Waking up at night, not able to fall back asleep | Night awakenings during insomnia

  Рет қаралды 18,835

Fearless Sleep

Fearless Sleep

Күн бұрын

In this video, let's understand why we wake up at night, why it is so difficult to get back to sleep, and, most importantly, what to do about it. Sharing my insights from my personal insomnia recovery journey.
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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.
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What to watch next
What to do at night when you can't sleep: • What to do at night wh...
Behavioural principle #1 to recover from insomnia: • Behavioural principle ...
Anxiety about anxiety: • When insomnia takes a ...
What to read next
Perfectionism and insomnia: www.sleepcoach.sk/perfectioni...
On the “sandstorm”. 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...
My other resources & links
💌 Weekly Newsletter (Sleep Talks Letters): sleeptalks.substack.com/
👋 Follow me on Instagram: / sleeptalks.ali
❤️‍🩹 Read my insomnia recovery story: www.sleepcoach.sk/my-insomnia...
📣 Work with me (1-1): www.sleepcoach.sk/contact-me/
Special thanks to Sarah, Santiago, Gigi, Liza, Anna and Michael for supporting me on Patreon - you are the best!
If you wish to support my work on Patreon too ❤️: / sleeptalks

Пікірлер: 62
@sylhomeo6351
@sylhomeo6351 4 күн бұрын
This is the first time a sleep video makes sense! Thank you for this, you are better than a doctor who babbles on about nonsense advice like make sure you sleep in a dark room, don’t eat before bedtime, turn off electronics, etc.
@guylainelamoureux
@guylainelamoureux 11 ай бұрын
Before my insomnia recovery I had both onset and maintenance happen to me and having restful sleep was very difficult. Falling asleep was like climbing a mountain. I learned through your videos that falling asleep is out of my control, that my body falls asleep on its own so I didn’t have to worry about falling asleep! One of the things I have done to support not having maintenance insomnia is not look at the clock during the night when I go back to bed (after going to the washroom) or look at how long I have slept with my CPAP (I have sleep apnea) that way I am free, it doesn’t matter the time I have slept so far because I know I will fall back to sleep now, it’s magic! Thank you Alina, you have helped me so much, let’s hope you help more and more people like me recover from insomnia.
@souliman791
@souliman791 6 ай бұрын
Hello Guylaine. I am very happy for u to be able to overcome insomnia. I am still struggling with it. Can u maybe point at the advices/videos of Alina that really solved your Insomnia? Thanks for in advance.
@guylainelamoureux
@guylainelamoureux 6 ай бұрын
@@souliman791 I’m sorry you are struggling with insomnia. I have recovered watching all of Alina’s videos, many of them multiple times. I find when Alina speaks about her own experience is most helpful. Three videos that helped me a lot are “under pressure”, “spot and dissolve sleep efforts” and “how to fall asleep in 5 minutes” these titles are in the thumbnail of the video. I also watched the videos with Alina and Coach Daniel of the sleep coach school, these are longer but totally worth it, especially the one about taking the red pill, it shows how brilliant Alina is and her understanding of insomnia. Alina said on her IG that soon she will post a video here on her channel with Coach Daniel, he’s amazing too, the one that started helping people with insomnia with different approaches. Good luck, you can do it, you will sleep.
@judycrisenbery2982
@judycrisenbery2982 4 ай бұрын
I sleep good till I have to get up & use the toilet
@cbgavalda7103
@cbgavalda7103 6 ай бұрын
My insomnia started back in 2017 when I moved to another city to go to college. I had noisy neighbors and I developed sleep anxiety. It was a nightmare... At that time I didn't know what to do, so I ended up taking SSRIs, which made everything worse. I managed to quit them 1 year ago, CBD oil was a life changer at that time. Now, I experience something weird. I can fall asleep at my parents without any help but in my own flat, I have to take a couple of CBD oil drops + some melatonin supplements. I guess there is an environmental factor that makes me anxious (maybe living in a noisier city, or being alone...). In both scenarios tho, I end up waking up around 4.30-5h not well rested. I'm moving to another country soon and your videos are helping me to prepare myself and change my mindset. I hope to quit the CBD and supplements soon too! Thankyou
@jamestucker8088
@jamestucker8088 11 ай бұрын
Great talk. You should have many more thumbs up. The chart you showed shows almost exactly when I wake up. Its such a relief to know there is a reason for my insomnia and that I am not just going crazy. One thing I would add is if you start to stress out in bed about anything get up and do something relaxing. You are not going to get to sleep right away anyway.
