I'm having a hard time sleeping lately. If I just repeat a word over and over in my mind, sometimes it bores me to sleep. "One" seems to do the trick for now.
When you are trying to fall asleep, what do you think about?
by Anonymous | reply 60 | April 27, 2024 12:28 PM |
I do a breathing exercise. I breath in through my nose for a count of four, hold it for a count of four, then exhale through my mouth for a count of four. Rest. Repeat.
Helps me to relax.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | April 26, 2024 3:39 AM |
I imagine a beautiful thing I've seen recently - an image, a work of art, a view of natural scenery. I try to decide what makes it beautiful.
by Anonymous | reply 2 | April 26, 2024 3:44 AM |
I tense up individual parts of my body as tightly as i can for a count of ten, and then let them completely relax.
by Anonymous | reply 3 | April 26, 2024 3:46 AM |
Imagine what it’s gonna be like in the morning when I salute myself and proceed to touch the affected area.
by Anonymous | reply 4 | April 26, 2024 3:47 AM |
Romantic/sexual fantasies always relax me
by Anonymous | reply 5 | April 26, 2024 4:25 AM |
These are all great strategies. I will think about them all as I lie awake in bed, my mind racing with all the possible ways to fall asleep.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | April 26, 2024 4:38 AM |
I decorate rooms. I think of color, furniture, fabrics and where I would want to live if money were no object.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | April 26, 2024 4:48 AM |
When I was a child I always dreaded the dark and going to sleep and so I would tell myself that if I just went to sleep as quickly as possible then the night would pass by more quickly and I wouldn’t even notice how scary it was.
Now I listen to white noise or some other ambient sound video on YouTube, though I’ve read this is a terrible habit to pick up.
If you’re having chronic problems going to sleep there are a few general things you can do that help most people:
Get outside and do some exercise in the morning sunshine when you first get up. It will help regulate your circadian rhythm.
Not looking at any screen two hours before bed is a hard one, but definitely use a blue light blocking tool if your device has one.
Don’t drink alcohol near bedtime. A lot of people think this helps them get to sleep but it might just be making them pass out. Restful sleep and a drunken stupor are not the same.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | April 26, 2024 4:49 AM |
Reshtful shleep ish shertainly not the shame ash a drunken shtupor!
by Anonymous | reply 9 | April 26, 2024 4:52 AM |
r3 By "individual body parts", do you mean only your butthole? Be honest.
by Anonymous | reply 10 | April 26, 2024 4:57 AM |
I go through Latin noun declensions.
by Anonymous | reply 11 | April 26, 2024 5:03 AM |
I take a sleeping pill
by Anonymous | reply 12 | April 26, 2024 5:09 AM |
Penis.
by Anonymous | reply 13 | April 26, 2024 5:22 AM |
I jerk off and then roll over.
by Anonymous | reply 14 | April 26, 2024 5:41 AM |
I do a metta meditation where I repeat the phrase "May I be peaceful" over and over in my head. (More often I do this after I've woken up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep)
by Anonymous | reply 15 | April 26, 2024 5:43 AM |
Lately, I've been imagining a metal grate, like the kind on the street. And I imagine water dropping through the grate. My thoughts are like the water. There's time to think those same thoughts, tomorrow.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | April 26, 2024 5:47 AM |
Nothing. I can fall asleep easily anywhere
by Anonymous | reply 17 | April 26, 2024 5:52 AM |
I usually fall asleep pretty quickly, but if I'm worried or otherwise not nodding off right away, I try to visualize driving across my state, interchange by interchange. (I live in Washington State, so it's a scenic drive that I have made many times).
by Anonymous | reply 18 | April 26, 2024 5:57 AM |
Focusing on the low-key white noise coming from my C-Pap, and on the rhythm of my breathing, I go quickly under.
by Anonymous | reply 19 | April 26, 2024 6:04 AM |
Death
by Anonymous | reply 20 | April 26, 2024 6:05 AM |
I name guest stars on Will & Grace or Friends, or try to name a category of some thing using each letter of the alphabet e.g. cars, flowers, vegetables, countries, zoo animals.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | April 26, 2024 6:12 AM |
I plan perennial gardens in my imagination.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | April 26, 2024 6:26 AM |
Hey R7 that's exactly what I do. I've never met anyone else who does that, only on DL. I thought it was a unique little quirk of mine.
