Kim Goodwin of Okotoks, Alberta is no stranger to insomnia. It’s something she’s struggled with all her life but now, thanks to the Centre for Sleep & Human Performance, she’s stopped counting sheep every night.
“I’ve always had difficulty sleeping and until about a year ago, I could overcome it,” Kim explained.
But in the fall of 2018, she began experiencing a whole new level of insomnia. She couldn’t get to sleep, had trouble staying asleep and was waking too early.
“It really brought me to my knees,” she says. “So I visited the Sleep Centre and got the shortened version of the Insomnia Protocol since I was heading to Arizona for the winter.”
Kim was advised to limit her caffeine intake to one cup of coffee in the morning and avoid chocolate and sugar. She was also prescribed sleep medicine, had to avoid all electronics in the evening, exercise at high intensity three times a week and walk every night before bed.
“I had to stay up past my usual bedtime but get up at the same time every day,” Kim says. “And if I woke up in the night and wasn’t back to sleep in 15 – 20 minutes, I had to leave the bedroom until I felt sleepy again.”
Kim persevered during the four months she was in Arizona and although her sleep improved somewhat, she was still not feeling rested upon waking. Further testing back in Calgary revealed she had sleep apnea and Kim began using a CPAP machine. Her Sleep Centre doctor also referred her to a therapist for cognitive behavioural therapy.
“I had to change my thinking to change my life,” Kim says. “And I had to change the way I looked at each night. The therapy sessions really made a difference.”
“I’ve got my life back and while it’s not perfect, I’m off all the sleep medications and have developed an evening sleep routine that works for me,” Kim says. “I’m so grateful to be here compared to where I was a year ago!”
Centre For Sleep & Human Performance
Suite 106, 51 Sunpark Drive SE
Calgary, Alberta, T2X 3V4
403 254 6663 ext 1
www.centreforsleep.com