@FearlessSleep
@FearlessSleep 11 ай бұрын
Great insight! Thank you!
@amymckay7241
@amymckay7241 5 ай бұрын
Thank you for the encouragement to do something you like if you wake up. Ever since I was a child, I have told myself stories to fall asleep. I have found it useful again as I deal with waking at night. I love it. Sometimes it doesn’t occur to me to do it. But I think I’ll make more of an effort to go right to it. I actually suspect it’s a very healthy, creative mirror to dreaming.
@steveh5635
@steveh5635 Ай бұрын
Great advice thank you, I had been awakening at night and going into a different room doing boring things like grocery shopping list to make myself sleepy, worked at first but then it made me more awake. I will do more normal stuff now and try not to think too much about getting sleepy thanks
@julla1416
@julla1416 Жыл бұрын
Wonderful video!
@alanrobertson5497
@alanrobertson5497 4 ай бұрын
Years of psychiatric medication has destroyed my sleep, it was prescribed to help me and now my sleep is ruined.
@Kiki-sv8gl
@Kiki-sv8gl 4 ай бұрын
Same. It’s a crime
@newseamus
@newseamus 24 күн бұрын
Yep. Same here. Worst mistake of my life.
@austintone
@austintone Жыл бұрын
Thank you for your video.
@ianquigley5070
@ianquigley5070 2 ай бұрын
Hi Alina. I think you probably answered this in your video, however I've listened to advice (not just CBTi) around wakefulness and getting out of bed and doing something not connected with an intention to sleep , as opposed to staying in bed and doing the same. My confusion was around whether it is OK to befriend wakefulness by remaining in your bed (I have a TV in my room), plus it can be quite cold in other parts of the house
@austintone
@austintone Жыл бұрын
When well-rested, for me almost any activity is pleasant and meaningful. In the middle of the night,I’ve not found anything that I want to be doing that would be pleasant. Before insomnia, for over 70 years, I was aware of awakenings but always fell back to sleep. Based on decades of experience, I now tell myself that I will most likely fall back to sleep, and if I don’t, I’m still ok since I have already gotten some sleep. (At this point, getting at least a few hours sleep is good.) If I awake, I would prefer to stay in bed as long as I’m relaxed, and just follow my slow breathing. I wonder if older adults have a harder time with getting out of bed when not sleeping (as required in my CBTi treatment). It’s the hardest part of the treatment. I don’t understand why my brain can’t see that I’m safe and comfortable in bed; my biggest stress is thinking I should get out of bed.
@FearlessSleep
@FearlessSleep Жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing! You know, I personally found classic CBT-I protocol unnecessarily stressful for myself. At some point I ditched the idea that I absolutely must get up if I can’t fall asleep, and it felt good and freeing. That was one of the ways how to remove the pressure for myself..Sleep started coming regardless of being in bed or getting up - because there was no longer pressure!
@julla1416
@julla1416 Жыл бұрын
Ditto here. What should I do i if I wake up and feel so exhausted and physically bad that I can't enjoy anything? LIke it's just agony being awake?
@josephng9887
@josephng9887 29 күн бұрын
Thank you. I born in Hong Kong and now living in UK
@deanc5501
@deanc5501 6 ай бұрын
Thank you very helpful. I heard that it is best not to raise your heart rate once awake so whatever you do keep calm and don't go to the bathroom unless you really need to. I listen to soft audio recorded voice talking on my smart phone so my brain concentrates on that and I fall back asleep
@user-rx6th2hj5z
@user-rx6th2hj5z 3 ай бұрын
what music send me somthing
@leonidvedine
@leonidvedine 2 ай бұрын
Has anyone else had success with mouth taping at night? I used to wake up in the middle of the night with super dry mouth and then i discovered mouth taping and i now sleep through the night.
