Sleep...

I have no trouble falling asleep but I get up at least twice to take a leak. When I come back to bed I begin to repeat in my mind a lengthy procedure I had to memorize, word perfect, 45 years ago. Usually, I'm sound asleep in a few minutes.

I've tried Melatonin but my dreams were so vivid and weird I gave it up. My son used Ambien, following the accident that left him a quadriplegic, and had experiences where he did and said things at night he couldn't remember during the day. Ultimately, he determined he had to wean himself from its regular use.

quote:

Originally posted by K0ZZZ:
There are three major groups of reasons for insomnia....

And group 4, people with stupid work schedules.

I imagine naval seamen out to sea have it worse. But damn.

75ish days until I get off nights

This seems to work for me, I stopped taking melatonin since it gave me weird dreams:

https://www.naturalvitality.co...alcalm-sleepcapsules

Ive taken Benadryl for some time and while it did work well at first getting full nights sleep, but eventually I would only get a few hours of really deep sleep, but then wake right up.
I started to develop trembling and my heart seems to race with anxiety.

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Originally posted by SigFan:
My son-in-law takes melatonin to help him fall asleep faster.

I hear that avoiding screens (blue light) at least an hour before bedtime also helps.

I have a lot of trouble falling and staying asleep.

I find that avoiding screens helps a lot. But, it needs to be more than an hour before. I try to stop looking at any screens (tv, computer, iPad, etc.) at around 7pm.

A dark and cool room also helps me a lot. My wife has "blackout" drapes in our room, and I have the thermostat programmed to lower the temp at 9:30pm.

Hope this helps.

quote:

Originally posted by mrvmax:
This seems to work for me, I stopped taking melatonin since it gave me weird dreams:

https://www.naturalvitality.co...alcalm-sleepcapsules

Melatonin gave you weird dreams, so you stopped taking melatonin and started taking a different brand of melatonin?

quote:

Originally posted by Micropterus:
I have a two fold method of falling asleep quickly

1) I force myself to think in pictures. I literally look at the back of my eyelids in the dark and see the colors and things one sees when they close their eyes in the dark. I concentrate on those things. I visualize things. Anything. Pretty soon my subconscious mind takes over and I can see myself drifting off as my mind generates things for me to see and I am not doing it on my own. I drift off into a dream state.

I force myself not to think in words. I do not think about what I should have said during that phone call at work that day. I don't replay a conversations I had with my wife. I force myself to not think about verbal exchanges at all.

And I think there is merit to all this. I've read studies that show that when one thinks in words, replay verbal exchanges, etc, the front lobe of the brain heats and that is inconsistent with sound sleep. Who here has not worried themselves awake all night thinking about an argument? Thinking in pictures cools the front lobe of the brain and that is consistent with sound, deep sleep.

This method rarely fails me.

This is one of the most interesting things I have ever read about sleep problems and solutions. In the past I have thought about the concept of watching the colors and shapes you see with your eyes closed, but never did it diligently enough. Also never connected with the idea of thinking in pictures instead of words. It makes a lot of sense to me, as does the psychology of it that you mention. I actually tried it the other night and it worked! I combined it with relaxing melody (i.e., instrumental music; no words; I listened to Pachelbel's Canon in D before bed). Now, granted, there was nothing on my mind that was bothering me and compelling me to think about it, but it is a promising technique. Thank you for bringing it up.

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
Exercise - as much as my physiology can handle.

This helped me as well.

quote:

Originally posted by amals:

This is one of the most interesting things I have ever read about sleep problems and solutions. In the past I have thought about the concept of watching the colors and shapes you see with your eyes closed, but never did it diligently enough. Also never connected with the idea of thinking in pictures instead of words. It makes a lot of sense to me, as does the psychology of it that you mention. I actually tried it the other night and it worked! I combined it with relaxing melody (i.e., instrumental music; no words; I listened to Pachelbel's Canon in D before bed). Now, granted, there was nothing on my mind that was bothering me and compelling me to think about it, but it is a promising technique. Thank you for bringing it up.

I'll occasionally combine this technique with ASMR crinkling sounds. Something about crinkling sounds is very relaxing to me. Even if I am listening to an ASMR with whispering in it, I don't listen to the words, just the sounds. But I tune the words out. Television can put me to sleep if I am lying down and I turn the sound down. I think the flashing of the TV screens helps.

It takes discipline not to think in words. It's hard not to do. Especially after a stressful day. But it can be done and focusing on the colors and swirls and things you see with your eyes closed in the dark really helps.

I wish I could find the things I've read on it. But from what I remember, thinking or interpreting language and words stimulates the frontal lobe of the brain, whereas seeing and interpreting visual things uses a different part of the brain. That stimulation heats the frontal lobe and negatively affects the ability to sleep. Forcing yourself to think in pictures takes that frontal lobe stimulation away and that part of the brain cools making falling asleep a easier. I've literally laid awake all night recounting an argument I've had over and over again. Why can't I get to sleep when that happens? Apparently, there is a physiological reason for it. I've been doing the visual things for several years and my ability to fall asleep has drastically improved.

So... How are you measuring the temperature of your frontal lobe, to know when it's heating up, and when it's cooling down?

Micropterus...What is an ASMR? I use a fan for white noise.

I fully understand the word thing; I am prone to stewing on things and going over and over a situation or discourse or, worse, even make up scenarios that didn't actually happen, but could have given what did happen. All to the detriment of falling asleep, or staying asleep. As soon as I can turn that off, I will get drowsy. But it is so hard to keep from going back to it. I think the idea of concentrating on images is very promising.

quote:

Originally posted by amals:
Micropterus...What is an ASMR? I use a fan for white noise.

I fully understand the word thing; I am prone to stewing on things and going over and over a situation or discourse or, worse, even make up scenarios that didn't actually happen, but could have given what did happen. All to the detriment of falling asleep, or staying asleep. As soon as I can turn that off, I will get drowsy. But it is so hard to keep from going back to it. I think the idea of concentrating on images is very promising.

Here's what it is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASMR


Most ASMR videos don't do anything for me. But some do. Of all the ones I've listened to, this one is the most effective for me. Something about the crinkling just really relaxes me. Listening through earbuds to get the stereo effect is best.

Meh. First day off in a while. Told my co-instructors I wouldn’t be there for class today. Came home from work, ate, showered, took a 10mg dissolving melatonin and crashed quickly. Heat set at 67 degrees. Sound machine on. CPAP filled up. Was quite excited to sleep 8 or 9 hours.

Woke up 4 hours later. Took another melatonin 45 minutes ago and still awake. I’m giving up.

My magnesium will be here today. We’ll see.

I tried magnesium last week and it made me really sick. Diarrhea, nausea, headaches, loss of all appetite. I actually went to the doctor because of it and he asked if I changed anything which made me remember adding the magnesium right before all the symptoms started. I stopped the magnesium and they all cleared up immediately.

I bought the highest rated magnesium on Amazon and after looking at the reviews there are many others that experienced the same symptoms.

Hope it works for the rest of you.