i haven't been sleeping well.
it's the falling asleep part that's tripping me up. the staying asleep part i can do pretty well.
for the last 3 nights i've been lying in bed wishing i could just drift off like a normal person. you know... put my head on the pillow, sigh with comfort, then commence with the dreaming.
but instead i lie in bed thinking things like, "why am i not falling asleep??!? this is so stupid. fall asleep... now. ok, that didn't work. maybe if i turn on my side... ok. now, fall asleep. do it!"
clearly, this tactic is not particularly effective.
so i inevitably get up at 2am, or maybe 3, and visit the medicine cabinet, rooting around for pills that will knock me out. the trick is finding something that will render me unconscious for just a few hours, so i can still get up in time for work and not be a drugged-out zombie.
but i'm already tired of this crutch. i'm ready to have non-medicated sleep, and i want your suggestions on how to accomplish that. so far a co-worker has offered tips on patterned closed-eye movements (up, down, left, right, crossed, then relax) and my mom thinks i should curl my toes, tightly, then concentrate on slowing relaxing them, then my ankles, then calves, and so on, upward, until i fall asleep.
the root of my problem --and i'm entirely sure of this-- is an overwhelming feeling of restlessness that's settled in upon me, plus a niggling desire to get a big house-project underway again... i can't stop thinking about these things as i lie in bed, staring at the ceiling. but until i get my ridiculous psychological issues sorted out i am happy to try your remedies. all suggestions will be considered.
Posted by xta at September 28, 2004 04:24 PM | TrackBackI've been recently having trouble with the falling asleep part too, mostly due to having random little stresses nagging at my mind. I find that I can distract the nags if I imagine a body slipper, sorta like panty hose for the body slowly being slipped over my body, starting at the toes, and by the time they reach my knees, I'm usually asleep. It sounds corny but it was a technique I learned in a criminology class when we learned about hypnotism. Reading, music, or other distractions help too, just so as I'm not thinking about all that I have backed up on my To Do list.
Posted by: Dallas at September 28, 2004 04:46 PMHave you tried listening to a relaxation tape? I scoffed at this, but as soon as I would put the headphones on, I'd fall asleep. I'd wake up in the mornings, not having a clue what I'd listened to.
Melatonin gave me really weird dreams plus is a drug, so I don't know that I'd recommend that.
Posted by: pinky at September 28, 2004 04:52 PMSpeaking of techniques that sound corny but seem to work, I like to imagine tension flowing out of my hands and feet with every exhale. Also to stop my mind from racing I count from 1 to 20, then back to 1, one count on each breath, three times in a row. If I start to think about anything while counting, I just remind myself to let the thought go, then go back to counting. If I lose track of my count I start again. Not all the way back at the beginning, but if I lost count in the second set, I would start that set again. the trick is to gradually stop thinking about so much.
Posted by: Sarah at September 28, 2004 05:46 PMi often have the same type of problem. for me, reducing sources of mental stimulation prior to bed helps a lot. i force myself to shut my computer completely down at 10pm and only watch brainless tv and pet the cat until bedtime. also, no puttering, just sitting. not sure if any of that will be helpful; a lot of my worry-warting comes to me via my computer, but that's probably not the case for you.
i do use melatonin as a last resort. however, it can still require some discipline to fall asleep even with melatonin. mental relaxation exercises such as what dallas has suggested might be necessary since your sleeplessness seems to be mentally-induced. me, i just repeat the word "sleep" over and over in a meditative fashion :)
there are also some other physical relaxation techniques that i use... exercise earlier in the day (either morning or after work) can really help A LOT. again, being disciplined about relaxing for a while before bed may be necessary. taking a hot bath w/ candles helps for me, or even just a hot shower.
Posted by: lisa at September 28, 2004 05:49 PMoh, and i have a LOT of ambient brian eno cd's which you are welcome to borrow :)
Posted by: lisa at September 28, 2004 05:51 PMStop trying to sleep, and try to relax instead.
Or, as you're going to sleep, try to remember every bed you've ever slept in (most recent to least). Visualize the bed, its orientation, your orientation in the bed, and the room itself. Relate those orientations to your current room: pretend "Ok, if I were in *that* bedroom, the door would be *there*...."
Or read _Say Good Night to Insomnia_ -- http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805055487/
Sleeping pills suck.
Posted by: Joseph H. Vilas at September 28, 2004 11:11 PM