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The Real Cure for Insomnia Starts with a Change of Narrative
It’s bad enough to lie awake at 3:00 a.m.
A younger friend of mine, who recently entered menopause, began experiencing insomnia. Night after night, she lay awake tossing and turning, and when she did fall asleep, it was fragmented and shallow. The lack of sleep began to take a toll. Her patience was frayed. Her mood became unstable.
When she told me about her ordeal, I shared some insight I’m sure she doesn’t hear often.
You see, I’m a veteran insomniac with plenty of experience dealing with sleeplessness. When I was struggling, I searched everywhere for help: doctors, books, online forums. Everyone kept repeating the same things such as maintaining a regular schedule, exercising, avoiding screens at night, and so on. All of it is sound advice, but some critical information is missing:
It’s bad enough lying awake at 3 a.m. What could make it worse is the narrative we build around it. We need to tell a different story — to shift our perspective.
What do I mean by that? The following three things.
Insomnia is common
About one in three adults experiences short-term insomnia, and roughly 10 to 15 percent suffer from chronic insomnia. That means millions of…
