Does anybody get a good night's sleep?

[Less]

It seems that many people on the board don't sleep very well. Me too. I even seem to fight the sleeping pill I take.

Perhaps people would like to post any remedies they have as well as any insights about this problem.  Those scary chaotic nights when we were children? Feeling too unworthy to sleep?! Now doesn't that sound crazy, but one thing I do sometimes is tell myself that I'm a good person and that I deserve to sleep.

 MM I know you get a nightly massage. How great it that!

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[Yuki]

I have problems on and off with insomnia and nightmares. The only thing I've found that helped was to learn how to stop thinking about everything. It was something I did a lot of the time but wasn't very aware of. I try to be aware of it and stop it now, but I still don't always notice when I do it.

[seeker]

Hi Yuki and Less,

I've been struggling with insomnia for about four years.  Some say it comes with a certain phase of life?...  I try the following, different remedies for different nights:
1. drink a bit of milk (it really does work!)
2. think of a category and list different words in that category in alphabetical order e.g. fruit, apple, blueberry...canteloupe (geez, it took me a sec to think of that one!)
3. I thank my muse for sending me a great dream the night before.  Sometimes I'll think about that instead of the BS on my mind.
4. I imagine myself in space and my problems are no bigger than specks
5. I get philosophical and tell myself "this too shall pass"  (Of course, there's Ms. Parker's followup: "What fresh hell is this?"   )  Basically I try to let go of hoping for a certain outcome if I am worried about something esp. important to me.  This is a relatively new insight for me and it helped when I was very worried about one of my kids.
6. try to stay awake

Hey, it's working...i'm going to bed now.    Seeker

[Anastasia]

When I was in my early 40's I started an ad agency with many, many small business clients.  You have to collect the money up front as--once the book was printed with their ad--if you hadn't collected the money, well...not everybody is so honest as to pay you the fee.
I took care of selling all the ads, drawing up the ads, working with the graphic artist to get the ads correctly and collecting all the monies owed.  It was an enormous amount of hours, and a great deal of stress.
Many times, near the deadline, I could not sleep.  I would toss and turn and worry about someone paying me or if I had forgotten something.
This happened ALWAYS during the last two weeks of the deadline when the stress was greatest.
One night I woke up at about 3 a.m. and started my usual, "now tomorrow I have to collect $300 from Sam, and then..gee..I sure hope Susie doesn't give me a hard time about the money again...and then I have to do" blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.  After starting this routine again for the umpteenth time during a deadline I stopped and said--all of a sudden--"IT IS 3 A.M.   WHAT THE HELL CAN I DO ABOUT THIS AT 3 A.M.?  NOTHING.  GO BACK TO SLEEP AND RELAX.  WORRY ABOUT THIS IN THE MORNING WHEN I CAN ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT."
Believe it or not, I adopted that philosophy right then and there and never went back to worrying and waking like that but a few more times.  When I did wake up again at 3 a.m., I would repeat the above and relax and go back to sleep.  
I, too, can't believe LOGIC actually worked for me in this situation, but it did.  I think the reality that there is sometimes nothing you can do at 3 a.m.  about something that doesn't have an immediate remedy in front of you--and just put it on the back burner for now--works sometimes.  It did for me.
If that doesn't work for you, go to a drugstore and buy some over-the-counter Melatonin, a mineral that will trigger your brain to sleep.  Always works for me, too, and it's cheap.

[Lynn as guest]

Here are some things I have tried>  Nothing works 100% of the time.

Follow a consistent routine before going to bed:  washing my face, brushing my teeth, etc.  I also turn off my mind.  Like Anastatia, I stop thinking about today's problems and solutions.  Create a time deadline for solving problems.  This helps in the transition to sleep

I avoid thinking thoughts like, "I have to get to sleep or I will be tired in the morning!!!"  Instead, if my mind starts spinning, I occupy it. For example, I say the alphabet backwards in my mind.  Keeps me from being anxious.

Read, read, read.  If I am restless and fighting sleep, I turn on the light and read.  Doesn't have to be an interesting book... sometimes, the more boring the better.  Remember when you were in school and HAD to read a certain book?  You fell asleep every time.

Most importantly, I allow sleep to happen.

[Anastasia]

Lynn, I quit reading books as they are just too darn fascinating usually and my mind keeps racing about what I read when I am in bed.
NOW I am reading women's magazines like Elle, Vogue, O, whatever.  They are usually so insipid they get borrrrrrring....and I fall fast asleep by the 20th page.
All I can pass on is what works for me.  Hope this is one suggestion for someone out there.

[Less]

Great suggestions everyone -it's true about reading, Lynn... logic -Anastasia and controlling our minds - Yuki. Amazingly we can -I'm beginning to get the hang of that. I always thought I had to  wrestle every problem and issue to the ground before I could relax. Try to mentally float away now.

 A few nights ago  I had a dream that was very comforting (a very kindly old person was rocking me in their arms) so I use this image now as I fall asleep (thanks Seeker)  Also tried the, 'I'm a  speck in space' and that was calming (but also sometimes alarming!) Wish we could buy Melatonin in Canada. "What fresh hell is this?" love it! I've been using that line very successfully and aptly this week. Brings lots of laughs!  What is it from?

peaceful slumbering all
Less

[mighty mouse]

Hi Les(s) and all,

I do all of the above but none works all the time as Lynn mentioned. One interesting thing for me is that listening to Paul Harvey (even though I'm not a conservative he is a good storyteller and has a soothing voice) who my H and I call Grampy, puts me to sleep.

I guess it's along those lines of having some sweet older person like a grandparent lull you to sleep.

Hope you are doing okay, INFP Canadian friend.

MM

[bubeshka]

righty O mate

[sjkravill as guest]

Hey everybody!
I have been struggling with chronic insomnia for the last six months.
So, I am really appreciating your suggestions.  I take a sleeping pill too, but often it's not enough.

a couple more ideas that SOMETIMEs work for me:

1. concentrating on my breathing and thinking the words "be still" or "peace, be still" in the rythem with my breathing.  Often my mind wanders and I Have to bring it back.

2. picture a serene place. For me it is Lake Michigan.  I close my eyes and imagine I am there.  Pretty soon I can feel the sand, here the water crashing against the shore, feel the setting sun on my skin, and see the beautiful night sky.

3.  I do the alphabet game that seeker mentioned.  

4.  sometimes reading helps.

5. I don't worry about not sleeping.  I recently learned that sleep deprivation can be sort of a high for one day.  So, I no longer worry about being exhausted and irratible the next day.

Good luck to all!  Thanks again for posting this thread!
Peace, sjkravill