Fixed 6 years of insomnia
I developed severe and chronic insomnia six years ago. Before, I could happily sleep eight or nine hours most nights. I cannot be absolutely certain what happened, but in 2020 I suddenly started sleeping only an hour or two a night, with an accompanying loss of energy and concentration. Over the years, I tried: sleep hygiene, exercise, daily light management, caffeine avoidance, alcohol avoidance, meditation, environment changes, a slew of folk remedies, over-the-counter drugs, and prescription drugs. Only the prescription drugs seemed to have any consistent effect, but I built a tolerance to every kind of drug that worked.
My productivity decreased, as did my ability to plan for the short or middle term, because sleep, and energy and concentration by extension, became such wildcards. Working toward any long-term ambitions became increasingly frustrating, because sleep deprivation exacerbated a pre-existing tendency toward executive dysfunction and made sustained efforts difficult. Sleep concerns led me to restructure my everyday life, including building in lots of downtime in my plans to accommodate fatigue and committing less absolutely to things I wanted to do in case of energy fluctuations.
My psychiatrist suggested Sheep Sleep as my nightly dose of sleep medication cocktail was ratcheting up to keep up with my new tolerances. I’d read about CBT-i and learned that on average, people only gain an hour more of sleep per night with a licensed professional, and that decreases to half an hour through self-guided CBT-i programs or apps. In addition to that, nothing I’d tried had worked and stuck, and I thought if there was something behavioral I could do, I would have already tried it. However, I was still willing to give it a try, because there was half a chance it might actually help, and there was a money-back guarantee if it didn’t improve my insomnia symptoms.
I ended up doing an eight-week program and getting off medication. For the past two weeks, my sleep has consistently been 7-8 hours at night, and the best part is that I have energy and executive function during the day. My relationship with sleep has also changed, in that I’m spending a lot less effort to maximize it.
The first week of the program was just life as usual, but the second week was hard. My time in bed was restricted, and I was sleepy almost all the time. I actually had to take creative measures to avoid falling asleep whenever I stayed sitting for any period of time, which in hindsight was a good sign. The third week, the sleep restrictions relaxed, and I was able to sleep a consistent number of hours per night and had more energy during the day. I went off my medication in the middle of the fourth week, and the biggest surprise of all was how I was immediately able to sleep without it. Because my sleep and energy levels were on an upward trend at the end of my first month but not quite where I wanted them to be long-term, I paid for another month just to make sure I was doing everything I could. At the end of this second month, I am quite happy with the quality and consistency of rest I’m getting at night, and I no longer feel too sleepy during the day. I’m now experimenting with adding small amounts of caffeine back to my morning routine, after years of abstinence.
The other benefit has been that my relationship with sleep has improved. Even though I knew from my own research that anxiety about sleep is one of the biggest contributing factors to insomnia, and even though I thought I had already mostly handled my own anxiety, I was still dedicating a lot of brainspace to thinking about how I could maximize the next night’s sleep. I’m happy to report that the Sheep Sleep program also targeted that sort of thinking, and now I’m enjoying my newfound capacity to put that effort toward other things instead.
I am happy for Sheep Sleep and Luomei’s guidance and expertise, because while it is just a set of behavioral changes, I really do not think I would have thought to do many of the things they suggested myself. In addition, having a companion both let me offload my sleep worries while doing the program and gave me encouragement I wouldn’t have found otherwise were I to try to undertake a self-guided program.
My main concern right now is that, even though my sleep routine and sleep consistency are stable for the time being, other things that have worked in the past have stopped working after a period of a few months to a year. It is too early to tell whether the gains I have gotten from Sheep Sleep will stick for a lifetime, but I am cautiously optimistic after going through it, and will take this opportunity to move forward.
My productivity decreased, as did my ability to plan for the short or middle term, because sleep, and energy and concentration by extension, became such wildcards. Working toward any long-term ambitions became increasingly frustrating, because sleep deprivation exacerbated a pre-existing tendency toward executive dysfunction and made sustained efforts difficult. Sleep concerns led me to restructure my everyday life, including building in lots of downtime in my plans to accommodate fatigue and committing less absolutely to things I wanted to do in case of energy fluctuations.
My psychiatrist suggested Sheep Sleep as my nightly dose of sleep medication cocktail was ratcheting up to keep up with my new tolerances. I’d read about CBT-i and learned that on average, people only gain an hour more of sleep per night with a licensed professional, and that decreases to half an hour through self-guided CBT-i programs or apps. In addition to that, nothing I’d tried had worked and stuck, and I thought if there was something behavioral I could do, I would have already tried it. However, I was still willing to give it a try, because there was half a chance it might actually help, and there was a money-back guarantee if it didn’t improve my insomnia symptoms.
