired? Even if it takes till 2am? And set an alarm for 8am and go on about my day? Another technique I am finding help me is welcoming insomnia. Telling myself “I don’t care if I don’t sleep tonight” It seems to reduce all my sleep anxiety and bring me comfort. I’m very excited to get my life back

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

@User98681 anytime 🙂 and I’d say when we look for a “good technique” … and we have a strategy… then we are probably creating some effort… this is why I think intent is what matters, not whether we are in bed or not, but that when our intent isn’t to achieve sleep… it happens by itself

[@User98681]

@@thesleepcoachschool8192 that makes sense. So just go to bed when your tired every night with the intent of getting whatever amount of sleep and going on about your day? This seems to be the path of least resistance. I’ve also been off work due to my anxiety and agoraphobia for a year now. I need to get back to work and get back into a schedule. I’ve just found myself in a vicious cycle. I plan on buying your book. Thanks Daniel

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

@User98681 I’m glad it does and you know, I’d say go to bed when we feel like to. If we think “I’ll go there when I’m tired” then we will monitor if we are tired enough, which creates its own anxieties. Other than that, I say this is the way 🙂 Oh and thanks! Hope it will be helpful

[@Arthursmom16]

Great interview! I heard you being interviewed on Beth Kendall's podcast as well. So did you also do her mentorship as well?

[@christinalockington8222]

Amazing!!!!

[@CarnivorganicGal]

That "running out of time" feeling is awful. Coach Daniel, I was directed here by your website. How do you not count each breath you take while just relaxing and listening to TV with eyes closed? It's a form of OCD. It's a repetitive activity and it ruins the whole "just chill and don't worry about sleep" concept. Do I not engage with it? Or allow it, which brings great distress. It's counting each time I inhale, and I can't stand it. It doesn't allow me to do my favorite thing in bed, just resting with eyes closed, not worrying if I sleep or not. Thank you!!

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

Hi, yes I think it’s what you saw here that can help… allowing it without judgment, observing ourselves doing each breath without blaming our brain… when we can. Sometimes we can, and we can experience the distress, thereby teaching ourselves that we are in no danger. Sometimes we can’t, and then we are invited to be kind and gentle with ourselves. Courage & Kindness

[@CarnivorganicGal]

@@thesleepcoachschool8192 Thank you so much

[@ilianafinken565]

Wow! What a great interview. Mine and Lauren’s story is SO very similar. I have 2 boys and my first bout of insomnia happened with my first son. Fast forward to the present and I have another son that’s almost 2 months old and the anxiety of insomnia came back…but not the insomnia as much. 😂 I take Unisom every night but I know this is truly what is preventing me from accepting if I don’t sleep and therefore that fear/anxiety is relentlessly latching. Thank you Lauren for sharing your story and Daniel for all you do! ❤ I joined the BedTyme app this weekend and am looking forward to getting closer to true acceptance and peace.

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

So glad you found it Iliana 😊!! It’s so helpful to find stories where we see we aren’t the only one in a difficult spot, and that people have left the struggle from this very place. So glad also you’re giving us a chance to help. And with some willingness to learn and do some heart work, you’ll find yourself where you and to be I have no doubts 😊

[@christinab2703]

You told your story so well Lauren, thankyou for sharing! So relatable about how your eyes look, I've always had dark circles under my eyes my whole life, just a genetic thing, but whenever I didn't sleep well I would notice them so much more. Afterwards I would tell myself how silly that is because I have them no matter what lol.

[@LaurenMeikle]

Thanks so much for your comment 😃🙏Yes, it's got nothing to do with sleep, haha!

[@sharang747]

I have to say there is a trauma response also as it manifests in too insomnia. I do find somatic experiencing helps.

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

Yes, this is so true.. and I’m glad you found a way to meet this. Thanks for sharing 🙏

[@EdisonRodriguez-qj4iy]

Hello Daniel, been watching all your videos and it really helped me reduce my anxiety about sleep and of course some aspects of life, And I just want to thank you for the education . I'm still struggling tho but I don't really think about sleep as a threat to my health anymore and will make my day better even if I don't get much sleep... What I want to share is that even if you keep thinking about sleep all day there's a chance that you'll sleep because simply you can't control it. But if you mind asking you this. Watching your videos gives me assurance that I'm safe and there's nothing wrong with me but do you think it is like escaping the fear about sleep? Should I do some sleep detox and let me/my brain figure this out and experience the fear?

