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MollyBloom
Joined: 21 Jul 2006
Location: James Joyce's pants
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 Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 4:38 pm Post subject: I can't sleep! |
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Taking sleeping aids and Benadryl aren't going to cut it for long, and right about now I'm getting 1-3 hours of sleep a night. Disruptive sleep, at that. I get up at 7:20 am, stay awake all day, then go to bed somewhere between midnight-1am. You'd think my body/mind would be tired, and I definitely feel tired, but I just lie in bed, trying not to wake my poor husband up. I even brought some Melatonin from back home, but it seems to give me energy instead of tempting me into sweet dreams! I don't know if I should exercise, drink more water, etc., but I welcome any and all advice!
Oh, and I look like I aged about 10 years in the past week. |
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sadguy
Joined: 13 Feb 2011
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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| have you ever tried to pull an all nighter so that you can reset your sleep schedule? i've had to do that. i sleep for about 3 hours, then nap about 2-3 hours after work and it's a ridiculous cycle, so every once in a while i'll stay up all night and then sleep at like 9pm. then the weekend rolls around and everything is screwed up again. |
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MollyBloom
Joined: 21 Jul 2006
Location: James Joyce's pants
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah, all-nighters don't work either! They used to work, but I feel like my body knows that trick and won't succumb. |
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ESL Milk "Everyday
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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One thing that has worked for me is developing a solid routine that sends your body all of the signals that it needs to start winding down toward sleep.
I got the idea from my friend who recently became a parent... she had twins and they kept her super-busy, so she used the same music over and over to let them know when it was time to go to sleep.
What are you doing before you try to sleep? See if you can start preparing for bed earlier and then letting yourself have more time to wind down...
I highly recommend Brian Eno's 'Music For Airports I'. |
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blade
Joined: 30 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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| ESL Milk "Everyday wrote: |
One thing that has worked for me is developing a solid routine that sends your body all of the signals that it needs to start winding down toward sleep.
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+1
I take some cough medicine just before bed a couple of nights in a row to get my body in the routine of sleeping at a certain time and this seems to work for me. |
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ESL Milk "Everyday
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 7:30 pm Post subject: |
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I had success with this routine:
1. Turn off most/all of your electrical devices.
2. Drink some warm milk and honey.
3. Take a bath
4. Put on some really relaxing music-- ambient or classical, nothing too poppy or where you're thinking about lyrics... it has to be able to fade into the background.
And then you're out.
PS: all drugs except marijuana and mescaline are bad for you. |
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D.D.
Joined: 29 May 2008
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 8:16 pm Post subject: |
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Most of my patients with sleep problems are the type of people that do too much. They are like a car that runs around in 4th and 5th gear all the time and at night dont wind down into first or neutral.
1. all caffeine gone
2. do more right brained activities- like art or listening to music.
3. go for a walk around 7 or 8.
4. do less, read less, watch less tv, computer.
5. try not to worry.
modern people suffer from the logical part of the brain being turned on all the time and an association with the logical part of the brain being their identity. So instead of using the logical part of the brain they start to identify with it and it takes over.
People who identify too much with the logical brain cant sleep when it is very stressed and has too much momentum.
Go do some gentle yoga, or learn meditation or tai chi.
See life as having some busy times and some restfull activities. Dont define yourself by being busy and by actions. Start noticing silence and the passive side of life thats gets missed by busy people.
Read the book "the power of now"
warm milk aslo works for many people.
stay off the drugs they give fuel to an already busy mind. |
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Murakano
Joined: 10 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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| ESL Milk "Everyday wrote: |
I had success with this routine:
1. Turn off most/all of your electrical devices.
2. Drink some warm milk and honey.
3. Take a bath
4. Put on some really relaxing music-- ambient or classical, nothing too poppy or where you're thinking about lyrics... it has to be able to fade into the background.
And then you're out.
PS: all drugs except marijuana and mescaline are bad for you. |
Not fortunate to have a bathtub like some it seems! (Only ever seen them in hotels here.) |
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MollyBloom
Joined: 21 Jul 2006
Location: James Joyce's pants
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 8:28 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks for the advice! I think one of my problems is the inability to calm my mind. I find myself thinking about a million things for the hours I lie in bed. |
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Triban
Joined: 14 Jul 2009
Location: Suwon Station
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 9:41 pm Post subject: |
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I go to sleep anywhere from 12 AM - 4 AM and I get up at 6:30.
I hate sunshine. |
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whitestboyalive
Joined: 09 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 10:16 pm Post subject: |
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Cut out the caffeine. Caffeine will last in your system for a total of 8 hours if your metabolism is normal. Longer if your metabolism is slower. And as we age, our metabolism goes down, so coffee affects us more.
Several things which contain caffeine: chocolate, tea, coffee...
Also, don't eat anything after 9pm. If you consume anything after 9, your body will be over-energized.
Also, if your target is to fall asleep around 12 midnight, then around 10:30 you should turn off your computer, dim the lights (important!!) and light the candles. Enjoy a good book, enjoy your husband, or do whatever it takes to wind down. Drinking chamomile tea with a bit of milk added and peppermint is a wonderful way to end the night too... but in a small amount (you don't wanna pee all night) and with no sugar added! |
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methdxman
Joined: 14 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 10:21 pm Post subject: |
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| MollyBloom wrote: |
| Thanks for the advice! I think one of my problems is the inability to calm my mind. I find myself thinking about a million things for the hours I lie in bed. |
Forget all these gimmicks people here are telling you.
Address the root problem. Seems like you have tons of anxiety (nothing wrong with that, I'm an anxious person myself).
You need to address all the issues that are bothering you in your life and try to deal with them as well as you can.
I had a psychiatrist give this wonderful class in my MBA regarding personality and leadership. He says he usually tells anxious people to not only pro-actively tackle their problems head-on but also had some "exercises" to re-train your brain to not be so impulsively anxious. For example, if you walk too quickly in general or too quickly up a flight of stairs, make a conscious decision to slow down. If you eat too quickly, do the same thing. Do things in your life deliberately and with purpose. If you're on the phone with someone, don't be in a hurry to get off. If you're browsing the web don't try to tackle the whole world in 10 minutes before moving onto something else. Make time for all your actions. These little things train you to be less impulsive and in the end will help you not think about a million things going through your head at night. Your brain will soon learn to just relax.
But mainly, what are the issues that keep you awake at night? Finances? Trouble at school? Worries about the future? Marriage? You can't let these things linger... |
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ESL Milk "Everyday
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 10:48 pm Post subject: |
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| methdxman wrote: |
| Forget all these gimmicks people here are telling you. |
Yes, ignore the gimmicky advice that the actual doctor just gave everyone for free. |
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morrisonhotel
Joined: 18 Jul 2009
Location: Gyeonggi-do
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| Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 12:56 am Post subject: |
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| ESL Milk "Everyday wrote: |
| methdxman wrote: |
| Forget all these gimmicks people here are telling you. |
Yes, ignore the gimmicky advice that the actual doctor just gave everyone for free. |
Which doctor would that be? Do you mean the chiropractor above? |
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legrande
Joined: 23 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 2:48 am Post subject: |
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| MollyBloom wrote: |
| Thanks for the advice! I think one of my problems is the inability to calm my mind. I find myself thinking about a million things for the hours I lie in bed. |
Try meditation. Could end up benefitting you in a number of ways. Just avoid any culty groups (it is possible to make progress on your own). |
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