End Insomnia tonight: How CBTi REALLY Works

If you're new to the channel, my name is Joseph Pannell. I was a chronic insomniac for 20 years (not anymore!) and saw my entire life eroded and stripped by the condition.

Depression, anxiety, lost marriage, business, home… It wasn’t pretty.

After two decades of insomnia, I overcame it using the same scientifically proven methods I now share with others.

Having trained in the field of sleep medicine and behavioural sleep medicine, I’ve worked with some of the largest organisations in Britain, including:

• NHS
• Ministry of Justice
• Ministry of Defence

Through my worldwide online sleep consultancy, I’ve helped thousands of people finally end their insomnia for good.

How do I achieve this?

I focus on physiological and cognitive changes to rebuild sleep patterns and eliminate the anxiety, obsession, fear, and control around sleep.

I utilise CBTi (the effective bits—not the strict , traditional approach that just creates more obsession around sleep that nobody can stick to), ACTi, exposure therapy, positive psychology, and a whole host of scientifically proven therapeutic techniques.

As a former sufferer, I know what works and what doesn’t, so I utilise, adapt, and improve what works and discard what doesn’t!

• No sleep hygiene
• No tips, tricks, or hacks
• No avoiding blue light (good sleepers watch TV before bed, right?)

Just consistent behavioural and thought pattern-changing strategies.

What you can expect:

• No quick fixes
• No unrealistic promises

It takes habit building, undoing unhelpful obsessive ritualistic behaviours, time, patience, and a lot of self-kindness to achieve what everyone else just takes for granted - sleep.

You’re not broken. I don’t care how long you’ve had insomnia. You can fix this.

Why trust me?

It’s YouTube, and anyone can claim anything, right? If you want proof (which you should), head over to Amazon and check the reviews for my book, You Can Sleep Too!

People who have tried EVERYTHING (including the traditional strict CBTi) and suffered with chronic insomnia for decades now sleep like everyone else.

Don’t take my word for it—see what they’re saying for yourself:

About this video:

CBTi is known as the gold-standard treatment for insomnia, yet very few people know how it works and what to do. In this video I quickly break down exactly what CBTi is and also explain the 4 root causes of insomnia.

Disclaimer:

INSOMNIA TALKS and the information provided by Joseph Pannell are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions.

The views expressed on this site, or any related content, should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice.

Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health, and do not make any behavioural changes before doing so.

[milysree]

Hey everyone, I struggled with really strong anxiety for 10 years, and it came with some strange symptoms, like trouble sleeping. I saw many doctors and took medicine, which helped, but only when I was taking it. Then, I decided not to rely on medicine. I looked into ways to recover from anxiety without it. I watched motivational videos, focused on learning new things, ate healthy, exercised, and stopped worrying about not being able to sleep. Now, I feel much better. Even if anxiety shows up, I don't let it bother me as much. I'm only 28, and I had a minor heart attack. If I can get through it, I believe you can too. To deal with anxiety, let it pass through you. Tell yourself, "Let it pass, and I'm ready for it." Remember, I care about you all, and you're not alone. Anxiety doesn't harm us; we can overcome it. The solution is to make anxiety your friend, don't be afraid of it; the more you face the fear, the more it becomes normal.

[InsomniaTalks]

My top 10 pieces of advice to end insomnia once and for all!

1)Only go to bed when you are can’t-keep-your-eyes-open sleepy.

Sleep is a drive state. Just as you have a drive to eat when you feel hungry, you also have a drive to sleep when you feel sleepy. It is a common belief that you should set a fixed bedtime. Setting your bedtime by your watch rather than based on how you feel causes you to spend more time in bed trying to force sleep and becoming anxious if it doesn’t come. Go to bed when you physically can’t keep your eyes open, and sleep feels irresistible! (Never feel sleepy? People with insomnia never do anchor your body clock & sleep drive, tackle the fight or flight stress response that masks the sleep drive and spend less time in bed. Do all this and you will get that sleepy feeling back)

2)If you are in bed and feeling worried about not sleeping, leave the bedroom.



3)Get up at the same time every day.

Getting up at the same time every day is one of the most essential pieces of advice to improve your sleep because regular wake time anchors your circadian rhythm and homeostatic sleep drive. Even when you sleep poorly, if you can resist the urge to sleep late so that you can catch up on sleep in the short term, you will see a dramatic improvement in your sleep over the long term.

4)Get light!