Lately, when redecorating Aunt Mabel’s ugly cottage isn’t cutting it,I discovered these YouTube videos. For me, they work, especially if I wake up in the middle of the night; they help me get back to sleep. However, I went through a number of genres before I found the one I liked—hard rain and thunder
"P.S. My partner can't stand lightning sounds, but I was too sleep-deprived to care. My motto: my sleep, my rules! Surprisingly, within days, it's not just me catching Z's, but him too.
by Anonymous | reply 23 | April 26, 2024 7:24 AM |
R23 here,I forgot to mention that with most of the rain videos, the screen will go very dark, and you’ll just hear the sound. Also, you might have to adjust your TV settings. Some videos turn off after a couple of hours of use.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | April 26, 2024 7:32 AM |
What about the periodic interruptions for ads, R24?
by Anonymous | reply 25 | April 26, 2024 8:53 AM |
I visualise the last long haul flight that I took (I live in Sydney so “long haul” = 20+ hours) starting with every step from leaving home. I usually make it to the lounge before falling asleep.
by Anonymous | reply 26 | April 26, 2024 9:01 AM |
I listen to podcasts on topics I'm not overly interested in and audio books of classics I've read already.
by Anonymous | reply 27 | April 26, 2024 9:26 AM |
I think about being roughly used by a group of black men.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | April 26, 2024 10:47 AM |
I fantasize about how much better generic Ambien once worked for me than it does now.
by Anonymous | reply 29 | April 26, 2024 11:05 AM |
I think about the good looking guys who were hungry for me in the bars back in 1995- they would lean forward to try to catch my glance.
by Anonymous | reply 30 | April 26, 2024 11:16 AM |
R24 There are no ads at all. It's just by sheer coincidence that I found an article about someone who makes them, and he says there's very little money to be made because of the lack of ads.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | April 26, 2024 5:55 PM |
I keep my Jonathan Adler ceramic mini canister, Valley of the Dolls, by my nightstand along with an airport-sized vodka bottle. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I pop a pill, take a swig of vodka, and boom, I'm asleep.
by Anonymous | reply 32 | April 26, 2024 6:06 PM |
ASMR on YouTube. You have to try a few different channels until you find a style and a voice that lulls you to sleep.
by Anonymous | reply 33 | April 26, 2024 6:32 PM |
This thread is making me sleepy.
by Anonymous | reply 34 | April 26, 2024 6:34 PM |
I say Hail Marys
by Anonymous | reply 35 | April 26, 2024 6:36 PM |
Getting a luxurious blowjob from an enthusiastic, noisy hottie if I haven't just enjoyed one.
In which case I'm already asleep.
by Anonymous | reply 36 | April 26, 2024 7:03 PM |
I've never gotten ASMR but I started following this lady who does different types of it. The videos I must like of her are her going through old (some really really old) magazines and catalogs while she just chats and reminisces or comments on the stuff in the magazines. Between her soft, calming voice and demeonor, talking about the past and memories and the genuinely interesting old magazines she reads, my anxiety lowers in 2 seconds.
by Anonymous | reply 37 | April 26, 2024 8:30 PM |
I try not to fall asleep.
by Anonymous | reply 38 | April 26, 2024 9:12 PM |
Like R21, I sometimes play the Alphabet Game. But lately I've been watching old seasons of the Antiques Roadshow UK on the Roku Channel, so once in bed I now try to remember at least 10 things I saw on that night's episode. Sometimes it's a snap, sometimes a struggle (were there any clocks, medals, dolls, Beatles memorabilia, Lalique, Faberge, Staffordshire, etc.?), but it always puts me to sleep.
And like R5, concocting plausible romantic/sexual fantasies works, too.
by Anonymous | reply 39 | April 26, 2024 9:54 PM |
Thanks r39. I didn't know it had a name.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | April 26, 2024 10:06 PM |
I also recite the Greek alphabet. Can never remember it all.
