It’s easy to assume insomnia just means “not being able to fall asleep.” But if only it were that simple.
After nearly 20 years of working in sleep clinics, including at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Hospital, I’ve seen thousands of people suffering from long-term sleep problems. And if there’s one thing I can tell you for sure, it’s that insomnia doesn’t look the same for everyone!
Some people develop it during menopause, others after illness, medication changes, or a particularly stressful chapter in life. Perhaps it began when your children were born and you experienced a few months of broken sleep, or after a big move when you struggled to settle into a new environment. I’ve met people who’ve struggled with sleep since childhood, and others who were good sleepers their whole lives till a few months ago when it all started going wrong. For many, they can’t put a finger on what the original trigger may have been – poor sleep was something that just crept in slowly and then refused to leave.
When it comes to the presentation of insomnia itself, this can vary significantly! For some the struggle is getting to sleep – forced to lie in bed for hours desperately willing sleep to come. Others are able to get to sleep but then wake up in the night, perhaps just once or even six or seven times. And once they’re awake, going back to sleep poses a real challenge. And then there are those who sleep through the night – but wake up feeling as if they haven’t rested at all. Most often it’s a mixture of the above, the insomnia perhaps even changing form over the course of your life.
So if you’ve ever wondered, “Is this really insomnia?”, I want you to know this: if your sleep has been disrupted for more than three months, and it’s affecting your days – your energy, your mood, your ability to function – it’s very likely that what you’re experiencing is long-term insomnia.
And that’s not something to just live with.
What we know, thankfully, is that sleep can be restored. Not with quick fixes, herbal teas or white noise apps, but with the right support and tools that address the root of the problem. That’s what we do at re:sleep. Our program is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), and it’s designed to help people like you retrain your brain to sleep healthily, with guidance from a dedicated team and a community that truly understands what you’re going through. Because even if you know what the original trigger of your sleep problem is, after a few months, getting rid of this trigger alone won’t resolve the sleep issue. It has become a condition of it’s own, perpetuated by several factors which must first be identified and then addressed systematically and effectively.
If any of what I’ve said sounds familiar, please know this: you’re not alone, and you’re not stuck like this. With the right approach, better sleep is possible.
I’ve seen it happen for so many others, and I’d love to help it happen for you, too!
I started your program and loved it and was convinced it would work. I did not see it through because after making good progress is started getting worse at the stage when i got to a fixed sleep and wake up time based on my past average sleep pattern.
I am willing to try again and need to find a time with few obligations. I am currently taking a mixture of Melatonin (1.5mg), L-Theanin and Trypthophan and i sleep quite well now – not every day but most days. Sleeping well is roughly going to bed around 11pm and getting up at 7pm with maybe 30min of wake time – so pretty good.
I am a little worried whether it is worth dropping the natural supplement for your course. Of course, ideally i would like to think less about sleep and take no supplements.
Any recommendations
It sounds like you made great progress before, even if things got harder when you hit the scheduling stage. That’s actually a common sticking point, but with the right tweaks it doesn’t have to feel unmanageable. It’s also understandable to be cautious about stepping away from supplements when they’re giving you some relief. Many people find they can taper off once their sleep retrains and feels steadier, but there’s no pressure to drop them all at once. If your aim is to think less about sleep long-term, the program is designed to get you there. And if you come back to it, you’ll have support and we can tailor things with you when it feels tricky. We’re here if you feel ready to give it another go.