Get plenty of light (natural or artificial) as soon as possible and throughout the first third of your day.

5)Don’t believe the 8-hour sleep myth.

Objectively measured in a sleep lab, most adults who do not have a sleep problem do not sleep for 8 hours. Some people may need 8 hours of sleep, but this is not typical. Sleep is like shoe size, everybody is different. The amount of sleep you personally need is enough for you to feel happy and refreshed. That’s it!

6)Spend less time in bed.

People with insomnia typically try to force sleep by spending more time in bed. Doing so serves to increase the amount of time spent in bed awake in an anxious, fight or flight state; this conditions the brain to see the bed as a place of worry and wakefulness rather than sleep.
The fastest way to regulate your sleep drive and tackle the fight or flight stress response that can mask your drive to sleep is to spend less time in bed.


7)Understand what causes and perpetuates insomnia.

Stressful events, ailments and medication can all cause a short-term sleep problem. Normal sleepers have short-term sleep problems too. What causes and allows insomnia to continue are behaviours to try to make yourself sleep and catch up on sleep (napping, sleeping late, going to bed early when you are not sleepy) and your anxiety around sleep (the fight or flight stress response).

8)Be mindful of active sleep efforts.

Hot baths, kiwi fruit, meditation, supplements, sleeping on the left side of the bed, sleeping at the north end … These are all active sleep efforts to try to force sleep. Just as it is impossible to turn your hair blue using breathing exercises, it is impossible to make yourself sleep if you are not already sleepy.
Hot baths and breathing exercises feel great, but if you have a laundry list of things you must do in order to sleep, this only increases your anxiety and obsession around sleep.

9)Be mindful of avoidance sleep efforts.

If I want to sleep, I can’t go out with friends and drink any alcohol. I can’t go out to a restaurant and eat late. I can’t exercise after a certain time. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t. All of these things mentioned may have an impact on sleep in the short term, but normal sleepers still do them, and they still sleep.
Avoidance sleep efforts limit your life, lead to loss of control and agency over it, and increase the power that insomnia has over you. This will damage your sleep over the long term. If it’s 9 pm and you want to go roller skating, get stuck in!

10) Go deep!

[timchallenge]

Man the whole concept of your brain associating the bed with worry and anxiety makes so much sense. I couldn't understand why I would be sitting on the couch practically falling asleep watching TV then as soon as I climbed into bed I would just toss and turn. Last night when I realized I couldn't fall asleep in the bedroom I moved to the couch and fell asleep there no problem. So clearly I need to recondition my response to lying in bed

[bradeastman]

Incredible Knowledge Joe!!! Thank you !!

[Roy-xeis]

6+ years of insomnia, which has become chronic fatigue. Lost my job and insurance. Clonazepam has lost its efficacy. I think I am going to fall over dead, which would be a relief. Looking deeper into your channel.

[arlenenolen]

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for saying none of these crazy gimics do not work for someone with insomnia...almost made me cry I have been suffering from insomnia for years..my dr has even got so mad at me to the point he was throwing stuff in his office after many appointments trying to tell him how bad I am ..I had to write him a letter explaining how bad I am he is now better with me 😢

[drewholland]

How do you break the hyperstimulation cycle? I seem to never get sleepy and always end up going to bed habitually and never being able to fall asleep because then I become even more awake. I worry all day long as well and it just gets worse. I feel like the part of my brain that says it's time to sleep is broken.

[HassanKhan]

Hey I sincerely thank you for your help through your online advice, I am fully cured from my insomnia because of it . CBTi is really effective and what u said about doctors not knowing it's treatment is also true . It's really easy to cure it yourself if you know how to cure it .

[clouds_from_heaven]

Hey doctor,

My name is Anubhav Gupta. I am from India and I am an 18-year-old student trying to do my best in life to give a good life to my family. My sister and I are the only two children in the family, and she cannot walk as she has paralysis. So, I always strive to do my best in life so that I can take care of my family.
Two weeks ago, I didn't sleep well for two days because I was studying late at night for my upcoming exam. After that, I tried to sleep normally, but I couldn't fall asleep. Then, I started to panic, wondering why I wasn't falling asleep. I felt like I had to fall asleep at any cost, and I tried so hard, but it only got worse.

Now, it's been 14 days, and I'm suffering from insomnia. I only sleep for about 3-4 hours per day. My body is really tired, and I'm super scared about this. I want to ask you if I will ever be normal again? I want to do my best for my family. Please help me if you can. I will be eternally grateful for your help.