@rex7486
@rex7486 19 күн бұрын
Wow, very interesting!
@johnsmusicpassions9740
@johnsmusicpassions9740 9 ай бұрын
i agree with everything you have said - my issue is how long before your brain realize that you are not frightened of wakefulness and what about feeling frustrated or angry - does the brain react to this response
@scotta9114
@scotta9114 21 күн бұрын
I never had issues falling to sleep or sleeping through the night. When I was around 40 years old, my Hair was falling out. Doctor prescribed Propecia. It solved the Hair loss problem but it took away my sleep. So, I stopped the drug and 27 years later, I still cannot sleep. I do fall asleep in about 30 minutes but wake up a couple of hours later. When i wake up, it's like I have consumed 10 cups of Coffee. I lay awake until I need to get up and go to work. The Brain is unhappy as sleep studies show I never reach a REM sleep. I will trying you suggestions.
@jonastoigobittencourt1094
@jonastoigobittencourt1094 3 ай бұрын
Hello Alina. In your opinion, if I wake up at night (or also can't sleep initially. Even though I feel very sleepy in both cases, shouldn't I go back to bed? Grateful
@richardmiddleton7770
@richardmiddleton7770 18 күн бұрын
It takes time, just be patient and relax, it will happen. People make the mistake of giving up and getting out of bed, switching lights on, eating, watching TV or scrolling on their phone. Chill, nothing is happening and you have nowhere to be right now!
@TaylorQuince19493
@TaylorQuince19493 Жыл бұрын
Do you think preventing morning activities like going to morning classes is good or bad? Especially a full day class. I think it makes me more fearful of any morning activities that has to happen in the future.
@FearlessSleep
@FearlessSleep Жыл бұрын
Avoidance and safety behaviour can backfire in the long-run, it may create a short-term relief but we will keep being in the place of fear. From the recovery perspective it doesn't matter what we choose as long as the decision is not made from the place of fear of losing sleep. I find that when we do things from the place of self-care and pleasure is much more beneficial.
@TaylorQuince19493
@TaylorQuince19493 Жыл бұрын
@@FearlessSleep To wake up earlier on days I have school like from let’s say 8.30 to 7.30 in the morning, do you recommend just skip to 7.30? Or should I gradually go down by 15 mins or 30 an hour?
@LC35202
@LC35202 9 ай бұрын
Hi Alina, I resonate so much with this way of insomnia. I have gotten much better at not caring but the alertness of the awakings is still there. Will this ever go away ? It’s almost like I’ve conditioned myself to monitor the awakings. How do I undo this ? And go back to awakings without alertness ?
@AngelinaX23
@AngelinaX23 2 ай бұрын
I have the same problem. I fall asleep fine. I turn on the stopwatch on my phone and every time I wake up, I hit the lap button. In the morning I add up all the laps and divide by 60 to see how much sleep I got. It has become obsessive-compulsive. I sometimes wake up 10 times a night with less than an hour of sleep each time. In the last 6 months I have tried every natural sleep aid known to man. I finally asked my doctor for a prescription and that's not helping either. I suppose I will have to stop timing my wakeups. That will be a difficult habit to break. What are you doing to help yourself?
@LC35202
@LC35202 2 ай бұрын
@@AngelinaX23 Hi, honestly, everything Alina teaches is 100 percent accurate and helpful. It’s about not caring anymore (which is so incredibly difficult). I am in a better place, however, sleep is not back to normal per se. I went on a low dose SSRI to help with the obsessions and that really helped. I know how painful it is to be in this horrible situation. You will heal. It will take time but you will heal.
@rajunand7128
@rajunand7128 Жыл бұрын
I wake up ,,do something pleasant,,than i feel sleepy agian,,but when i sleep again sometimes i just dont fall asleep again
@FearlessSleep
@FearlessSleep Жыл бұрын
It may be due to the expectation that 'if Im sleepy, thus I must fall asleep'. Sleep happens naturally when we aren't checking in "am I asleep yet?". Feeling sleepy doesn't guarantee that sleep will happen just as we wish, sleep has nothing to do with our preferences. It comes always on its own terms, and in a meanwhile, we can spend this time in a meaningful way!
