How can you sleep when you can't sleep?

[QuickTwist]

I have this happen to me occasionally where I cannot sleep. I do every thing correctly before bed and yet when I go to lie down (because I am tired and it is my routine to sleep at this time) I just lay in bed with my eyes closed trying to sleep all the while my mind is racing with thoughts.

I don't expect to get a good neuropsychological reasons for why this is, but I was hoping people who are really good at falling asleep could give me some pointers.

 

[Ex-User (14663)]

I recently read a book called The Stress Test which mentioned that there was a correlation between intelligence and the amount of adrenaline the individual's brain produced when faced with some mentally straining problem. So basically, it's like they get a shot of caffeine when they see a problem. Obviously, among effects like helping you concentrate, it suppresses sleepiness.

Maybe that is the source of the connection between intelligence and trouble sleeping? In that case, the solution is pretty simple: don't think about interesting problems before bed.

 

[QuickTwist]

I recently read a book called The Stress Test which mentioned that there was a correlation between intelligence and the amount of adrenaline the individual's brain produced when faced with some mentally straining problem. So basically, it's like they get a shot of caffeine when they see a problem. Obviously, among effects like helping you concentrate, it suppresses sleepiness.

Maybe that is the source of the connection between intelligence and trouble sleeping? In that case, the solution is pretty simple: don't think about interesting problems before bed.

LOL.

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I cannot help it, dammit! It doesn't happen every night, tho tbh my sleep pattern has been "off" for the last week or so. I should really write that shit down before I sleep. But wait, I tried journaling already before bed.

I am a bit dubious that it has to do with intelligence and that that is the correlation. If I was guessing I would say it has more to do with ADHD, but I didn't read an article, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

BTW, your response is hilarious.

 

[JR_IsP]

Have you tried tea? It works for me... except... I have no tea

But really, I think there are some weird audios to sleep called "ASMR". They're like some kind of guided meditation or whatever, but they work tho (I mean, they help sleeping, not crystal/chakra/BS stuff).

If you find another solution please post it, you aren't the only one with the same problem, hehe.

 

[Nebulous]

Have you tried tea? It works for me... except... I have no tea

But really, I think there are some weird audios to sleep called "ASMR". They're like some kind of guided meditation or whatever, but they work tho (I mean, they help sleeping, not crystal/chakra/BS stuff).

If you find another solution please post it, you aren't the only one with the same problem, hehe.

You beat me to it!
Tea & ASMR.

https://thecoyoteasmr.wordpress.com I check here pretty much every night to find a video I can fall asleep to.

https://thecoyoteasmr.wordpress.com/2017/07/23/asmr-let-me-do-your-tattoo-pelagea-asmr/ Used this the other night (ASMRtist here is g o r g e o u s, btw)

You just put in your earbuds or headphones, cuddle up into bed and fall asleep. It's perfect.

For tea: Lady Grey is my favorite for bed. (It's Earl Grey but without caffeine.)

 

[crippli]

I basically never try to sleep. I stay up as long as I can, and sleep as long as I can. No interruptions, this is of the utmost importance. Clocks or anything. I have animals to attend, and various other things. The odd thing is that one wake up when one need regardless. I have yet to oversleep tending to the cows or people through this method. The body knows when it should rise and sleep. It's not something that needs controlling. If so, I suspect one is unbalanced, and would need to look at ones entire life situation to level things into equilibrium.

 

[Cheeseumpuffs]

benadryl and/or weed and/or any kind of sleepytime chemical.

also asmr really helps for me

 

[TheManBeyond]

something that really helped me was accepting the fear of becoming a social dispossesion, by this i mean accepting that all that could go wrong was actually going to happen and that, by myself, in the situation i am atm i can't do much, so basically i need to wait and rearrenge some stuff before i feel good again. right now is the time for grieving the past and be alone.

nowdays if i'm awake until late is just because there's nothing else to do and bed is boring, my existential doubts are powerful but i managed to keep them soft. an unexpected thing happened and hit me again from the past and it's like really challenging for my mind to deal with it.

from september i expect some changes and more activity related to laboral and educational life. also i'm thinking of signing up in some group activities and might get to meet new people, that's a nice step to take.

you can't really do anything to sleep, you just will simply stop missing whatever the night takes off of you.

 

[JR_IsP]

You beat me to it!
Tea & ASMR.

https://thecoyoteasmr.wordpress.com I check here pretty much every night to find a video I can fall asleep to.

https://thecoyoteasmr.wordpress.com/2017/07/23/asmr-let-me-do-your-tattoo-pelagea-asmr/ Used this the other night (ASMRtist here is g o r g e o u s, btw)

You just put in your earbuds or headphones, cuddle up into bed and fall asleep. It's perfect.

