I've read up on things you can do to help yourself. One piece of advice is to have a "Bed Time Routine". What? Like, climbing into bed?
Listening to soothing music, meditating, reading, chamomile tea, which I seriously don't get because I would have to pee an hour later and this would wake me up. These things could be included in your Bed Time Routine.
I have a few tricks that normally work for me:
1. Coast to Coast am Radio
Honestly - when they start talking about Big Foot, UFOs and fairies....it's the best.
2. Reading
This is usually the best option for me, I can usually fit in about 2-3 sentences before I'm drooling on the pillow. These days I can only take Heathcliff's brutal, violent, wretchedness for so long.
3. Watching TV
Here is one reason to keep the cable. Last night, 2:00 am I found myself cheering out loud when I found an episode of Star Trek - the sweet ones from the 70's.
4. Meditating
If I try to meditate the way Eckhart Tolle suggests in A New Earth - I last 30 seconds.
It's the most bizarre experience. I glance out the window - Victoria is really quiet at night. Spooky quiet. No cars, no movement, no sounds at all from outside. In Vancouver if I was desperate to assure myself there were people alive, I could have sauntered up to Broadway to a 24 hour coffee shop.
It's a strange sensation when the rest of the city around you is asleep - sometimes when I search outside I can't even find a light in a window. Brad is snoozing away as well......as I try to find a way to amuse myself until sleep comes.
6 comments:
In high school, it would routinely take me 3 hrs to fall asleep. Now I have it down to about 45 minutes. Yay me!
One of my favorite tactics besides what you mention (classics!) is to relax my body. Start at your toes and go muscle by muscle clenching, holding and letting go. By the time you get to your face you will be either asleep or at the very least EXTREMELY relaxed. Promise.
Oooo, or wait, I have another one:
Sometimes, when I am really awake I say 'FINE body' and I will get out of bed and do stuff around my apartment. Nothing works better than doing some work for saying...hmmm, my bed WAS delicious.
Read a textbook or something similar. That would make me fall asleep ASAP.
I watch TV when I can't sleep (which is rare) Nothing like a good Seinfeld episode to sooth you to sleep - hehe.
Marty suffered from extreme insomnia forever and would routinely come to bed when I was waking up for work. It helped him to do non-creative/stimulating things when he couldn't sleep, so no more painting or drawing until the wee hours of the morning. No more TV or movies, either. Just things like journalling. What actually helped him the most was having to start working regularly on the water...
Claire - Awesome advice - especially the muscle-relaxation technique. That always worked for me with yoga, I'll try it tonight.
IG - I used to get Brad to talk to me about mapping and that would work.
Rawbean - TV isn't working either. I actually stayed awake for a very special episode of Destination Truth the other night - Big Foot in Malaysia and Loch Ness in Argentina. Ugh.
Dana - I'm finding that I don't even HAVE the brain capacity to do anything more stimulating than reading. It's like my brain and body are tired but for some reason my mind won't fall asleep.
Post a Comment