11 Awkward questions about insomnia recovery (from a former insomniac)
VloĆŸit
- Äas pĆidĂĄn 3. 08. 2024
- DISCLAIMER: Not medical advice. Everything on this channel represents personal opinion and experience and is provided for informational purposes only. The author is not a medical doctor, psychotherapist or any other licensed professional. Any information on this channel does not constitute and/or substitute medical, psychotherapy, counselling or any other professional advice and treatment. It is not intended to treat, cure, diagnose any medical or psychological condition or disorder. Always seek professional licensed help if you have any health concerns.
-
đŁ 1-1 work inquiries: www.sleepcoach.sk/contact-me/
đ Weekly Newsletter (Sleep Talks Letters): sleeptalks.substack.com/
đ Follow me on Instagram: / sleeptalks.ali
â€ïžâđ©č Read my insomnia recovery story: www.sleepcoach.sk/my-insomnia...
Special thanks to Sarah, Santiago, Gigi, Liza, Anna, Michael, Dragos and Peter for supporting me on Patreon - you are the best!
If you wish to support my work on Patreon too â€ïž: / sleeptalks
00:00 Intro
01:40 What I thought recovery looks like
03:18 Is it possible to get your old life back?
05:08 Will I sleep even better than before insomnia?
07:54 Will I always remember about insomnia?
09:28 Will speedbumps keep happening?
13:08 Is having an occasional sleepless night a success story?!?
15:55 Can I unlearn what I know now?
17:46 The difference between a recovered insomniac and a person who never had insomnia
21:09 Will I always have to adhere to sleep window/avoid looking at time?
23:21 Is recovery even possible for me?
24:52 Are there people who can never recover despite this knowledge?
28:44 How do I (Alina) sleep now?
What to watch next
What to do at night when you can't sleep: âą What to do at night wh...
Behavioural principle #1 to recover from insomnia: âą Behavioural principle ...
Anxiety about anxiety: âą When insomnia takes a ...
What to read next
Perfectionism and insomnia: www.sleepcoach.sk/perfectioni...
On the âsandstormâ. When you have no idea what to do: www.sleepcoach.sk/sandstorm-d...
3 reasons why we feel worse after a night of good sleep: www.sleepcoach.sk/sleep-anxie...
You are the proof that we can all recover. Great video. Thank you Alina.
You help me now Alina, a lot! I came to conclusion that there is NOTHING I can humanly do to sleep... I just simply give up from now on,no more torturing myself about solutions and clinging to sleep. I just simply had enough...
I think alot of us who are going through insomnia think we are stuck like this for ever. Because there is alot of negative stuff online. Thanks to you Daniel and martin we get to see the positive side. It really helps alot.
Such a nice and engaging way you talk and the content. Loved it
Absolutely LOVE your videos!! Your thinking always resonates with me!! I feel sooooooo normal after listening to your message! A million 'Thank You's!!!!!
You are so welcome! Glad you found it useful đ
this was so helpful and amazing thank you for your guidance and re-assurance xx
Always glad to help
Thanks Alinađ€© Love thisđđđ Another sweet, real and authentic video that helps bring clarity and light to some deep questions and doubts I know Iâve carried personally and Iâm sure so many of us have at one point or another on the recovery path!đżđ
Thank you Sarah đ„°
Hi Alina, great video đ My biggest worry that drove the start of my insomnia was the thought that I would never recover. After learning more, I realized that I actually could and that gave me hope. But only recently did I truly *believe* that I actually could, it felt like a subconscious understanding that took time and I couldn't force it. This video really resonated with me about that, so thank you!
Hi
How is your sleep now?
â@@user-zq4dj9ph3k Hi, my anxiety around sleep has come way down. It still lingers, but when I look back at where I was compared to now, it's great. It really just takes time. Stick in there!
@@christinab2703
So sorry to bombard you with questions but how did you train your mind to believe that you will recover. I feel this is an obstacle in my recovery too. Iâve read so many horrible stories that my subconscious just doesnât believe the success of others. Could you just let me know of how you dealt with the specifics of believing in the recovery?
@@user-zq4dj9ph3k For me, I understood that the fear was telling me I would never recover. I had to realize this was a lie, even if I didnt believe id get better. But eventually, through watching lots of Alina's videos and hearing others success stories, my brain just kind of automatically switched out of that mindset and into believing I would get over this. It was truly a subconscious switch, driven by conscious choices of not letting the fear win. I also had to stop reading a lot of youtube comments because when I would read a bad one of someone really struggling, it also created doubt in my mind, so I just stopped reading them.
