So, for those of you wondering what I have been up to, I am still on my quest to cure my chronic insomnia. Anything I have mentioned in previous posts that was helpful, has not been lasting.
So, I went to a new sleep doctor (an MD--neurologist), and she recommended something called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), as well as hypnotherapy.
How could I have been searching for insomnia cures for years and never heard of this?
And how can an MD recommend something as wacky-sounding as hypnotherapy? It must really work.
Well, in my desperation, I decided I had nothing to lose except more money.
Here is some information on CBT-I:
http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-news/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-insomnia
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/in-depth/insomnia-treatment/art-20046677
So, I found a certified behavioral sleep medicine provider here:
http://www.behavioralsleep.org/findspecialist.aspx
I was surprised at how few there are in the country. Fortunately there is one in my metro area -- but only one! If there are none near you, or you can't afford it, I found this on-line version. I can't vouch for it myself, as I haven't tried it, but it might be helpful: http://cbtforinsomnia.com
There are various methods used in CBT-I. The sleep restriction therapy did not help me, and actually made me feel worse. Stimulus control and sleep hygiene didn't help, and were things I already knew about anyway. Meditation seemed like it could be helpful but I can't get my mind to stay still, no matter how much I try. Biofeedback using a thermometer to measure my skin temperature is another techniques that is fairly simple but I have been lazy about. But some of these things might help you!
And then we come to hypnotherapy….now that is helping. I had no idea what it is, and of course I envisioned a pocket watch dangling before my eyes. But hypnotherapy is not anything like stereotypical hypnosis. Rather it is like letting yourself fall into a daydream. I found it difficult to do on my own, due to my active mind, but I have downloaded guided hypnotherapy sessions from iTunes as well as some iPhone apps, and these are really helping me. I have tried several and found the ones I liked best based on the voice, style, length, etc.
Another thing the sleep therapist recommended is progressive relaxation. This has also been helpful. I have found some downloads that have both progressive relaxation and guided hypnotherapy. I am trying to do this before I go to sleep as well as when I wake up.
My therapist told me it really takes 3-4 weeks to kick in, and I have been doing this about 2 weeks now (and not every day). But so far, I am learning a lot about my mind and body by doing this, and I think the awareness itself is helpful, as are the techniques.
Wow, wouldn't it be great if there was an insomnia cure or at least relief that was so low-tech and so cheap? The sleep doctor told me that insomnia is so hard to address because every case is unique, so there is no standard treatment and no way to know what will help any one individual. (unlike, say, sleep apnea).
I am hoping this is really solid and lasting, for me and you and all the other insomniacs out there. Maybe this sleep behavioral therapy can help a lot of people.
I came here as a result of my FWS info search. I had never heard of it until today, and I appreciate reading about your impression of it.
ReplyDeleteHi Snowbrush, I hope something in my blog helps you, you might want to start at the beginning for the FWS info. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI feel for you and I am in the same boat. I did the CBT for insomnia, it helped a bit but then it stopped. The therapist was stumped. I seem to be over sensitive after a few days to new changes. Got a link for downloaded guided hypnotherapy sessions?
ReplyDeleteDear CEE: Thanks for the comment! I have tried a bunch of different downloads.
DeleteMy absolute favorite is called Hypnox. It is supposed to help with wrinkles due to facial tension, interestingly enough, but it includes both progressive muscle relaxation for the entire body as well as guided hypnotherapy, and I love the woman's voice. You can find it at: http://www.hypnox.ca
Wrinkles or not, it is my favorite. On iTunes, I found an album by Claudia von Lienen that I like a lot also. I also like an iPhone app by Eric Brown, but you have to turn off the phone's AutoLock to use it, if that matters to you.
I am sorry you still have insomnia. I have the same issue -- some things seem to work but then don't last. My latest theory/experimentation involves environmental allergies. I will be writing more about it, but I am wondering if that resonates with you or not. Do you have pets or other potential allergens (e.g., hidden mold) in your home?
Although I have no idea if you are still blogging, I will try to reach you through the comments.
ReplyDeleteI am twelve years in with severe, chronic insomnia - and on my third day trying the Fisher Wallace.
Unfortunately, the FW seems to be making me feel even worse. It certainly hasn't resulted in any sleep. I watched glowing testimonials where people talked about sleeping for the first time in years, and I was so hopeful.
I wondered - have you found anything to work, long-term? Any relief that sticks? I remember when I used to sleep like a normal person. I long for those days. My insomnia began very abruptly with a toxic chemical exposure. My thyroid and adrenal problems are well documented, but have remained difficult to treat. Obviously, these issues heavily impact sleep - along with everything else.
