Insomnia

[Nickie]

Nazis???
There is no need for you to feel guilty about anything. Nothing!
Your dreams are no weirder than mine. Last night, for example, I was playing tug of war against a wallaby, with fluorescent light bulbs that glowed different colors as we tugged. WTF?
In another dream, I drove an old pickup truck that was falling apart, couldn't decide if walking would be better.
Now, tell me that you're weirder than I.
I'm retired, don't do much of anything, and do I feel guilty? Hell to the no!
You may want to pick up a copy of A Course In Miracles and start doing a lesson every day. They're short, but pack a punch. Gets rid of guilt. I call it Buddhism in 365 days.

 

[Voran]

Nazis???
There is no need for you to feel guilty about anything. Nothing!
Your dreams are no weirder than mine. Last night, for example, I was playing tug of war against a wallaby, with fluorescent light bulbs that glowed different colors as we tugged. WTF?
In another dream, I drove an old pickup truck that was falling apart, couldn't decide if walking would be better.
Now, tell me that you're weirder than I.
I'm retired, don't do much of anything, and do I feel guilty? Hell to the no!
You may want to pick up a copy of A Course In Miracles and start doing a lesson every day. They're short, but pack a punch. Gets rid of guilt. I call it Buddhism in 365 days.

Yeah...they wanted to remove my eyes, but I ran through the facility until I found a flamethrower and torched em all. Probably my fault for listening to a song about WW2 too late at night.

I can try. Why not. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[Luke Plays Uke]

I have a lot of issues with sleep and have been trying to get better. Here’s what my therapist suggests:

1) Stress-dumping what’s got you worried into a journal before you go to bed so you know it’s written down somewhere to be looked at tomorrow, rather than thinking about it that night.

2) Gratitude journaling is another option where you write down the stuff you’re grateful for. It puts you in a pleasant mindset before sleep.

3) Guided meditation (there are plenty of apps that offer meditations for free or cheap).

4) Making checklists of things you need to do a few hours before you go to bed.

5) Light exercise about 4 hours before sleep.

6) No screens or TV for one hour before sleep.

7) Maintain a consistent wake and bed time.

8) Only use your bed for sleeping or sex so your brain makes pleasant associations with it.

But, if you do wake up and you feel you’ll be up for a while, get out of bed and move to the couch or someplace comfortable and do something that doesn’t take a lot of brain power and doesn’t use screens. Reading works, but not anything that gets you too stimulated.

I’m trying hard to adhere to all of this, but I wake up (a lot) stressed and feel the need to distract myself, usually by coming here. So here I am, awake in bed at 1:35, on my phone, engaged with you so I’m definitely not doing it right tonight.

 

[chris667]

Yeah...they wanted to remove my eyes, but I ran through the facility until I found a flamethrower and torched em all. Probably my fault for listening to a song about WW2 too late at night.

I did Nazi that coming.

One thing I have done is stopped using mobile devices to look at the Internet. I have a clonky old desktop PC where I do all my computing. Using it means leaving the comfy chair.

I think there is nothing worse than looking at the Internet before bed for insomnia.

 

[anngrante]

The lavender essential oil should help you to beat insomnia. Check out https://volant.no/ . It has been used, both internally and by olfaction, for centuries as a treatment for anxiety and depression, as well as for mood imbalances such as anxiety, insomnia, and gastrointestinal distress.

 

[John Colter]

Caffeine is a very strong, psychoactive drug and it affects some people a lot more than others. It is worth going caffeine-free for a week or so, to see if it makes much difference. But beware, suddenly stopping caffeine can make you feel really ill for a day or so. Better to taper it off. Afterwards, you should feel much better than before.

I am virtually caffeine-free, but I have a cup of tea or coffee, occasionally, if I am tired and need to improve my concentration level eg. when on a long journey.

That may sound extreme but it works for me.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

I have a lot of issues with sleep and have been trying to get better. Here’s what my therapist suggests:

1) Stress-dumping what’s got you worried into a journal before you go to bed so you know it’s written down somewhere to be looked at tomorrow, rather than thinking about it that night.

2) Gratitude journaling is another option where you write down the stuff you’re grateful for. It puts you in a pleasant mindset before sleep.

3) Guided meditation (there are plenty of apps that offer meditations for free or cheap).

4) Making checklists of things you need to do a few hours before you go to bed.

5) Light exercise about 4 hours before sleep.

6) No screens or TV for one hour before sleep.

7) Maintain a consistent wake and bed time.

8) Only use your bed for sleeping or sex so your brain makes pleasant associations with it.

But, if you do wake up and you feel you’ll be up for a while, get out of bed and move to the couch or someplace comfortable and do something that doesn’t take a lot of brain power and doesn’t use screens. Reading works, but not anything that gets you too stimulated.

I’m trying hard to adhere to all of this, but I wake up (a lot) stressed and feel the need to distract myself, usually by coming here. So here I am, awake in bed at 1:35, on my phone, engaged with you so I’m definitely not doing it right tonight.

