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Re: What kind of insomniac am I

Posted by Lynne on June 13, 2001 at 07:22:45:

In Reply to: What kind of insomniac am I posted by dani on June 12, 2001 at 18:45:41:

Hi Dani!

I can really identify with this, as I have 15 years of chronic insomnia behind me, from which I am (hopefully) recovering (but more about that at a later stage when I am more confident about my recovery.
However, I had (and have) the same problem as you - even when I'm in a good period of sleep, if I have something different or interesting to do the following day (including going on holiday, to a party, etc.), I will not sleep and that can spark off another terrible cycle of insomnia for days and weeks. I have discovered a lot about myself and life in this journey towards recovery.

First of all I would advise you not to rely on drugs. They are all addictive to a certain extent (either physically, psychologically or both). I know because I took them for many years and tried so many times to come off them without success. I have now been drug-free for a few months, but not without immense suffering and the most horrific total insomnia. The most important thing of all is what they now call 'cognitive therapy' - basically learning to change your thought patterns. One important part of this is learning to live in the present rather than in the future or past. This is also what the Buddhists teach - they say that happiness can only be achieved by living in the present, totally immersing yourself in what you are doing right now and observing your body's reactions. I have discovered that it is very difficult to do, but it is so true that it is the best way to live.
In your case, if you have an important day you should try (I'm not saying you will succeed at first - it will probably take some practice)to pretend that it is going to be a normal, run-of-the-mill boring day and therefore not worth thinking about - and don't think about it. That has worked with me sometimes. It's amazing what you can convince yourself of if you start feeding that brain with positive thoughts instead of all the usual negative talk, e.g., Oh God, I've got a big day tomorrow, I just know I won't sleep, etc. etc. When you say that to yourself your brain listens to you and you don't sleep. Simple as that. Often it becomes so subconscious that you don't even realise you're thinking it. But because you have had bad experiences in the past, your mind remembers them and continues to apply the pattern. It's up to you to break it by practicing positive thinking and by pretending that every day is the same and that therefore you have nothing to get excited/worried about.

A very good book I would recommend is 'Say goodnight to insomnia' by Gregg Jacobs. I have been studying that for months and trying to implement the programme and at last it does appear to be working (although I am doing other things too, such as self-hypnosis, walks after dinner, cranial osteopathy etc. etc.). Anyway, I wish you the best of luck.

Lynne

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