How to sleep better

[coati]

Aside from all the very real sleep disturbance issues discussed so far, some of us suffer from an overactive brain because of work and associated deadlines or problems. When working out a very complex problem, waking will sometimes happen as soon as the body has recharged just enough to overcome exhaustion, and then the brain goes back into problem solving mode, making it very difficult to get back to sleep.

I discussed this with a friend recently. She just listened to me. A short while later, she provided a non-verbal foundation for a solution to my sleep disturbance. Just before we parted that day, she held me in an extended close embrace, holding the side of her head closely to mine. No words, just an especially close and extended embrace. No sexual overtones, just a physical merging of heads and torsos and arms. She initiated and I submitted.

So the next time i experienced the 2 AM waking and launch into problem solving, I set it aside and remembered that embrace, focusing on my breath coming and going through my nostrils. Just the breath and the memory of that embrace, the memory of her head as close as the pillow on my bed. I fell asleep and woke hours later.

She is a wise woman. I resolve to hold my hugging friends close when we greet and part. Words only go so far.

 

[ericalauren]

Great question! I’ve had a sleep disorder my whole life. It’s been better in the past two years, thank goodness. Good luck!

 

[LadyElsbeth]

I am an insomniac myself, so I have enjoyed this thread as well. Thank you Wonderer67 for posting it originally and I hope you have found some solace and solid sleep the past few weeks.

 

[Kate_part2]

Interesting thread. I’m taking NyQuil and wine. Yes, I know, not good. But some great ideas here for me to try. Thanks for sharing.

 

[OrdinaryPerson]

I read an article about biphasic sleep recently that said sleeping 8 hours straight through is a recent invention. That humans used to have segmented sleep.

It made me feel a little better about waking up at 2 or 3 and not being able to sleep. Even though most of us dont have time to sleep in segments anymore... i cant have any stress basically to sleep through the night so i cant imagine what PTSD would do to sleep.

 

[OrdinaryPerson]

Im found biphasic sleep has helped me throughout my life(midnight to early morning, another chunk after dinner)Like a full nights sleep is unheard of for me. Its a little more spotty now because I was a very late diagnosis of Adhd or like I think of it- my brain doesn't shut the fuck up ever diagnosis.

I take Vyvanse and it knocks me into a blissful sleepy for a few hours (yes my stimulant medication relaxes me and knocks me out) in the morning. In fact getting ready to take now. I work from home so Im lucky so I get up and get shit done until it wears off. Then I inevitably crash out. Probably not the greatest but more sleep then I've had for years and I now know why all the things- excercise, sleep studies, drugs, etc never worked. Anyone else biphasic or with cranky brain?

My brain tends to be ok during the day but gets hyperactive when i wake up in the middle of the night. I think biphasic sleep would help a lot but not enough time in the day with kids and obligations to make it work.

 

[OrdinaryPerson]

Does anyone have links to breathing exercises/ yoga that helps sleep?

 

[Wishingbox]

My brain tends to be ok during the day but gets hyperactive when i wake up in the middle of the night. I think biphasic sleep would help a lot but not enough time in the day with kids and obligations to make it work.

Yeah I remember reading about second sleeps on old England. Essentially there was some first round of sleep then some common practice of overtime visiting and second sleep. I think that might make sense if you wake up and see candle going you might think oh so and so is awake too I’ll go say hello. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220107-the-lost-medieval-habit-of-biphasic-sleep

Works for me and my split sleep cycle.

 

[OrdinaryPerson]

Yeah I remember reading about second sleeps on old England. Essentially there was some first round of sleep then some common practice of overtime visiting and second sleep. I think that might make sense if you wake up and see candle going you might think oh so and so is awake too I’ll go say hello. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220107-the-lost-medieval-habit-of-biphasic-sleep

This is what i read
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/a...ng-habits-insomnia-segmented-biphasic/621372/

 

[Wonderer67]

Does anyone have links to breathing exercises/ yoga that helps sleep?

I do yoga with Adrienne on YouTube and they are pretty good. I work out on M, W, F and do yoga on T and SAT.

I have some good stretching exercises and breathing exercises that my PT gave me that I could send you if you DM me. I do a full rep every single night.

 

[OrdinaryPerson]

I do yoga with Adrienne on YouTube and they are pretty good. I work out on M, W, F and do yoga on T and SAT.

I have some good stretching exercises and breathing exercises that my PT gave me that I could send you if you DM me. I do a full rep every single night.

oh i really like yoga with adrienne. I used to do her videos a lot.
PM sent. Thanks!

 

[Wonderer67]

Interesting thread. I’m taking NyQuil and wine. Yes, I know, not good. But some great ideas here for me to try. Thanks for sharing.

Be careful!

There are a lot of good ideas throughout this thread. Many of them have helped. Def try some of the ideas put forth.