@bennguyen1313
@bennguyen1313 9 ай бұрын
I suffer from sleep-maintenance/terminal-insomnia. I've followed the usual sleep hygiene everyone recommends ( Consistent sleep schedule Sunlight upon waking No caffeine after noon, Dinner a few hours at least before bed (including supplementing with Magnesium Glycinate/Calcium/Apple-Cider-Vinegar), Cold Shower before bed Cool Bedroom No [blue] light after dark No electronics in the bedroom except for a Pink-Noise-Machine and a diffuser with Lavender OIl (Sadhguru recommends a lamp burning organic olive) Blackout Curtains Bed should point to the east in the northern hemisphere (never north) ; Sleep on the Left Side Next to the bed, have a glass of water and a notepad (to write down anything you don't want to forget for the next day) ) In addition I have weighted blankets, and sleep with earplugs (30 NRR). I also have oxygen producing plants in the room (Areca Palm, Aloe Vera, Spider Plant, English Ivy, Pothos , Snake Mother-in-Law Tongue Plant) and cover their soil with charged crystals (Amethyst, Quartz, etc). I fall asleep quickly, usually repeating a mantra ("I am not the body, I am not the mind") making a fist with thumb at the base of the ring finger (ala Andrew Holecek protocol). Holding my breath for a few seconds in-between breaths. I try to be conscious at the moment I'm falling asleep. Unfortunately, I wake up after just a few hours, tired and unable to fall back asleep. At this point, I usually put on loose-fitting-socks, and raise the bed temperature by turning on the electric blankets/mattress-pad. The bed has a vibrating feature , so I turn that on as well. If I still can't fall asleep, I place an instant-cold-pack on the forehead and take a supplement (Dream Water / InstaSleep / Som Sleep), although would love to get something a bit stronger (Trazodone , GHB, Belsomra / suvorexant). I've seen some people have had luck with pricey Brain Stimulation (omniperf NeoRhythm, Muse S , Fluxwear Shift, Somnee , etc), but haven't tried that yet. I also tried mewing and wearing 3M tape over the mouth (so that I'm forced to breath thru the nose, but that didn't work for me. Sometimes I try drinking Decaf Coffee with Well Told Health Sleep powder just before bed.. or eating a bowl of oatmeal with warm milk.. but it's hit or miss, like applying sleep lotions (Dr. Teal, OHME, etc).
@ritikaray928
@ritikaray928 Жыл бұрын
Hi Alina..I am waking up regularly early morning after 5 hours of sleep.I can't fall back to sleep after that.. Exactly last year this time I had this same issue for 3 whole months until I delivered my baby .After delivery I woke up number of times at night and I had no issues falling back asleep. How do I break this cycle of waking up way to early.What should I do as staying in bed makes me frustrated.I am surprised how my brain has remembered this from my last years struggle. Should I leave d bed and start my day?My brain feels foggy all day.Kindly advice.
@julla1416
@julla1416 Жыл бұрын
I wonder if breathing exercises really help or just get me more fixated on relaxing/sleeping? Should I just let my thoughts go wherever they want?
@josephajoseph9535
@josephajoseph9535 11 ай бұрын
❤👍
@socooliamyes
@socooliamyes Жыл бұрын
So I have a question. If I wake up and do something pleasant or meaningful when will I know I’m ready to go back to sleep? This is what I’m having a hard time with.
@timgray950
@timgray950 2 ай бұрын
When you start to have trouble keeping your eyes open.
@wasimh2104
@wasimh2104 Жыл бұрын
I keep waking up at night? I thought this had to do with diet. Did you implement a diet during your insomnia and if yes how was your experience?
