Grady has spiraled in the year since his wife went missing. Financial ruin, alcoholism, concern about his wife’s whereabouts, and insomnia have all taken a toll. The insomnia has been particularly problematic. Grady is so tired that everything feels foggy, and his thoughts are slow. Grady is aware that insomnia can cause paranoia, confusion, and delusions, and he suspects he’s experiencing these symptoms. At times, he feels so drained he might collapse, yet he still struggles to fall asleep. Grady is depleted.
Insomnia occurs when a person experiences dissatisfaction with sleep, difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep despite having adequate opportunity. It’s formed when someone with predisposing characteristics experiences a precipitating event leading to a sleep disruption, and is strengthened by perpetuating factors like compensatory behaviors, negative thoughts, or physiological changes.
For example, a naturally overthinking person must decide between several job offers. She researches before bed, growing stressed. After eventually falling asleep, she wakes at 2 a.m., watches TV, and worries about being exhausted. To stay awake the next day, she drinks endless coffee. The cycle repeats.
Here are tools for stopping insomnia:
Keep a Sleep Diary: Record when you started trying to go to sleep, what you did while trying to fall asleep, how long it took you to fall asleep, how many times you woke up, and what you did during awake periods. Look for patterns.
Associate Bed with Sleeping: Reserve your bed for sleep (and intimacy) to reverse any association you have between your bed and staying awake. Get in only when tired and, if you haven’t fallen asleep within 15 minutes, leave until you’re sleepy again.
Reschedule Worrying: Schedule a 15 minute worry time early in the day. Address all your worries then. At bedtime, remind yourself to save your worries for scheduled worry time. Distance yourself from any negative thoughts that arise.
Avoid Compensatory Behaviors: Avoid napping, drinking excessive coffee, or otherwise getting your body’s sleep needs met outside of nighttime slumber. This will only reinforce the sleeping problems long term.