anyone else hate trying to fall asleep?

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman

Originally posted by: tenthumbs

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: hunewbie
try melatonin. or some mj.
they usually work for me.

What are good sources of melatonin? Where do you get yours?

Grocery store. vitamin section.

I got a bottle of 300 tablets of Melatonin Plus at Costco for $6.

I'm a regular (periodical) Costco shopper. This is better, say, than acetaminophen? My sleep problems when I have them are waking up after a while and not going right back to sleep. Sometimes it takes me hours to go back to sleep and lots of times I just say fuckit, I'm getting up. Like most folks my idea of a perfect night's sleep is hitting the sack, going right to sleep and sleeping without waking up until my target wake time.

 

[mjrpes3]

In the past I dreaded going to sleep because I knew I'd be up for hours, but I now enjoy it because I'm able to use the time in a constructive manner. There are no visual or noise distractions (TV/computer/people), so it's a really good environment that lets you think deeply about stuff and work through problems. I am a computer programmer so I often use the time to take a step back and tackle broader, more abstract issues that I am unable to think about effectively in the daytime because of distractions.

There are still times when I know I need to be going to sleep, and I know that I will not be able to sleep unless I stop thinking. My solution to this is to do meditative breathing: emptying your head of all thoughts and just focusing on your breaths going in and out. This can be a challenge at first, and meditative breathing is, like many things in life, a skill you need to practice over and over again to get better at. The most frustrating thing starting out is that you can't go longer than a second or two before the mind wanders from breathing back to thinking about stuff. You have to patiently bring focus back to your breathing again and again. Over time you get better and it becomes a more effective means of falling asleep, but its taken lots of practice for it to become a practical sleeping aid for me.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I've had insomnia for ages, it runs in my family. I take 6mg of Melatonin, a generic Benadryl and a Unisom EVERY night.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: mjrpes3
In the past I dreaded going to sleep because I knew I'd be up for hours, but I now enjoy it because I'm able to use the time in a constructive manner. There are no visual or noise distractions (TV/computer/people), so it's a really good environment that lets you think deeply about stuff and work through problems. I am a computer programmer so I often use the time to take a step back and tackle broader, more abstract issues that I am unable to think about effectively in the daytime because of distractions.

There are still times when I know I need to be going to sleep, and I know that I will not be able to sleep unless I stop thinking. My solution to this is to do meditative breathing: emptying your head of all thoughts and just focusing on your breaths going in and out. This can be a challenge at first, and meditative breathing is, like many things in life, a skill you need to practice over and over again to get better at. The most frustrating thing starting out is that you can't go longer than a second or two before the mind wanders from breathing back to thinking about stuff. You have to patiently bring focus back to your breathing again and again. Over time you get better and it becomes a more effective means of falling asleep, but its taken lots of practice for it to become a practical sleeping aid for me.

Great post!

The meditative breathing discipline you describe sounds exactly like what is generally the first thing that my yoga instructor does at the beginning of her 1 hour classes. Other yoga teachers I've had usually do this as well. It's not something that I was into before. I'm getting better at it. It's also something a guy told me one time what I told him I had trouble going to sleep sometimes. He said "I can go to sleep anytime I want, day or night. I just slow down my breathing and go to sleep." I have tried this and failed several times. Your account points out the necessity of continuing to work at it. It reminds me of a bit of zen wisdom I read in a book. The master told the pupil to throw out from his head all thoughts. The pupil replied that he wasn't able to throw them out. The master replied, "then shovel them out."

 

[DayLaPaul]

Melatonin works ok, even though I think sometimes it's just a placebo. Cannabis works very well, although it'll make you not want to wake up. Alcohol works ok, but for me I end up waking up in the middle of the night. Doing pushups is probably the "best" method because you are actually benefiting from both the exercise and the additional sleep aid.

 

[zinfamous]

I just masturbate furiously.

that usually does the job.