I'm glad I didn't know twelve years ago that the struggle would continue for so long. I'm still looking for answers, and blogs like yours truly do help. Pretty much every path you've tried - I've tried. Thus far, no lasting success.
If you have the time, maybe you'd be willing to write a post updating where things are with your insomnia now? What you're trying, and whether it is working? I'm sure I am not the only one who would be helped - and encouraged - to know where you are in this journey. Even if you have not found answers, it still makes me feel less alone to encounter other people who are going through this.
People who sleep every night truly have no idea what hell long-standing insomnia is. I would not wish it on my worst enemy.
Thanks for writing everything you have. It truly does help to read it.
I have a hard time sleeping due to chronic pain, but I can sleep. The only time I couldn’t sleep at all—all night long—was when I withdrawing from Klonopin, and I didn’t even know what was going on. For three or four nights, this continued, and although it was years ago, I still remember it well. You’ve been to sleep doctors, I assume. Mostly, I take pills for the pain, and since they help me sleep, I don’t see why you wouldn’t help you. Narcotics aren’t so good, you’ve probably been through the sleeping pills by now. Neurontin isn’t a sleeping pill (it’s for nerve pain), but it works even better—complete with extremely vivid dreams—and would surely give you a few nights sleep here and there before you had to start upping the dose more and more until you couldn’t continue. Right now, I’m on a new nerve relaxant—Tizanidine—and it has helped for a week. I’m supposed to take it three times a day, but I only take it at night because I so need the sleep benefit. Even without the pain, I can no longer sleep a lot because (a) I have taken so many pills over so many years and (b) I’ve developed quite a problem with depression. Surely, Neurontin would help, and since it’s an old, widely prescribed, and generally safe drug, a doctor might just give it to you for occasional help with sleep. If not, go to another doctor, and say you must be getting arthritis because your joints keep you awake, and tell him that you have a friend who swears by Neurontin for her joints. As you can imagine, I’ve gotten good at getting drugs over the years. I decide what I need as often as the doctors, and I usually get it.
DeleteDear Snowbrush: Thank you for your informative comment. I am sorry to hear about your pain and depression.
DeleteI have tried Klonopin, Neurontin, and pretty much any med out there that is marketed for insomnia. Unfortunately in my case the dosage required to make me sleep through the night ends up making me non-functional the following day. And they don't make me feel rested anyway so--for me-- hellish insomnia is better than living life drugged. But, if the meds can help someone else and allow them to function during the day, I would support them for that individual. I have not heard of Tizanidine, and I hope it helps with your sleep and pain.
As for sleep doctors, I learned after the first sleep doctor I saw that they have no tools for insomnia (the second sleep doctor told me that). The first doctor promised me that a sleep study would help identify solutions, but the second sleep doctor told me that she does not use sleep studies for insomnia, because they have not yet identified any patterns that can help them treat insomnia with any certainty. This made perfect sense to me once she explained it.
Dear CiM: Thanks for the comment. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your writing and letting me know that the blog has helped you in some small way. I needed the nudge to blog again.
DeleteI just posted an update, as you suggested, with information on what I think is causing my insomnia. I hope it is helpful to you. I understand how horrible your situation is. Check it out: http://myfisherwallacestory.blogspot.com/2015/07/yes-i-have-found-cause-of-my.html
Given how much experience I've had with modern medicine in general, I'm not surprised that sleep doctors can’t help, but I’m very sorry. I’ve been through a few sleep studies because I have severe apnea, and I have no doubt that had I had it 30-years ago, I would be dead by now because the CPAP is just that recent, so here's hoping that something will come along for insomnia.
DeleteThanks for your review of CBT and Hypnotherapy. CBT has tapped into some key realities of the emotional health and it's use for insomnia is well-documented. Hypnotherapy is far different from the stage hypnosis that many people have seen. It is a guided instance of the hypnosis we all fall into without calling it hypnosis. In fact, a professionally guided hypnosis treatment is far superior to those downloadable scripts on the Internet because it is specifically targeted to the individual's issues and needs. All of us begin in early childhood to do a form of negative self-hypnosis. Targeting the specifics of the NSH is an important part. A good hypnotherapist will spend as much time listening to your story as in the specific hypnosis. That said, it really works. And it is an integral part of CBT. I offer both of these in combination to my clients with great, but not instant, results. (CBT therapists usually call negative self-hypnosis, ANTS, Automatic Negative self-Talk)
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