I ended up doing an eight-week program and getting off medication. For the past two weeks, my sleep has consistently been 7-8 hours at night, and the best part is that I have energy and executive function during the day. My relationship with sleep has also changed, in that I’m spending a lot less effort to maximize it.
The first week of the program was just life as usual, but the second week was hard. My time in bed was restricted, and I was sleepy almost all the time. I actually had to take creative measures to avoid falling asleep whenever I stayed sitting for any period of time, which in hindsight was a good sign. The third week, the sleep restrictions relaxed, and I was able to sleep a consistent number of hours per night and had more energy during the day. I went off my medication in the middle of the fourth week, and the biggest surprise of all was how I was immediately able to sleep without it. Because my sleep and energy levels were on an upward trend at the end of my first month but not quite where I wanted them to be long-term, I paid for another month just to make sure I was doing everything I could. At the end of this second month, I am quite happy with the quality and consistency of rest I’m getting at night, and I no longer feel too sleepy during the day. I’m now experimenting with adding small amounts of caffeine back to my morning routine, after years of abstinence.
The other benefit has been that my relationship with sleep has improved. Even though I knew from my own research that anxiety about sleep is one of the biggest contributing factors to insomnia, and even though I thought I had already mostly handled my own anxiety, I was still dedicating a lot of brainspace to thinking about how I could maximize the next night’s sleep. I’m happy to report that the Sheep Sleep program also targeted that sort of thinking, and now I’m enjoying my newfound capacity to put that effort toward other things instead.
I am happy for Sheep Sleep and Luomei’s guidance and expertise, because while it is just a set of behavioral changes, I really do not think I would have thought to do many of the things they suggested myself. In addition, having a companion both let me offload my sleep worries while doing the program and gave me encouragement I wouldn’t have found otherwise were I to try to undertake a self-guided program.
My main concern right now is that, even though my sleep routine and sleep consistency are stable for the time being, other things that have worked in the past have stopped working after a period of a few months to a year. It is too early to tell whether the gains I have gotten from Sheep Sleep will stick for a lifetime, but I am cautiously optimistic after going through it, and will take this opportunity to move forward.
Show more
VERY GOOD
I’ve been using this app for a while now. I like it! It helped with my sleeping schedule and overall sleep quality!
Changed my life
Sheep Sleep has given me a whole new perspective on sleep. I've been plagued by insomnia for decades and every night as I lay down my head, I was filled with anxiety and negative thoughts: "Would I sleep at all tonite?, How long will it take to fall asleep? What if I can't sleep at all, how will I feel? How many times would I wake up during the night?" With the guidance of Sheep Sleep and its cognitive behavioral methods, I now have re-framed those negative thoughts into positive ones: " I know I can sleep", "It doesn't matter if or how many times I wake up", "sleep is my friend". I am off all sleeping medications which I used for 20 years and I now look forward to going to bed and feeling rested the next day. It takes time, so don't give up!
Show more
Paradigm shift
I never really had a structure for improving sleep before. I kept trying stuff but got more and more neurotic till it took eleven hours a day to get unreliable, fitful sleep. Sleep sheep and Luomei gave me a recipe to follow, and now it’s getting better week by week.
Warning: the first couple weeks are the most challenging. By week three it gets much better.
Warning: the first couple weeks are the most challenging. By week three it gets much better.
Show more
Finally sleeping better!!
Sheep Sleep and Luomei have changed my life. Through this program I’ve finally started falling asleep when I go to bed. I’ve struggled with insomnia since I was a child and have tried many methods to help me sleep but none of them worked consistently. Sheep Sleep helped me with understanding my specific circumstances and how typical strategies could sometimes be unhelpful. My sleep is getting better each week and I’m so grateful!
Show more
Sleep Time
I’m writing to let everyone know that Luomei and the program Sheep-Sleep has been so informative to help me on my journey to a better life of sleep.It has given me a lot of knowledge on knowing how to manage my sleep and trying to keep it consistent.Luomei has been so helpful and has given so much time to work with me to try and help me with trying to get a better life style with sleep.You will definitely get help by following this program.
Show more
VERY GOOD
I’ve been using this app for a while now. I like it! It helped with my sleeping schedule and overall sleep quality!
Lifesaver!
I have had issues with my sleep for a while now and this is the only app on the market that has helped me. The session feels super natural and has given me tremendously helpful insights into improving my sleep
