Sleeeeeeepppppppp Help!

[Guest [Th...]]

Here has been my sleep this past week:

 

January 9 - 3.5 to 5 hours broken

January 10 - 3 hours broken

January 11 - 3 hours broken

January 12 - 0

January 13 - 3-5 broken

January 14 - 0

January 15 - 7-8 hours broken

January 16 - 0 - .5

January 17 - 3-4 broken

 

Am I starting to turn a corner?  Need hope!  Need to know I will start to get better!

 

[[te...]]

I'm not sure, but based on what your old nights were like, this looks like progress to me!!! Sometimes it's hard but we can look back and see how far we've come.

[Guest [ba...]]

Wasn't it great to look over at the clock when you woke up and see something like 7 am instead of 2 am?!?  7-8 hours must have felt pretty good.  See, you can sleep.  Nothing is broken.  Hope it happens again soon.

 

One pitfall after a good night's sleep is the expectation that it will occur again.  Don't try to create a pattern based on such a low 'n'.  Just relax about the whole sleep issue.  The 7-8 hour sleep thing will happen again.

 

[Guest [Th...]]

Thanks teal and Badsocref.  I need reassurance as this is a long time coming.

[[...]]

So what do I get now that I won the bet?

[Guest [Th...]]

I don't think you won the bet just yet?   Still have a lot of zero nights.  You said by mid 2017 I would be getting 3-4 hours per night.  Not perfect but liveable.  I am not there yet as my longest stretch was 3 nights so far.  But thanks for the support Miti.  It is people like you that make it possible to have hope.

 

Cheers

[[me...]]

The "every other night" pattern is VERY common in recovery, so I'm quite happy to see that for you. Somehow zero nights are bearable if you can just get some sleep on the other nights. So please don't be discouraged, things are only going to get better from here if you take care of yourself!

[[Qu...]]

Hi, That pattern of sleep looks really promising to me. If you look under Teal's 'waves and windows' thread, I posted a summary of my sleep diary in colour, which was easier to read than the pasted version below. Hope it gives you some encouragement and that you get another good night soon 

 

I got my first ever 5 hour block last night, so continuing improvement 

 

Here it is:-

R is 0-2 hrs, O is 2+ hrs, Y is 4+ hrs, G is 5+, B is 7, No 8 hrs yet.

 

May Too sick to record, mostly 2-3 hrs max, many sleepless nights.

 

June Too sick first two weeks, started to get some better nights at the end

 

July GRGGOGOGGGROYYOYOGRGGOYGGGOGYGY

 

Aug ORRBRGBRYYBYOYGGGRYYYYGBBGBGRBG

 

Sep BBYOGOBOGYBYRGRYYOBGGGYBBRGROG

 

Oct RRGGBGBGRBRBGYGOBGOGOBRGGBOBRGO

 

Nov GBBBGYBYBGRBBBGRGGBBRBGGBYBYGO

 

Dec BBGGBBGBGBGBYGRBGBGBBGBGGOBBRBG

 

Jan OGBGGGGGYBGB

 

[[...]]

Fizzlewitch is very encouraging (search their posts). they had awful sleep problems but sleeping better now. they said they started to turn a corner when they developed a "i don't care less about sleeping" approach.. it took the pressure/anxiety off sleep and allowed them to start getting sleep. it seems that chronic insomnia often involves fear of sleep (not sleeping) and key is to develop a more nonchalant attitude, at least every one i have encountered who has done this has improved their sleep. it take time to develop this attitude and for it to work tho - patience and persistence is the key.. also check out Dr Meadows "The sleep book" - it is on this subject specfically

[[te...]]

I don't think you won the bet just yet?   Still have a lot of zero nights.  You said by mid 2017 I would be getting 3-4 hours per night.  Not perfect but liveable.  I am not there yet as my longest stretch was 3 nights so far.  But thanks for the support Miti.  It is people like you that make it possible to have hope.

 

Cheers

 

I think you are well on your way to MORE than 3-4 hours per night by mid 2017!

 

Also, I can tell you are making progress just by the tone in your posts, you seem calmer and more optimistic and happier! At least to me anyway. I hope you don't mind me pointing that out I think when we all first get here, we are scared, desperate, confused, convinced something is terribly wrong with us uniquely and that we will never get better. And then we start gradually seeing change. Please remind me I said this when I have a bad run or a wave and freak out, LOL.