Writing your thoughts/ worries down will get them off your mind. I’m no expert but I strongly suspect that #6 is an often overlooked root cause of insomnia. I sleep well and have always resisted having a TV in the bedroom.

In contrast, my wife often falls asleep in front of the living room TV and on those occasions will leave it on all night with the volume muted. When we travel and stay in hotels she insists on leaving the TV on all night which prevents me from dozing. Then she wonders why she doesn’t wake refreshed and why I’m an annoying “morning person”. Go figure.

 

[John Colter]

We are all different. For me, cheese is a mind altering substance. If I eat cheese in the latter half of the day I am highly likely to have nightmares. I awake feeling awfully confused and doubting my sanity. Fortunately, these experiences never stay in my memory. Within ten minutes of waking up, my mind is back to normal. Or what I (perhaps mistakenly) think of as normal.

 

[Joe T]

We are all different. For me, cheese is a mind altering substance. If I eat cheese in the latter half of the day I am highly likely to have nightmares. I awake feeling awfully confused and doubting my sanity. Fortunately, these experiences never stay in my memory. Within ten minutes of waking up, my mind is back to normal. Or what I (perhaps mistakenly) think of as normal.

Never heard of that one John. Have you ever researched what about the cheese causes the disturbance of sleep?

 

[John Colter]

Never heard of that one John. Have you ever researched what about the cheese causes the disturbance of sleep?

I've not done any actual research but I have looked on the internet. I didn't find any reference to cheese causing bad dreams, but there is a lot of chatter about cheese being addictive, or not, depending on whom you believe. My findings, therefore, are the result of only one case study.

It could simply be auto suggestion. I wish I'd never thought of it. I really like cheese!

 

[Joe T]

I've not done any actual research but I have looked on the internet. I didn't find any reference to cheese causing bad dreams, but there is a lot of chatter about cheese being addictive, or not, depending on whom you believe. My findings, therefore, are the result of only one case study.

It could simply be auto suggestion. I wish I'd never thought of it. I really like cheese!

Thanks for the input. Might just be heavy on the digestion. I can concur that it is addictive, I love cheese too. The stronger and sharper the better. Although I haven't had it in years, I loved that processed Velvetta on a grilled cheese sandwich too. I don't think that's even real cheese.

 

[AaronWilson]

Well, I've been struggling with insomnia for years. Sometimes things are good, and I sleep like a baby, but sometimes it's like a nightmare. I take some medication, but I have no legal and moral rights to recommend you something, so I'll just tell you what helps me except for medication.
1. Working out - I try to exercise every day ( 2-3 times I go to the gym, and everyday 10k steps is a must ) helps me to "clear" my head, reduce my stress level, and sport just makes me feel better, and also tired, what is good.
2. No phone/tv/social media 2 hours before sleeping. I've read somewhere that it's good to avoid "screens" before sleeping, and it works for me. It was hard to say no, but it was worth it.
3. Herbal tea - but not those herbal tea bags, but natural dried herbs. Camomile, melissa, etc., You can find the info about the best herbs online.
4. No smoking ( if you're a smoker ) before sleeping.
5. Less stress - the most, I think, impossible tip. For me, stress is the key factor to my insomnia, and I just can't get rid of it, it's my friend for life. But I know how to handle what it's too bad ( thanks to my doctor and pills )
And I think that the best thing to do at first - visit a specialist to find out the reason for insomnia.

 

[Wiggy]

1. For me, it's determining the most critical unfinished business* and getting it done or, in some cases, done away with. What to discard can be a tough choice but when it's done, or gone, it is instant relief.

*Home/vehicle repairs, yardwork, finances, internal and external commitments, decluttering, et al.
...and anything that has been procrastinated. More on this later

It all comes down to: "Fish or Cut Bait".
(stop vacillating and act on something or disengage from it)

2. Limit my happy-hour to literally 1 hour, not later that 7:00pm. I'm working on that...

 

[ploverwing]

3. Herbal tea - but not those herbal tea bags, but natural dried herbs. Camomile, melissa, etc.,

But not the kind that make you have to get up to pee Actually, I've used a strong hops tea foot bath - it's a relaxing thing to do, the hops sleepy goodness seems to do the trick without the diuretic effect. Plus it smells good (IMO).

 

[Stoneyrun]

I'm currently suffering from insomnia. I thought I'd feel much better after having a rest during the holidays, but it is still here. I wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall asleep. I'm tired and exhausted and I don't understand the reason. Any advice is appreciated.

I'd suggest speaking to your physician about it. That said, dietary tweaks can work wonders sometimes. Maybe reduce caffeine intake? Eating routines can impact our health. For many, chamomile tea has been a nighttime staple for most of our lives. That's because the flower has an incredibly gentle and effective sedative power. Experts call it “the world's most soothing herb,” and many say it also prevents nightmares.