How do you heal from CIO?

[cro]

Is it possible?
A friend suspects she may have been a CIO baby. She has lots of unexplained anxiety at night, especially if she's alone. It seems like a logical effect of CIO. (Her parents aren't around, so we'll never know for sure.) If that's the case, what can she do to overcome it?

[Dovenoir]

Sub. I suspect the same.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Annalou]

I know I was, I have a real hard time figuring out my emotions, and I'm never ok crying, I never cry, I know its not good to stuff but I don't know how to fix this!

[Transformed]

Set up your room to be as calming for you at night as possible. If that means a night light, get one and set it up. If that means music all night, then do it. DH and I have a fan going all night - he needs the breeze and noise, and I need some kind of background noise and have adjusted to the fan.
If you don't have one already, a lamp you can switch on and off from the bed helps. When you do wake at night and need light, you can just reach over and turn it on. Also handy to get some comfort from your Bible too if you're so inclined.
Look into mindfulness. Basic idea is that by being aware of what you're feeling/thinking and why, you can challenge things that aren't helping you. So you might wake in the middle of the night and feel scared. You try to stop the anxious thoughts so you can ask yourself why do I feel scared? It can take a while (like, days or months sometimes) to work out the answer, but in the meantime you can learn some affirmations. My favourite is "God did not give me a spirit of fear, but of peace, power and a sound mind".
It might be worth going to a counselor, especially if you're not comfortable with opening up these things without a knowledgeable person to help and guide you - but you also have the Holy Spirit to do that, one of his many names is "counselor".

[BarefootBetsy]

I know I was. I have horrible insomnia and I grind/clench my teeth at night. Putting a hot water bottle on my jaw can help with the latter issue and the insomnia... well... sometimes things help and sometimes they don't. Warm baths, warm milk, dark rooms, etc... it really depends and nothing works all the time. Exercising helped until I got pregnant. After getting pregnant I just wanted to sleep all day and couldn't fall asleep at night :doh

I'm hoping it'll regulate again now that I'm feeling a bit more energetic in general, but I'll get to about 10pm and be suddenly wide awake! Almost every single night :sigh

[Rugayatu]

I have horrible insomnia as well. I could be exhausted by 3pm but bedtime comes and I am restless and can't fall asleep. I've struggled with insomnia since I was a little kid.

The thing that baffles me is DH was also a CIO baby, in many ways more "hard core" than me (his parents did the whole, put him down and go to a different part of the house so they couldn't hear him crying thing, while mine did more of the Ferber approach) and 98% of the time his head hits the pillow and he is out within 5 minutes, often more like 2! He falls fast asleep and sleeps soundly all night, whereas I often take 2+ hours to fall asleep and wake frequently throughout the night. Ugh.

[sweetpeasmommy]

Flower remedies http://www.gentlechristianmothers.com/community/showpost.php?p=5078304

[blondie]

I was CIO'ing at 4 months because the doctor told them to let me cry.

:cup

[CelticJourney]

Is it possible?
A friend suspects she may have been a CIO baby. She has lots of unexplained anxiety at night, especially if she's alone. It seems like a logical effect of CIO. (Her parents aren't around, so we'll never know for sure.) If that's the case, what can she do to overcome it?Going all 'anthroplogist' for a moment - from the beginnings of time people have feared the dark and isolation. That's why so many cultures have marked the winter solstice with ritual fires - to hold off the darkness and to gather together. It is possible this has nothing to do with cio (just as possible it does, but......) but a natural reaction to reduced visual information and fatigue.

The other side of issue is that perhaps she would benefit from speaking to a counselor or other professional. Not knowing her, even as a fellow poster on GCM, we don't have anywhere near a clear picture of her or her life. Any advice we would give would be 'blind'.

[Tandem mama]

My mom did CIO with my sister and I. We've had more generalized anxiety/depression/unhealthy attachment than specific nighttime issues.

[CrunchySeaSalt]

The thing that baffles me is DH was also a CIO baby, in many ways more "hard core" than me (his parents did the whole, put him down and go to a different part of the house so they couldn't hear him crying thing, while mine did more of the Ferber approach) and 98% of the time his head hits the pillow and he is out within 5 minutes, often more like 2! He falls fast asleep and sleeps soundly all night, whereas I often take 2+ hours to fall asleep and wake frequently throughout the night. Ugh.

IMO: Self protection/defense. He trained himself to fall and stay asleep to avoid the pain of no one answering his cries, he lost hope and his mind gave up and found a less stressful way to deal with it than waiting and wondering.
So his body is still trained that way I think.

[PaperMomma]

:cup

I'm afraid at night sometimes too. :think My parents did CIO with me too.

[Weezie]

My parents did NOT do CIO with any of us, but I have pretty bad anxiety at night. Is she sure it was due to CIO?

[mythreeloves]

My parents did NOT do CIO with any of us, but I have pretty bad anxiety at night. Is she sure it was due to CIO?

My parents didn't do it with us either but I have anxiety at night and some insomnia too. :shrug3

[Annalou]

I know both Adrenal fatigue and lack of magnesium can cause bad nights
adrenal fatigue you will be exhausted after waking up, most people will NEED coffee, you also have this crash time in the afternoon like 1-3 or 4 where you get SOOO tired!
adrenal fatigue is aggravated when you stay up late (it's best to go to bed a 9 as many hrs before midnight as possible) and stress, stimulants like coffee,caffeinated drinks also cause trouble, I've had adrenal fatigue for years now, my life is just too stressful and I don't sleep easily before 12am

Magnesium deficiency: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=magnesium+deficiency+video&mid=E9D4D385EB3C6451D67AE9D4D385EB3C6451D67A&view=detail&FORM=VIRE1 (http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=magnesium+deficiency+video&mid=E9D4D385EB3C6451D67AE9D4D385EB3C6451D67A&view=detail&FORM=VIRE1)
I will be taking this Natural Calm Natural Vitality product to help with mag deficiency, I also have done mag oil

So insomnia/ anxiety at night doesn't have to be all CIO, but CIO could play a part in it :shrug


(http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=magnesium+deficiency+video&mid=E9D4D385EB3C6451D67AE9D4D385EB3C6451D67A&view=detail&FORM=VIRE1)