[timward]

This video is so helpful. I've been struggling gradually for a few months and now having a total breakdown of being unable to sleep. As soon as my head hits the pillow in my bed, instant anxiety. The video describes everything that's happened to me, I even know what the initial stresser is. Now I need to take action to correct it.

[eLeKTroDo]

Hi Joseph, how are you? Can I ask you a question? My sleep window starts at 11:30 PM until 6:00 AM. I almost always wake up around 5:00 AM and I try to do stimulus control, but I don't always fall back asleep. I've already stopped taking sleeping pills (3 days ago), the ones I took just in case. My question is: should I shorten my sleep window further so I don't wake up during the night? Or do I have to keep trying with the current window and do stimulus control in the same way? I'm not sure if I'm explaining myself. Thank you very much.

[illialoginov]

Hey Joe! I would love to give you immense gratitude for sharing your experience and helping people to beat their insomnia. Your videos are such a treasure, and they helped me understand the nature of insomnia a ton! Especially the part concerned with constant control being an actual reason for insomnia. It was such a valuable lesson cause it perfectly explained everything happening to me when I couldn’t get any sleep. As a perfectionist, I couldn’t leave something like insomnia without my sight. Now I’m trying to release control over my insomnia. However, I would like to ask you if there are any ways to deal with obsessive thoughts like “what if I’ll not sleep tonight”, or “what if I’ll not be able to release the control tonight and it will cause a fight or flight reaction again.” I know that they’re just thoughts, but still, it seems like my brain sees them as dangerous enough to throw them on me from time to time, and it ruins my sleep, no matter how much I try not to think about them and not control everything.

[inthrutheoutdoor]

I'm just starting my journey with cbti. I have had insomnia for about 10 years now and it is controlling my entire life. I walk around like a zombie and it has to end. I bought a $2000 bed $100 pillows and $100's in sheets and blankets. There is no bed comfortable enough for me to fall asleep. I do have the fight or flight problem, and the bed is an awful place for me. Wish me luck. I start tonight (it is now 2:30am)

[makaiokalahama]

Insane that the VA doesn't offer CBT-I.

[wednesdayschild]

My problem started with hotflashes from menopause. I got sick and then got ibs which gave me gas. The ibs is better, but still waking with gas 430. I also had a lot of family stress

[AsmaAbdellah]

Your channel is so awesome please keep Posting videos you helped me a lots 😊😊thanks so much

[SarahBurtonyork]

Its been 4 months now, ive only been getting 1/2 hours sleep per night, im absolutely physically/mentally exhausted - where to start feel like im going insane

[iamVexnorz]

Hi, Joe. I am hoping you can provide me with a little help. I have a problem with getting up in the middle of the night 2-3 times which really affects my mood by the next morning. I feel very groggy and tired for most days as if I haven’t slept at all. Although, most of the times I am able to fall back asleep during these middle of the night awakenings it’s just that it does not feel as refreshing as before. I have been experiencing this problem for almost a year now. It transitioned from having a hard time falling asleep to middle of the night awakenings. Thank you and hoping to hear back!

[dmarcellus]

I've been doing sleep restriction and going to bed at 11PM with a wake time of 5AM. This is my first week of sleep restriction. I find that I'm waking up at 1AM-3AM and unable to fall back asleep. How important is it to get out of bed at 1AM-3AM ? I feel relaxed, not really worried...I still get out of bed at 5 AM...but my question is do I need to get out of bed this early? I understand not lying in bed struggling to fall asleep...but if you are able to fall asleep and then wake up... do you still need to abandon your bed?

[xoxo-ombx]

Hey Joe, i have chronic insomnia from last 7 months, i have always been i light sleeper though, sleeping for about 4-5 hours a night but i was okay with that i mean it never used to interfere with my daytime activities, but since past 7 months my life has totally become a hell . I'm having good deep sleep only once in a month .i feel tired i feel sleepy but as soon as i reach the bed i don't know where does all the sleepiness goes, i have tried every possible thing available oj google to cure this thing but nothing has helped . Some times i think how am i able to function without sleeping for even a minute since past 1-2 week . I'm a student not even in university, still preparing for the university entrance . Insomnia has affected my health as well as my studies in the worst ways possible . And tge saddest part is that no one believes you, because sleeping is such an easy and natural thing for others they don’t really understand an insomniac's mind and struggles faced by them . Any help from your side ? would ever be grateful to you .