A very common recommendation, even from therapists and coaches, is that you leave the bed if you are awake at night. In this episode we explore three problems with this suggestion.

Firstly that the association between wakefulness and fear, not the linens or pillow cover, is what drives insomnia. Secondly that any goal oriented activity will lead to performance anxiety. And thirdly that association cannot be forced, they happen all by themselves when there are no rules or regulations. Just like sleep!

An anonymous question comes in asking if it is normal to have setbacks months after doing well? Samuel asks for help. Lara wonders about depersonalization and lack of sleep. Daniel has a surge of anxiety after having tuned in to the channel for 2 years, what to do?

In this video we review an experience that can range from puzzling to scary - when you sleep less and less but still don't feel sleepy during the day. We see that this is yet another effect of hyperarousal and that the loop that produces this situation is reversed when you understand what's happening!

Lara wakes up every two hours and wonders isn't sure that she even sleeps. Could this be a neurological disorder? Sunil is doing better but looking for more advice. Chen has had insomnia for 5 years and is experiencing fatigue, shakiness and intense neck tension. Could this be sleep related?

In this video we get to know how Ali (who has contributed greatly to the channel in comments and questions!) shares her path from completely sleepless nights and days filled with anxiety to a place where she has no struggle whatsoever with wakefulness or sleep.

We learn how she came up with the fearless way and how she found that although this was great in the beginning, letting to completely was how she arrived where she is now.

Adel is only sleeping 0-1 hours after a medical problem and is asking for help. Jake has just been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and wonders how SSRIs will affect sleep and why he still has so much sleep anxiety even though he has been sleeping well. Ellie has two questions: why is it that she does enjoyable things in the evening, feels very sleepy but still ha superficial sleep + knowing that monitoring how refreshed she feels every morning isn't helpful, how does she change this?

Neil from Talking insomnia #45 is hungry to help (!) after his own 20 year struggle with trouble sleeping.

In an episode I have had in mind for a very long time, we see how the human brain works the same for all of us. I share how tracking metrics (like YouTube subscribers and how much you slept) leads to a place of confusion, and how awareness and not taking yourself too seriously leads to a good place!

In this episode we find inspiration from the world of economics to see what the fundamental problem with CBTi is - implied controllability. We look at the two core techniques of CBTi, sleep restriction and stimulus control, and see how we can replace them with a timeless sleep window and befriending wakefulness and get to the place where we want to be - restful sleep and peace of mind!

Amie wonders what role hormones play when it comes to insomnia. Pat shares her what's helped her sleep much better (!). Alfonso struggles with insomnia but was told after a sleep study that he sleeps all night long, what to do? Karin wonders if leaving the bed because of a snoring partner is a sleep effort?

After a period of simmering anxiety related to the lockdown and a new job, a wisdom tooth extraction resulted in two sleepless nights and a trip down the insomnia rabbit hole. After three months of intense struggling, during which she was never present for her loved ones, Laura found a path to peace of mind.