How Esther starved insomnia of its power in the presence of generalized anxiety disorder (#65)

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When Esther tried moving away from a medication she was taking for generalized anxiety disorder, she found herself struggling with sleep. She would often wake with a jolt and experience panic and anxiety. Even when new medications helped with other issues, sleep continued to be a challenge and created a lot of ongoing anxiety.

On her way to work one day, Esther came across the Insomnia Coach podcast and listening to the stories of people who had overcome their struggle with insomnia motivated her to start working with me.

In this episode, Esther reflects on the changes she made that proved to be most helpful for her. They included going to bed later at night, doing something more pleasant whenever she found herself struggling during the night, continuing to do things that mattered to her even after difficult nights, and acknowledging her thoughts and feelings and refocusing on the present moment (rather than focusing on trying to fight or avoid difficult thoughts and feelings).

Esther became less fearful about the possibility of insomnia showing up. She became more comfortable in its presence.

Insomnia lost the power and influence it once had over her.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Introduction
00:04:18 How Medication Changes Affected Sleep
00:07:43 Esther Describes Her Insomnia Nights
00:10:00 Failed Fixes and Frustration
00:13:54 Discovering the Podcast and New Hope
00:15:32 Starting Sleep Coaching and Early Shifts
00:16:57 Letting Go of Sleep Rules
00:19:22 Responding Differently to Wakefulness
00:21:27 Learning to Acknowledge Thoughts and Feelings
00:23:04 Why Resistance Makes It Worse
00:26:05 The Brain’s Misfire: Mistaking Wakefulness as Danger
00:27:50 Impact of Misconceptions About Sleep
00:30:18 Shifting the Focus Away from Control
00:32:13 Going to Bed Later and Releasing Pressure
00:35:42 Realizing Sleep Isn’t Everything
00:37:01 A Breakthrough: No Longer Scared of Bedtime
00:39:45 Discovering Good Days After Bad Nights
00:41:36 Labor Stories and No Sleep Highs
00:43:00 Changing Context and Interpretation of Wakefulness
00:44:23 Anxiety and Excitement: Same Physiology
00:46:49 Letting the River Flow: Reducing Resistance
00:47:57 Doing What Matters, Even When It’s Hard
00:50:36 Accepting Anxiety as a Lifelong Companion
00:51:30 What Sleep Looks Like Now
00:53:17 Final Reflections on Wakefulness and Control
00:54:00 Advice for Others with Chronic Insomnia
00:55:37 Outro and Final Thoughts

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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-train...

You can also find me here:

Website: https://insomniacoach.com
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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
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