For tea: Lady Grey is my favorite for bed. (It's Earl Grey but without caffeine.)

+1

 

[ZenRaiden]

I just exercise until I feel so tired that I fall asleep. Its probably more about your body than your mind. If you can relax your body your mind will follow.

 

[QuickTwist]

benadryl and/or weed and/or any kind of sleepytime chemical.

also asmr really helps for me

Glad you didn't say alcohol.

In seriousness, I am already on some pretty heavy meds that would prolly put a normal person to sleep cold if they took half what I was taking *shrug*

 

[QuickTwist]

You beat me to it!
Tea & ASMR.

https://thecoyoteasmr.wordpress.com I check here pretty much every night to find a video I can fall asleep to.

https://thecoyoteasmr.wordpress.com/2017/07/23/asmr-let-me-do-your-tattoo-pelagea-asmr/ Used this the other night (ASMRtist here is g o r g e o u s, btw)

You just put in your earbuds or headphones, cuddle up into bed and fall asleep. It's perfect.

For tea: Lady Grey is my favorite for bed. (It's Earl Grey but without caffeine.)

I will try this tonight, thanks.

 

[Pyropyro]

Tea (chamomile seems to work best) or milk seems to help me sleep. Avoid coffee as much as possible prior to sleep.

 

[Happy]

Forget every other suggestion in this thread. Your answer is here:
http://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com/

 

[QuickTwist]

Forget every other suggestion in this thread. Your answer is here:
http://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com/

I was amused when first listening to him. But it got really old really quick. Now I think I hate this guy.

 

[Happy]

I was amused when first listening to him. But it got really old really quick. Now I think I hate this guy.

But was he so boring that you couldn't help but feel heavy-lidded?

(Hint: skip the first 10-15 mins while he goes through his sponsored ads)

 

[EditorOne]

This used to drive me nuts when I had to go to work and be sharp the next day. Now that I'm retired, I just read a book. Kindle makes sure that never necessitates a trip to a library or book store.

When I did have to solve the problem, I would force my mind to think of only one thing, usually the color gray. See the color, think the word, hear the word in my mind, and regularly force it back in the gray channel when interesting thoughts tried to pry their way in. It usually worked, get me to sleep in 10 or 15 minutes or so.

 

[QuickTwist]

This used to drive me nuts when I had to go to work and be sharp the next day. Now that I'm retired, I just read a book. Kindle makes sure that never necessitates a trip to a library or book store.

When I did have to solve the problem, I would force my mind to think of only one thing, usually the color gray. See the color, think the word, hear the word in my mind, and regularly force it back in the gray channel when interesting thoughts tried to pry their way in. It usually worked, get me to sleep in 10 or 15 minutes or so.

I will try this, thanks.

 

[JR_IsP]

QT, have any method worked so far?

 

[QuickTwist]

QT, have any method worked so far?

The trouble is that nothing is consistently working. Some things work sometimes and other times they don't work.

IDK how to do the ASMR stuff because my PC is not in my room and I wear headphones and I don't have earbuds and I don't have a phone/mp3 player. I have yet to try warm milk.

Part of my issue is that I have a lot more (positive) stress in my life because I have more going on. So at this point I feel like my body/mind is going to have to get used to the stress or I am going to have to limit what I am doing.

I lived for a long time doing practically nothing. Now I have a lot more interests and have some goals so that is having an effect on my psyche and puts my mind into overdrive with ideas to consider. The plus side is obviously that doing more is generally a good thing. Its just that it is impacting my sleep.

Thanks for asking.

 

[TheManBeyond]

i listen to pantera far beyond driven or vulgar display of power

 

[RunForWord]

I smoke hash before bed. It knocks me the fuck out. You should try it

 

[JR_IsP]

Uh, well, maybe if you live alone or other dwellers don't complain you may try listening by speakers... but it's going to odd no matter what.

Hm, stress dealing or limit what you're doing? It sounds like you need more ways to erradicate stress... Stress per se may not be my case, but social anxiety can be hard sometimes, so I spend hours listening to a power metal fantasy world to forget reality... like the emerald sword saga of Rhapsody, or something like that. But music and art in general is too subjective to use it as general advice imo.

I guess I'd only say good luck then.

Thanks for asking.

No problem.

 

[Conscious AI]

I think the solution to this issue is much more longed term. For me, a quick fix has never helped. I've only began sleeping better by managing stress and anxiety. Reducing worry along with meditative practices has helped. I'm almost certain that making it a habit to unwind, mediate, and realize the insignificance of anxieties you have, will help. Learn to let go of that which you cannot control.