This document by Donna Helliwell at design your sleep outlines the key psychological factors that perpetuate insomnia, otherwise known as insomnia traps!

1. Notre histoire
à nous
CHLOÉ ET ALI
Rencontre : 1985 Couple : 1989 Mariés : 1993
Aux années à venir !
INSOMNIA TRAPS
TO AVOID

2. Notre histoire
à nous
CHLOÉ ET ALI
Rencontre : 1985 Couple : 1989 Mariés : 1993
Aux années à venir !
1. Thinking about insomnia day & night
2. Desiring sleep at all costs
3. Believing your insomnia is unique
4. Constantly searching for information
5. Talking about insomnia
6. Depending on medication
7. Fighting against insomnia

3. Notre histoire
à nous
CHLOÉ ET ALI
Rencontre : 1985 Couple : 1989 Mariés : 1993
Aux années à venir !
Thinking about insomnia day and night
Unhelpful & obsessive thoughts about our
sleeplessness become repeated and automatic
This confirms to our brain there is a threat, maintains our
mind in a state of alertness & stress hormones are triggered
What to do instead?
Identify your negative thoughts around sleep and instead of
cursing yourself, replace them with more helpful ones.
For example "There's no way I'll sleep tonight and I'm going
to be a disaster tomorrow" = "Ok, I'll accept that maybe I
won't sleep tonight but I'm changing my habits
and my sleep will get better with time". (and it will!)

4. Notre histoire
à nous
CHLOÉ ET ALI
Rencontre : 1985 Couple : 1989 Mariés : 1993
Aux années à venir !
What to do instead?
Desiring sleep at all costs
Think for a moment of those around you who
say they sleep well - they do not even think
about whether they'll sleep or not tonight
The more you desire and try to control sleep, the more it
signals to your brain that there's a threat - it becomes
fearful of sleep and maintains alertness
Give up control! Do the sleep hygiene and all that jazz with
no expectations and let it be. If it comes, it comes! And it
will at some point. Get those stressful clockfaces out of your
bedroom, no more counting or looking at clocks during the
night. If you can't sleep, get up do something relaxing and
you may or may not start to feel sleepy. For now it is as it is
and your sleep will eventually improve (if you just let go).
Believe me, I'm a former world champion insomniac!

5. Notre histoire
à nous
CHLOÉ ET ALI
Rencontre : 1985 Couple : 1989 Mariés : 1993
Aux années à venir !
What to do instead?
Believing your insomnia is unique
Most sufferers of primary insomnia (meaning
without secondary physical conditions) are
convinced our case is unique and unresolvable
As you can imagine, it's difficult to adapt a helpful mindset
for solving a problem if you think something is wrong with
you or your case is different. I know many doctors are
unable to provide a solution but YOUR CASE IS NOT
UNIQUE. Millions of people suffer with chronic insomnia,
as chronic as yours, as chronic as mine was.
Stop allowing insomnia to define who you are, you are
much more than that. Start by stopping telling people
you're an insomniac! I'm hard on you I know!

6. Notre histoire
à nous
CHLOÉ ET ALI
Rencontre : 1985 Couple : 1989 Mariés : 1993
Aux années à venir !
What to do instead?
Constantly searching for info on insomnia
By searching for info, we repeatedly confirm to
our brain that there is an important threat =
alarm bells & stress hormones released!
With new info, comes new potential remedies to try. They
don't work (again) and this reinforces our feeling of
hopelessness and the belief that there's no solution. Same
goes for facebook groups, forums etc. - we keep the
conversation going and reinforce our association with the
insomnia monster, keeping it alive and kicking!
Don't feed the monster! Ignore everything you hear or see
about insomnia. No more articles, facebook groups etc. no
more searching for the miracle cure. As a bonus, you can
use this time to do something more useful.

7. Notre histoire
à nous
CHLOÉ ET ALI
Rencontre : 1985 Couple : 1989 Mariés : 1993
Aux années à venir !
What to do instead?
Talking about insomnia
For people who have suffered for months or
years, insomnia becomes our identity, setting us
apart.
We reinforce the seeming gravity of our situation by
associating ourselves with insomnia - we and insomnia
become one.
Stop talking about insomnia, full stop! Don't become its
ambassador! If someone asks you how you're sleeping, say
something positive, whether you're sleeping well or not
and change the subject. If they are people you know well,
ask them to not ask you again. Don't feed the insomnia
monster by talking about it. Try writing phrases such as "I'
sleep so well" 10 times a day or whatever positive
expression suits you. Repeat it out loud. It'll help you
detach from your insomnia to a point of relief.

8. Notre histoire
à nous
CHLOÉ ET ALI
Rencontre : 1985 Couple : 1989 Mariés : 1993
Aux années à venir !
What to do instead?
Taking medication
Sleep is a biological imperative. There is no safe
and effective long-term sleep or anti-anxiety
drug.
Medication can provide relief for a few days of difficulty
but for insomnia that lasts for months or years, these
medications are destructive. Being prescribed medication
reinforces and confirms that we have an "illness". Sleeping
pills do not allow recuperative sleep. They become
addictive after a few weeks and we are delegating our
capacity to sleep to an external force - and you guessed it,
at the same time feeding the insomnia monster
If you are taking medication ALWAYS consult your doctor
before reducing or stopping medication. Adopt an end of
day wind down routine and take time during the day to
bring your stress levels down gradually. This can be short
breathing exercises, meditation, a walk, whatever works
for you. Get up at the same time each day, whatever what.
I don't have space to write here why but have a look at my
other posts for explanations!

9. Notre histoire
à nous
CHLOÉ ET ALI
Rencontre : 1985 Couple : 1989 Mariés : 1993
Aux années à venir !
What to do instead?
To fight insomnia is to confirm that it exists. The best thing
we can do is make friends with wakefulness. The more you
try to escape a perceived threat, the more real the threat
seems. When you realise that it's the struggle itself, the
attempts to make yourself sleep, that cause insomnia, then
the path towards sleeping well again is clearly lit.
Fighting with insomnia
Battling with insomnia keeps it alive and kicking.
Your struggle, focus and effort will only make it
grow
When you wake up in the night or can't fall asleep, fine,
use that time to do something other that stay in bed. A
crossword, ironing, reading... whatever. As long as it's not
challenging and only requires a very dim light. Also resist
looking at that clock ;)