Thanks for this. My 3 years younger self would've needed this so much when she had become fixated on getting or not getting enough sleep.😴
2 weeks ago | 3
Very good. I think the typical cbt-I approach can actually reinforce sleep anxiety. Sleep anxiety for some can be ocd-esque, so control efforts really can backfire
2 weeks ago | 2
When I stopped stressing about my insomnia it became easier to deal with. Easier said than done trust me I know!
1 week ago | 0
Other good things to do is to do some exercise (going out running and preferably strength exercises), have a good diet and avoid looking at a screen before going to sleep (also don't turn this into a magical routine haha, live the present!). Also what helped me a lot is taking Magnesium glycinate, 320 per day, but please ask your doctor before taking it, some people after stopping abruptly their anxiety spiked.
2 weeks ago (edited) | 1
Thanks for this. I get so frustrated when I can't freaking STAY UP. I want to do certain things, but my body is so tired that I have no choice but to sleep. I think it might be a result of my undiagnosed OCD from keeling me up. When I was going through OCD, it was so bad, I felt like Plasma from Teen Titans; only human when I was asleep. If I was awake, that was when the chaos happened. I chose sleep like a soldier retreating. I didn't know what was going to happen to me, and I thought my life was over.
2 weeks ago | 0
Oh the not rigid routine suggestion does make me feel very anxious and unnerved by it. I really don’t like having to things in my non-perfection ways! 🤮
2 weeks ago | 0
But how do you say no to the thoughts when they show up?
2 weeks ago | 0
OCD and Anxiety
Can't Sleep? Here's What Actually Helps 😴
Lying awake with racing thoughts? You're not alone! Here's how to break the cycle without turning bedtime into a battle:
1️⃣ Bedtime Routines
Have a loose routine, not rigid rules. If you have to do something to "ensure" sleep, it can easily be turned into a moment where you're ruminating and "checking" to see if you're sleeping. Thus, keeping yourself awake.
2️⃣ Accept Imperfect Sleep
Some nights will be rough - and that's normal! Don't do extra rituals to "guarantee" good sleep. Checking the time, doing breathing exercises for hours, or rearranging your pillow 10 times won't actually help.
3️⃣ Practice Uncertainty
"I might sleep well, I might not." If you sleep, you sleep. If you don't, then you don't. Fighting the possibility of bad sleep often makes it worse. Your body knows how to sleep - trust it!
4️⃣ Allow Thoughts to Come In
Welcome thoughts instead of trying to push them away. Don't problem-solve them at 2am. They'll move on when they're ready. The harder you fight your thoughts, the stickier they become.
Remember: One bad night won't ruin you. Your body is more resilient than your anxious brain thinks!
Sweet dreams! 🌙
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 416