 

[ballmode]

i do what zin does or if i have big stress in my life i have to settle down

 

[Muse]

Sleep is a mystery to me.

I cut out caffeine after noon, got Ambien from my doc....tried everything. I am now resigned to the fact that I sleep in 3 hour increments.

That might not be such a bad thing, i.e. not being on everybody else's schedule. I heard of a guy who purposely put himself on a 23 hour schedule to keep himself marching to his own drum.

My doc just prescribed me Ambien, and I got 60 pills. Never used it yet, just got it home. Is it real good? I sometimes have sleep issues.

 

[Muse]

can't smoke MJ too many random drug tests, rather be insomniac than fired

That's a bitch. Go NORML.

 

[Kaido]

Best things for me -

1. 30 minutes of cardio in the morning (at night = 1. no energy, 2. pumps me up and can't fall asleep)

2. Set a specific bedtime and listen to an interesting audiobook (following a story in your head, under the covers, eyes closed, in the dark helps you drift off)

3. No eating within 3 hours of bed (no liquids within 1 hour of bed)

I had a hard time falling asleep my entire life and dreaded going to bed every night, but now I don't have a problem with it. Mostly it's just audiobooks that help (I can't do TV because I keep opening my eyes, haha).

 

[destrekor]

Ugh I cant sleep right now. My mind races about money,stress life etc. I have a hard time shutting my mind down.

I have 2 styles to getting through an extremely overactive mind at night:

1) a form of meditation.
Meditation often is just a method to relax, clear the mind. The easiest way to do it for someone with a crazy active mind like me, where meditation is extremely difficult? Focus, on one thing.
Breathing is my focus, since breathing is also something that gets all messed up in times of severe stress/anxiety (I become a chest-breather when stressed, versus using the diaphragm).
How do to that?
Focus on ignoring everything in your mind, and on the rise and fall of your upper stomach/lower chest. Focus on making it a rhythm, observing how the air travels in and out of your body as you use your diaphragm versus forcing your chest up and down to move air.
If your mind starts thinking of anything other than the observation of breathing, tell yourself "no more, do it later." It's challenging for an ADD mind like me, but just practice discipline. "I won't think about that now, maybe in the morning. Right now, nothing."

2) When my mind is feeling awfully creative at night, I just encourage it. Focusing on one thing to apply it to.
Personally, I wrote a short story forever ago that I have had a strong urge to turn into a novel, ideally a novel series. I take notes on different thoughts, and have done that for years now. I hate starting it, and have done it a few times, never get anywhere. (Time is an issue too) I'd rather have almost everything planned out for multiple stories before starting the first one.
So at night, I often find myself just making a movie in my head. It can have a lot of frantic thoughts, but they are all focused on one thing. It's not stressful because there is very little pertaining to life (other than all my personal philosophies that I work into the characters), and as varied as the ideas are, they are all focused on one basic thought.
Some nights I just think, instead of the story, of what would be fun to do creatively in the future. Opening a store, managing a large and complex project, or anything that is some kind of "creativity."

In part, I am practicing day dreaming. Before I know it, I never get to complete all that much of an idea and I'm angry as the next day is starting.

 

[aigomorla]

DON'T
--------
Do Crack

if ur sleeping on this.. thats because ur dead.

 

[Jeff7]

Welcome back, ancient thread.

 

[Whisper]

Not sure if it's been mentioned already, but it sounds like you could significantly benefit from some training and education in sleep hygiene techniques.

There are psychologists who specialize in sleep hygiene and sleep disorders, so finding one with whom you could speak might be worth your time.

 

[A Casual Fitz]

Uberman sleep schedule ftw

 

[MJinZ]

No, I hate trying to get up.

 

[gorcorps]

Yes... my brain won't shut off. It's getting better though.

 

[A Casual Fitz]

Try thinking about nothing. It's hard but it can work.

 

[Modular]

1989 thread is '89