@FearlessSleep
@FearlessSleep Жыл бұрын
No, I didn’t follow any diet on my journey
@jassik4142
@jassik4142 Жыл бұрын
Hi Alina; how listening podcast is even possible. Every phone; iPad you see the time. That creates more anxiety
@FearlessSleep
@FearlessSleep Жыл бұрын
It creates anxiety because the mind doesn't want to meet the reality (you are awake and it is X am), it wants the reality to meet the expectations :) That's normal that knowing time creates such a response. We need to be mindful of the intentions. If you check time intentionally to see how you are doing, it only gonna keep that problem-solving alive. But if you accidentally looked at time, that's a different story and there is nothing wrong with that. Who doesn't occasionally know time at night if it's everywhere: phone, appliances, etc. Look at it this way: the point of recovery is to show that wakefulness can be friendly and non threatening. And if avoiding time stands in a way of befriending wakefulness (you don't allow yourself to do things you want out of fear of knowing time), then what good does it do to us? Hope you see the subtle guidance here.
@jassik4142
@jassik4142 6 ай бұрын
Thanks dear for answering my question. Sorry I couldn’t thank you at that time.
@purelove5780
@purelove5780 Жыл бұрын
Can health issues prevent you from.sleeping or it's just the fear of health that prevents sleep?
@FearlessSleep
@FearlessSleep Жыл бұрын
It can be both. When a person doesn't have insomnia he or she might get a night or more of poor sleep because of physical pain - in that case it is a plain sleep disruption which resolves as the source of the disruption is no longer there. But when a person acquires a fear around sleep itself, then it is a thing on its own.
@purelove5780
@purelove5780 Жыл бұрын
@@FearlessSleep I have 2 yrs of insomnia with 0 sleep 2 r 3 nyts Nd all other nyts dreamy hyperarousal sleep till now.i also hav slow digestion nd indigestion sumtyms for 6 months. Mrng nd eve slow digestion but at nyt even i have some hyperarousal sleep, digestion works.so my doc told me if u din sleep well then this vl be case.so my fear is all about my digestion always Nd sometyms only fear of sleep.i m so confused.i get relaxed Nd yawn Nd sleepy Sumdays.but Wen I think I am gng to get sleep then tats gone.i don knw wat to do..if I leave the fear of my health,can I able to sleep again ?does my health fear is causing me insomnia?
@souliman791
@souliman791 6 ай бұрын
Hello Alina. Your instagram is not working anymore? Can’t find it.
@FearlessSleep
@FearlessSleep 6 ай бұрын
I recently was changing the name and link must have changed too. Here is the current link: instagram.com/fearless.sleep/
@YippeeSkippie426
@YippeeSkippie426 2 ай бұрын
"Befriend wakefulness.....don't punish yourself for being awake." I think you may have something here.
@julla1416
@julla1416 Жыл бұрын
What if you wake up and you feel so exhausted and physically bad that you can't enjoy anything? LIke it's just agony being awake?
@FearlessSleep
@FearlessSleep Жыл бұрын
No need to push yourself to enjoy something if it doesn't come naturally. Sometimes the kindest thing to do is to be honest with yourself and allow yourself wholeheartedly to NOT enjoy wakefulness :) Accepting that you can't accept is also an acceptance and it can remove so much pressure! Anything that can give you sense of comfort will do - it doesn't have to be fun, just non-pressuring and you are good to go :)
@TaylorQuince19493
@TaylorQuince19493 Жыл бұрын
Also did you receive my email? Thanks!
@FearlessSleep
@FearlessSleep Жыл бұрын
Already replied :)
@bluebear107
@bluebear107 2 ай бұрын
I’m in benzo recovery….and I can’t sleep. Torture.
@deepthoughts8393
@deepthoughts8393 Ай бұрын
Try microdosing with shrooms. Life saver. Gives you longer Sleep. Also Rick Simpson oil has been a life saver too. It’s weed dabs for cancer patients
@BLACK-AUTUMN-MAGICK
@BLACK-AUTUMN-MAGICK 8 ай бұрын
All adults wake up after each sleep cycle... Adults that think they don't wake up, wake up, but they're usually so immersed in sleepiness that they're not really fully conscious, and fall back asleep fairly quickly, so they don't remember awakening... but all adults wake up after a sleep cycle.
@gambettonsa4528
@gambettonsa4528 2 ай бұрын
How long is a sleep cycle? And he how many are there?
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