Sleep Patterns
I wake up at 3am all the time...well, not all the time, I go through phases. When this starts happening I usually can't fall back asleep untill 6ish and I have two kids that naturally wake at that time so I don't have the luxury of staying asleep. The past few times I've had insomnia I've tried EFT and have been able to fall back asleep within 30-45 minutes! Go to <A HREF="http://www.emofree.com" TARGET=_blank>www.emofree.com</A> for the instructions. I know it looks weird, but if it works it works. The other two things I'd like to try are light therapy and dark therapy. Read about dark therapy here <A HREF="http://www.alternativedepressiontherapy ... tment.html" TARGET=_blank>www.alternativedepressiontherapy.com/al ... nt.html</A>
I to have a problem sleeping I call it a busy mind. I am hoping by using the relaxation tape that came with the program will help. Has this helped you
Originally posted by JBMontana:
Sleep is one of my big issues too. A lot of it is my mind racing - sometimes anxious thoughts, sometimes just "stuff." I'll wake up in the middle of the night and my brain just kicks into overdrive. I'll sleep with the TV on so when I wake up I can be distracted by the program, then I'll nod off. It's not a great fix but if often works. Lately I've tried to just stop thinking when I wake up like this. I have to remind myself that there's nothing I can do about anything I'm thinking about in the middle of the night and, more importantly, I need the sleep more than anything. If there's something I need to deal with, I'll do it better during the day AFTER I've had a good night's sleep. Sometimes when I wake up in the night I will try to focus on my breathing - just breathing in and out in a deep and relaxed way. I'll even count my breaths up to 10 then start over. The breathing is relaxing and the counting occupies my mind. I'm still working on my sleep problems.
I'm hoping to become a better sleeper : )
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Guest
Oh, do I ever know what you're talking about. I'm fine falling asleep, but if I wake up at 3 or 4 am, I often have a very hard time going back to sleep. Here are some of the things that have helped me:
1. Cover your clock before you go to bed. I realized that when I woke up, if I looked at the time I would immediately start worrying about how much time I had left to sleep and if I would be able to fall back to sleep in a decent amount of time. Now when I wake up at odd hours, I don't worry about how long I've been asleep or how long it is until I have to get out of bed.
2. Sleep is best, but resting is still good. I had to remind myself of this. I would love to be asleep, but lying in bed resting my body is good too.
3. Practice meditation and deep breathing. When I can't sleep, I will lay there and as I breathe in, I will think to myself, "Iiiiinnnnnn," and as I breathe out, I think, "Oooouuuuuuttttt." I used to get really frustrated with this but once I stuck with it for longer than a few minutes, I found that more often than not, it helped me to fall back to sleep.
Hope some of this helps. Hang in there. So many of us are right there in the same boat with you.
1. Cover your clock before you go to bed. I realized that when I woke up, if I looked at the time I would immediately start worrying about how much time I had left to sleep and if I would be able to fall back to sleep in a decent amount of time. Now when I wake up at odd hours, I don't worry about how long I've been asleep or how long it is until I have to get out of bed.
2. Sleep is best, but resting is still good. I had to remind myself of this. I would love to be asleep, but lying in bed resting my body is good too.
3. Practice meditation and deep breathing. When I can't sleep, I will lay there and as I breathe in, I will think to myself, "Iiiiinnnnnn," and as I breathe out, I think, "Oooouuuuuuttttt." I used to get really frustrated with this but once I stuck with it for longer than a few minutes, I found that more often than not, it helped me to fall back to sleep.
Hope some of this helps. Hang in there. So many of us are right there in the same boat with you.
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Guest
Well, I now know the importance of sleep. I have spent the last 7, 8 months disturbing my sleeping pattern (staying up playing XBOX, PDA, or TV). Now my concern is how should I maximize my sleep while anxious?
Has anyone tried sleeping pills, or Nite time Nyquil or something? I'm desparate for sleep. having an hard time relaxing at the moment.
I like the idea of change in sleep environment. I'm going to see if I can go over to my sister house.
Has anyone tried sleeping pills, or Nite time Nyquil or something? I'm desparate for sleep. having an hard time relaxing at the moment.
I like the idea of change in sleep environment. I'm going to see if I can go over to my sister house.
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Guest
I had a lot of sleep issues while I was anxious and depressed. I was able to work through those issues as I worked through the Attacking Anxiety Program. I have been a coach with StressCenter.com for 10 years now. I have helped many clients gain peaceful sleep by thinking about their sleep differently. You can check out this new way of thinking about sleep in my book <A HREF="http://www.atimetosleep.com" TARGET=_blank>www.atimetosleep.com</A>
My best to you all for rest and recovery.
Tammy
My best to you all for rest and recovery.
Tammy