I hear a lot of different stories from people about how their chronic insomnia developed — and almost all of them follow a similar pattern. That's because chronic insomnia typically develops through a pathway that involves three specific factors.

First, some of us are just more predisposed to sleep disruption. For example, we may have a stressful job or just be more susceptible to worry or anxiety. This makes sleep disruption more likely at times of stress or worry.

Then there is typically an identifiable precipitating event. For example, we might move house, have an argument with our spouse, experience a health scare, travel overseas, or something else unusual might happen. This leads to sleep disruption, and such sleep disruption is normal and to be expected!

For most of us, sleep will recover once the precipitating event is no longer an issue because we don't become very concerned about sleep. We don't worry about it and we don't try to compensate for poor sleep.

Related videos:

Why it is so important not to compensate for a bad night of sleep when you have insomnia:    • Why it is so important not to compens...  

How the body compensates for lost sleep by itself (and why stimulus control is so effective):    • How the body compensates for lost sle...  

Rearranging your life around sleep only feeds your insomnia and makes the problem worse:    • Rearranging your life around sleep on...  

However, when we experience sleep disruption (especially if it doesn't go away after a few days) it's all too easy to become worried and concerned. This leads to more time spent thinking about sleep and attempting to fix sleep. Unfortunately, the behaviors we adopt in an attempt to get our sleep back on track usually perpetuate the problem and further entrench the sleep problem, and this leads to chronic insomnia.

Related videos:

Avoid dwelling on the bad nights and try to focus on the good nights when you have chronic insomnia:    • Avoid dwelling on the bad nights and ...  

Constant change and endless sleep experiments are mentally exhausting and make sleep more difficult:    • Constant change and endless sleep exp...  

The good news is that if you recognize any part of this insomnia development cycle, then you can take comfort in the fact that your insomnia is not unusual — and, therefore, it can be addressed using the same cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) techniques that have worked for the overwhelming majority of others with chronic insomnia.

CBTI techniques help address the perpetuating factors of insomnia to get your sleep back on track so you can enjoy better sleep for the long term.

Related video:

Why CBTI is so effective when worry, anxiety, and a racing mind are fueling your chronic insomnia:    • Why CBTI is so effective when worry,...  

▶ Subscribe to the Insomnia Coach channel (and be sure to click the notification bell afterward​ so you don't miss any videos):    / @insomniacoach  

My name is Martin Reed and I am the founder of Insomnia Coach®. I offer sleep coaching services that give people with insomnia all the skills and support they need to enjoy better sleep for the rest of their lives. I also offer a free twoweek sleep training course for people with insomnia at https://insomniacoach.com/sleeptrain...

You can also find me here:

Website: https://insomniacoach.com
Twitter:   / insomniacoach  
Facebook:   / insomniacoach  
Instagram:   / myinsomniacoach  

All content found on the Insomnia Coach YouTube channel is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice or medical treatment and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or other licensed healthcare provider. All content is provided as is, and without warranties.

#insomnia
#sleep