Or the police alphabet Bravo Tango whatever it's called. Also can never remember it all.
by Anonymous | reply 41 | April 26, 2024 10:08 PM |
A guy who fucked me excellently in college. I come up with scenarios where we did it more than the one time.
by Anonymous | reply 42 | April 26, 2024 11:19 PM |
I listen to the sleep stories on the CALM and headspace apps. They are designed to help you fall asleep and work for me.
by Anonymous | reply 43 | April 26, 2024 11:26 PM |
The first rule of not being able to fall asleep? Don't give it a care. I just grab my phone and turn CBC radio on, and then tuck the phone under my pillow and listen to some great shows, I fall asleep when my body wants to. Yes, I still have to be at work in the morning, and yeah, maybe a tougher day, or maybe not, but I just won't let myself get stressed about it.
by Anonymous | reply 44 | April 27, 2024 1:30 AM |
I listen to calming podcasts - usually self-help/mindfulness, or the sleepy stories variety. I take a microdose of melatonin 30 minutes before I lie down and am usually out in 5-10 minutes.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | April 27, 2024 1:48 AM |
sex.
by Anonymous | reply 46 | April 27, 2024 1:50 AM |
OP, I have struggled with insomnia since I was about three years old.
One thing that I find helps is counting down from 500 by 3s. I'm forced to focus on something restively mindless, so my mind can't drift to whatever worry is keeping me up at the moment. It works pretty well.
by Anonymous | reply 48 | April 27, 2024 1:56 AM |
r48 Very interesting. I will try that. I used to count up, but it wasn't very relaxing.
by Anonymous | reply 49 | April 27, 2024 4:00 AM |
r45 How much is a microdose? Like a quarter of a 1mg melatonin tablet?
by Anonymous | reply 50 | April 27, 2024 4:01 AM |
I am a low brow insomniac these days. I put TvLand on at 11 pm and dose off to King of Queens - about 2 am Seinfeld is on for a few hours. The local news starts at 4 am. I take care of my old sick mom and I have been almost suicidal lately - money, health, life - too much quiet isn’t my friend. Things are always better in the morning.
by Anonymous | reply 51 | April 27, 2024 4:10 AM |
I used to take melatonin but haven't tried it again in about 15 years. Kept it out of my house when I found out my brother's ex was using it on their 2 pre-schoolers. Both girls eventually needed speech therapy.
Not in my house when I'm babysitting.
I assume it's ok for adults. Some people are fortunate enough to get sleepy from ibuprofen but I'm told it can also raise blood pressure in those same people, like me.
by Anonymous | reply 52 | April 27, 2024 4:15 AM |
I read wikipedia articles, usually about serial killers, terrorists, venomous snakes and WW2 battles. I occasionally dream about snakes or people trying to kill me but it does help me fall asleep.
by Anonymous | reply 53 | April 27, 2024 4:55 AM |
Cannabis Gummies, problem solved.
Apparently it's more common than I thought. First time I walked into a despensory they guided me right there and said "is this for sleep, we get a lot of people your age looking for that". Gummies are there number one seller for people in the "elder" age group.
by Anonymous | reply 54 | April 27, 2024 5:18 AM |
I quit caffeine around two years ago. I still kind of miss coffee. I still get insomnia. However, I fall asleep faster and earlier, now. I don't have insomnia as much as I used to.
by Anonymous | reply 55 | April 27, 2024 5:22 AM |
I think about what I am going to wear tomorrow to my job at big law. HUGE BORE, always works.
by Anonymous | reply 56 | April 27, 2024 5:25 AM |
RF23 R24 I use those rain videos as well.
I recognize the one you put up. I've actually used that one before. My favorite channel is the one hosted by LUCASTA who has many such videos with different levels of rain and/or thunder mixed in. The one at link is my go-to.
by Anonymous | reply 57 | April 27, 2024 5:33 AM |
[quote] How much is a microdose? Like a quarter of a 1mg melatonin tablet?
Yes, somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3, depending how small I can cut the tablet.
by Anonymous | reply 58 | April 27, 2024 12:00 PM |
Wet ass pussy
by Anonymous | reply 59 | April 27, 2024 12:01 PM |
I can never shut off my mind so I need a distraction. I watch the news believe it or not. Turn it down low so I can just hear it, takes my mind off of whatever I am fixated on during the day and try for a little while to concentrate on what other people are saying. Then when a commercial comes on, I tell myself I still want to hear what's going on but just close my eyes until the commercials are over. Then boom, fast asleep.
by Anonymous | reply 60 | April 27, 2024 12:28 PM |