I need sleep. Not sure what's going on lately, but my body has decided that it's only going to sleep every other night. And on non-sleep nights, my brain just spins. You can almost hear audible whirring sounds, like my mind is a computer that needs to crash/reboot but can't quite get there. In Mac terms, I'm spending long, lonely nights with the endless rainbow wheel of doom.
What do you do to sleep? I'll try (almost) anything. Well...anything that's legal, and doesn't require a 2am sprint through the darkened streets of the city. Or weird animal parts mixed into a potion...
Ideas? Tips? Suggestions?
7 comments:
I shouldn't comment at all, as I'm a total insomniac, and any advice coming from me will be questionable.
An evening yoga practice might help. Something gentle and marketed as PM yoga?
I'm actually reading a book on how to sleep right now. I haven't read the whole thing but apparently there's a suggestion in there to picture a bunch of people yawning when you can't sleep. I haven't gotten to that part yet but just thinking about it makes me sleepy.
Here's what works with a 3 year old:
Start a bedtime wind down routine about an hour before you want to go to bed. This can involve a warm bath with nice lavender scented bubbles (or a bunch of toy cars, drinking straws, and assorted cups for pouring, take your pick). After bath, get wrapped up in your warmest pjs and brush your teeth. You may wish to reward yourself with a sticker if you do a particularly thorough job. Kiss loved ones good night, get a drink, and allow yourself to read a few favorite stories in a big comfy chair. When you feel ever so slightly heavy lidded, slip over to the bed and tuck yourself in, leaving your night light on in case you need a middle of the night drink.
The grown ups in my house also enjoy a restful lavender bath, with dim lighting and possibly candles and a book. Lately, I have been enjoying warm milk with honey (or warm almond milk, yum) before bed as something that helps me get in that restful place. My husband swears by falling asleep with music or in front of the tv, but that just makes me agitated. When i am awake in the middle of the night and my mind won't power down, i write lists of all the stuff i am kept awake remembering, hopefully in the dark so as soon as the last item is on the page i can drop down and go back to sleep. these lists never seem as helpful in the daylight hours when i can't even read my own writing, but they do help me settle.
Best of luck!
I listen to a Charles Park sermon. I say this not because he's boring, because I think he's extraordinary. I call him the poet because he's simple and deep. But for whatever reason, his sermons calm me and I can get back to sleep again.
When I get to that point where I'm just a pent-up ball of anxiety and I can feel my brain going a mile a minute, I exercise. I personally like to exercise hard, like running or doing sprints on my elliptical trainer, because that physically tires me out as well, but even a half hour walk is enough to help me clear my head and get me in a more peaceful, happy place. I suspect that even doing calisthenics in your living room (squats, crunches, pushups, etc) would be helpful if you don't want to face the cold. I can't exercise too close to bedtime, though, because it energizes me. Hubby doesn't have that problem.
I tend to have a lot more trouble staying awake than sleeping, but a good workout during the day is helpful. Also, both my husband and daughter have tried melatonin, and it works really well for them.
melatonian-a natural sleep aid.
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