@@user-zq4dj9ph3k Also I remember the moment it clicked, I was at a friends playing board games, feeling anxious about night time. But I told myself, "How about you just wait until you get home to worry about it?" A couple hours later, I realized I hadn't thought about sleep at all and actually was having a great time with my friends. That glimmer of normalcy is what actually made me believe I would get better.
Hi Ali! Amazing video!
Michelle â€ïž
thank you!!
So you say itâs not dangerous to have insomnia? I thought it was? Thatâs why I get extremely depressed and anxious! I donât want to shorten my life because of this terrible condition!
Hi Coach Alina! Hope all is well! Iâve been thinking about something a lot and wanted to know your thoughts on it. Itâs the idea of resting when you canât fall back asleep. We always say âWell if you canât fall asleep, just restâ. My issue with that though was once I closed my eyes to just rest, thatâs when the thoughts, feelings and sensations came like a railroad train lol. So all resting kinda went out the window⊠I laid there now trying to force resting while feeling all forms of the anxiety. I didnât want to get out of bed or do anything else but lay in bed but now resting becomes a chaotic situation! So uhh.. what to do? Lol sometimes the eyes are soooo heavy that you do want to close them but because itâs dark and quiet, thatâs when everything comes at you!
Accepting whatever comes with resting- those intense thoughts, feelings and sensations, can be really tough. I always thought, how can people truly rest with all of these feelings that come once you try to actually rest? So you end up doing two things, trying to actually rest while trying to accept and let in whatever is coming at you. It feels like one canât happen with the other present, or can they? Would love to hear your thoughts!
Hi Sierra! You know, I think resting has a much broader definition than lying with eyes closed. I can easily imagine myself resting on a couch watching whatever I find nice on netflix or doing some mindless activity. Some people rest in the gym after a day of hard intellectual work - imagine that :D If the idea to lie down comes with a pressure component, then it's hardly a rest :) I would navigate myself towards that pressure-less state - whatever that looks like for you!
@@FearlessSleep ohh okay got it. I always thought when people would rest, they would stay in bed in a restful state with their eyes closed. I thought, if that were possible- I donât think insomnia would exist lol. I would love to throw myself into a completely restful state if Iâm not sleeping lol. Okay itâs just doing whatever that comes with no pressure, thank you!
Have you answered on "when to go to bed" questions yet? Like if you have to wake up early, can you go early even when you're not sleepy?
yep, check out this video czcams.com/video/ikqg9O31WKo/video.html
@@FearlessSleep thank you!!!
Go to bed when you're tired, doesn't really matter how many hours are left. If you're all charged up you're not gonna fall asleep anyways thus you don't need to sleep.
Hey, how did you come at the point were youre insomnia was gone and you just slept normal again without the fear itâs going to come back even when you have a bad night?
I never napped during the day before insomnia. I am so tempted to nap when I get home after having a bad night. I am going through sleep disruptions/ speed bumps. Is it ok to nap or stay awake until night?
I see no reason why we can't nap if we want to during the day :) When we take a rest because we feel like it, this isn't really a sleep effort and is totally allowed!
Hi Alini have always had a fear that if my brain lost the ability to sleep. It makes me anxious. I think this type of thought is very common. How can i overcome. It is difficult to accept all this stuff
I have a very similar thought. Has anything helped you?
So my fear is that Iâll go into this deep pit of depression if I donât get sleep because of all the intrusive thoughts I go through when I donât sleep. How can one address such a situation?
I've watched you in coach daniel YT
I used to get the heavy eyelids and sleepy feeling just sitting on the couch but now its gone, did this feeling come back to you after you recovered ?
Yes, it did come back!
How did you finally first start being able to sleep?
You can find the answers in my playlists "Start here" and "My insomnia recovery journey" :)
So i should i stop taking medicine and lean into the discomfort to teach my brain its safe to not sleep?
@@user-kd3xt4kn7w the decision to stop taking meds or not is entirely up to the person and itâs best to consult a health professional before making any changes in medication. We can start embracing the night and any experiences regardless of whether we use aid or not.
@@FearlessSleep I'm using over the counter. Idk... I feel in my heart I need to learn how to trust natural sleep or I'll never recover
i havent slept well n over 20 years. no one helps.
What caused your insomnia to begin with? Have you followed the sleep coach and Alina specifically?
Hey, how did you come at the point were youre insomnia was gone and you just slept normal again without the fear itâs going to come back even when you have a bad night?
Hi Romy, sure, I shared this in a couple of my videos related to my personal recovery journey: czcams.com/play/PLptq89EvkVvOPsmy8q2MN2gaTkoB1DZ-G.html Hope this brings a bit clarity!