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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Wonderful video!

Thank you for your video.

Years of psychiatric medication has destroyed my sleep, it was prescribed to help me and now my sleep is ruined.

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.

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.

Wow, very interesting!

Thank you. I born in Hong Kong and now living in UK

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

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

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

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!

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 ?

❤👍

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).

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

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.

I wake up ,,do something pleasant,,than i feel sleepy agian,,but when i sleep again sometimes i just dont fall asleep again

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.

I wonder if there is a controlled study (with a statistically valid and reliable sample size ) that employed this technique versus other. What were the results???

"Befriend wakefulness.....don't punish yourself for being awake." I think you may have something here.

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.

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.

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?

Can health issues prevent you from.sleeping or it's just the fear of health that prevents sleep?

Hi Alina; how listening podcast is even possible. Every phone; iPad you see the time. That creates more anxiety

Hello Alina. Your instagram is not working anymore? Can’t find it.

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.

Also did you receive my email? Thanks!

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?

I’m in benzo recovery….and I can’t sleep. Torture.