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

So glad they’ve been helpful 😊 And I’d say if we find ourselves using the videos as an attempt to get rid of anxiety, rather than just learning and finding some inspiration, yes that can be helpful to take not of, awareness is change

[@اللهمعي-و1ز]

Hi daniel you always give me hope and strength i have a problem now am experiencing another speedbump and i think i am losing sleep confidence is it possible to lose sleep confidence during speedbump ?and i wonder if sleep confidence will affect negatively on my recovery journey 😢

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

Hi there, I’m sorry to hear of course that it’s been difficult but know this: confidence isn’t required for us to sleep well. When we no longer try to achieve it, then things get easier, hang in there

[@اللهمعي-و1ز]

Thanks coach 🙏

[@fidelmavahey5557]

I’ve had 30 years of this problem and it is destroying my life and I’m now hooked on tablets. That aren’t even really working yet. My belief is if I don’t take them I won’t sleep at all

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

Hang in there Fidel, so sorry for the long struggle but glad you’re here. Talking insomnia with Beth may be helpful, she had insomnia for 42 years and is now not struggling at all. Rooting for you

[@homeofchampions3810]

Do you have a video insomnia and dealing with flu or covid?

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

Hi, We do have Insomnia insight 406 which is on COVID and the vaccine, but even more helpful I think could be 513 which goes over sleep disruption vs insomnia

[@ricardonelson8263]

If I stay up all night I have no problem my problem is I get joint pains, and stomach issues if I don't get any sleep.

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

Hi Ricardo, Sorry to hear about this pain, which of course will make anyone weary of not sleeping. Tomorrow I’ll share a story about Mira who similarly had so much stomach issues, hope it can help

[@ricardonelson8263]

@@thesleepcoachschool8192 thank you

[@92hpayne]

@laurenmeikle Did you go through a lot of speedbumps through this process or did it click pretty effortlessly for you? I struggle with having a little baby going through a sleep regression right now as well and because sleep disturbances are ongoing I really struggle to hold on to everything I've learned through this channel and face everything when I know that I'm going to be woken up several times a night anyway, and more times having to deal with being awake/facing sleeplessness. It's meant that my struggle with insomnia has a lot of ups and downs and speedbumps, where about every other week is a bad one, and I can't seem to make anything consistently stick. I'm curious if you experienced any of this.

[@LaurenMeikle]

Hi @92hpayne! I wouldn't say I've had severe speedbumps (I used to for sure) but I've definitely had the odd night of poor sleep lately even now. I've got 2 kids who sometimes wake up in the night and then I can't always get back to sleep because I'm too awake - but then I don't spiral or catastrophize :) I'll just chill and try to sleep again when I'm sleepy. I literally reached a point before discovering Daniel where I was worried my life was over and insomnia would kill me. I was consumed by fear. If I could get past it, I truly believe anyone can. Hang in there! 💪

[@rosiemac2538]

Correct if I'm wrong but isn't she still taking antidepressants??

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

I can’t remember but, I’d say we can live a wonderful and free life with or without those 🙂

[@rosiemac2538]

@@thesleepcoachschool8192 We will agree to differ there Daniel 😊 Dependant on anything but ourselves we aren't free from insomnia if you have to pop a pill)

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

@rosiemac2538 no! Because I totally agree with you 😊 For many of us, doing anything like taking medication will keep us from feeling free. But I think there are some who sort of take even antidepressants the same way someone would take a vitamin, without really thinking about it, without believing it does much, just sort of out of old habit, and they probably could feel just as free. Now with this said, very happy to disagree or agree 🙂

[@LaurenMeikle]

Hi, as I said in my interview, the doctor put me on an SSRI before I knew the root cause was just anxiety around sleep, not underlying depression. I am already weening off of them and will soon not be taking them anymore, as I don't believe I need them.

[@condomgraveyard666]

@@LaurenMeikleMy first bout with insomnia the doctor threw Zoloft and ambien at me after meeting me for 5 mins. I think being sleep deprived for so long can mimic depression, imo.

[@JD-km2wk]

There is a 81-year-old Vietnamese man claims he has not slept in 50 years. So for sure you will not die of insomnia.

[@mh-mo4bj]

When we are laying in bed but not sleeping, even if we are trying to befriend wakefulness, doesn’t that train our body to not sleep while in bed?? Or is that a myth?

[@thesleepcoachschool8192]

Hi mh, Yes it’s basically a misunderstanding, check episode 376 for more on why I say this 🙂