 

[OrdinaryPerson]

Meme of what not to do but what i sometimes end up doing anyway....

 

[Wonderer67]

Meme of what not to do but what i sometimes end up doing anyway....

Only if I can’t do anything else will I get on my phone at night when I can’t sleep.

A friend of mine did show me an app called Mesmerize. That is a good visualizer to help put you to sleep. It does cost money tho.
—————
And on a separate topic, I just got a medical marijuana card a few weeks ago and finally went to a dispensary. I’ve only tried it once and am not a huge fan, but I will try it a little more.

I can’t say it helped 100%, but I did do a hit early this morning. It made me feel really good but I don’t know if it made me drowsy or not. I will try experimenting a little bit more when I can’t sleep.

 

[lazy_literotic]

some things work for me, and not others -
so I don't like endorsing things - but I will here, in specifics.
I have an Alexa - love those things.
anyway, I have one in my bedroom, and I'll have it play ambient amazon for 45 minutes.
the music seems to be kind of hypnotic, doesn't play tunes that your brain will follow along with.
it really puts me to sleep.
if I get up in the middle of the night, I'll play it on my second going to bed..

 

[twister947]

Awake much too early, cannot relax. Muscular tension is the pits.

 

[Wonderer67]

Awake much too early, cannot relax. Muscular tension is the pits.

I am sorry brother.

Simpatico. Up just before three. No more sleep to be had this morning. Tried walking, stretching, meditating, distracting. The best distractions I had were working on my taxes and writing a little bit on my laptop.

Maybe I’ll sleep better tomrrow. I have been keeping a journal and I’m noticing that bad and good sleep happen in waves for me…

 

[lazy_literotic]

ok. sorry to hear about your bad night.
another thing that works with me is cold air, window open.
I'm all snuggled warm under my electric blanket, and things on top of that - so I'm nice and warm.
I'm thinking of getting a mini split air conditioner for my bedroom. it's warm here in the summer, and those are really good at cooling.
I had one where I lived before, and used it on warm summer nights and it was good for my sleep.

 

[Lady2020]

My sleep hasn't been great lately. The main issue is working a different schedule, different shifts from one week to the next. And getting asked to work a schedule at the last minute. I'm just glad to be working though, although there are periodic episodes of dealing with a co-worker psycho-bitch.

 

[emme8]

I wish I recorded my high school history teacher lectures... He has the cure for insomnia.

Seriously do you listen to podcasts. Not exciting ones, things like academics, or sermons.

I used to fall asleep listening to this Indian man with a strong accent discussing some philosophy. I had to focus to understand him and I would be sleep in minutes.

 

[Wonderer67]

Music has been good. I usually put on ambient music on a timer. Or a guided sleep meditation. Falling asleep for me has not been much of an issue.

But waking up has been tough to get back to sleep. and then I don’t want to out on music because I don’t want to wake up my wife. Maybe I’ll get headphones or AirPods.

 

[Lady2020]

I wish I hadn't lost an excellent guided visualization relaxation tape. Someone gave it to me about 30 years ago. Anyway, it took a while to get into it, which isn't unusual for most people. I stopped having cluster headaches because of it and I could turn to it when I couldn't relax or sleep. One day I found my 8 and 10 yo's listening to it, following the directions. I laughed so hard, but my 8 yo said he really relaxed and almost fell asleep and he couldn't understand why.

 

[akatrex]

Fan for White Noise and THC/CBD Tinture!

Alcohol is BAD for Sleep issues.
The more alcohol you drink, the greater the negative effects on your sleep.
For most people, alcohol induces a deeper-than-usual sleep in the first half of the night, followed by disrupted sleep in the second half of the night. During a normal night of sleep, we cycle through periods of light sleep, deep sleep, and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Each sleep stage plays an essential function, but deep sleep and REM sleep are considered the most important stages for physical and mental restoration. Alcohol initially acts as a sedative, increasing the proportion of deep sleep at the beginning of the night. However, as the alcohol’s effects start to wear off, the body spends more time in light sleep, which is not as sound and may lead to more nighttime awakenings. As a result of these frequent awakenings, people tend to clock fewer hours sleeping after drinking alcohol.

 

[CuckGuy89]

Some sleep tips...

-Don't eat or drink after 8pm
-Get plenty of exercise to be tired
-Keep it cool (68F) at bedtime
-Don't look at screens at least an hour before bed

I'd try those and see if that helps

 

[jehoram]

Some sleep tips...

-Don't eat or drink after 8pm
-Get plenty of exercise to be tired
-Keep it cool (68F) at bedtime
-Don't look at screens at least an hour before bed

I'd try those and see if that helps

And don't watch action movies that get the adrenaline flowing just before bed time. I watch documentaries and sitcoms, and save the Die Hard and Fast & Furious movies for earlier times.