BEEEEEEEEST!
The Raven occasionally lies awake at night for hours either fretting in some way or another (problem-solving, planning ahead, etc) or thinking about other things to displace the things that are bugging him that he is not addressing properly.
ie youāre under pressure so first you try to do some of the work even after youāve left the place where you do it, so you lie awake plotting and planning and āwritingā the script/lesson/letter/whatever. Or you keep re-running an event - especially a confrontation/disagreement - over and over with different outcomes, outcomes which donāt leave a bad taste in your mouth. And then, after you miss the deadline or continue to have unresolved issues, you retreat into alternative worlds and lie there speculating about the life you could be having instead, or find some other escape such as forumosa.
Reading BCās other posts about work and lifestyle, the pattern which emerges is one of someone who doesnāt seem to feel she has any control over her life. Sheās not enjoying her work, sheās not well-treated, and sheās under pressure. Thatās the small picture. The big picture is even bleaker, on account of being at that age where youāve just realised youāre not going to live forever after all, and now have to think about what youāre going to do for the rest of your life. And where. She has plenty to worry about or escape from, and this state of affairs will continue until she either makes a change or learns to eat shit and like it.
The Raven mostly gets a good 8 hrs of sleep, and wakes up without an alarm clock - this despite teaching in the evenings too. The difference is that heās not a free spirit in a corporate environment, and heās not as worried as Buttercup about his place and future in the world.
What you need, young lady, is a plan. You need to start addressing your situation realistically, setting achievable goals that will give you a sense of progress, so that you can go to bed at night with the knowledge that youāre achieving something. And you need something to take your mind off your troubles.
Forumosa is not the answer, although itās a good source of advice and distraction during the day itāll keep you awake all night if you let it. Try getting a cat instead, and spend half an hour every night playing with it.
Well, youāre not wrong, but youāre not really right, either.
Depression isnāt causing this and Iām not in any great crisis or drama at the moment, I just canāt sleep. If Iām upset, I sleep a lot. Plans and goals are just strategies for achieving what you want. I donāt want anything. Iām not unhappy, I have plenty to be thankful for and Iām sorry if I came across as complaining. Everything is fine. I didnāt mean to make this a ātherapy threadā. My mind isnāt racing, itās slower than a slow thing because Iām tired.
I really really donāt like animals.
- Edit* I appreciate your answer though.
[quote=āButtercupā]
I really really donāt like animals.[/quote]
Birds either?
OK, can you tell me why Iāve got insomnia then? I went to bed at 10 then again at 11 and now I got up again. Iām not depressed, Iām happy, Iām not pregnant, Iāve taken away the catās noisy toy, I havenāt had any alcohol, last coffee at 2pm, Iāve very few pink possesions, which is always a plus. So why then am I still up?
Iāve tried counting stuff. Sheep, stars.
Could it be because I donāt believe in God? Do people who believe in God sleep better?
[quote=ātashā]
Could it be because I donāt believe in God? Do people who believe in God sleep better?[/quote]
Gawd! I just realized what I wrote there!
I must stop hanging around that fanatical Christian lady. Sheās brainwashed me.
[quote=ātashā][quote=ātashā]
Could it be because I donāt believe in God? Do people who believe in God sleep better?[/quote]
I just realized what I wrote there!
I must stop hanging around that fanatical Christian lady. Sheās brainwashed me.[/quote]
[quote=āDragonbonesā]Ok, serious advice, but this has to be done as a package, and not piecemeal:
Morning exercise, which helps regulate health and sleep functions.
No caffeine after 2pm.
Near bedtime, a very large glass of dry red wine, to be imbibed before, during and after a long hot shower.
Into bed, with a heavy albeit fascinating book on the details of evolutionary theory, by S.J.Gould.
And imagine that sleep is not the goal ā no, no, you donāt want to sleep, you just want to readā¦
Sleep will followā¦[/quote]
I, too, have suffered from bouts of insomnia that I thought would drive me mad if I didnāt succumb to illness first.
Iāve tried most of what Dragonbones suggested and most of it has helped me. Another thing that has helped me is the use of an air conditioner/air purifier to create some white noise that drowns out the birds/dogs/traffic from the street. I also feel that spending at least a little time outdoors in natural light every day helps a great deal.
And, yes, read some old text books. I remember my uni days of falling to sleep in the library on my book and waking up in a big puddle of drool. Last time I went to Canada I brought back my bio-chem textbook. That baby works like a dream putting you to sleep.
The best cure for insomnia is laxatives in the morning, lots of water, a run around the park, no lights after nine oāclock (candles only) a lover, pickles, two balloons and a hail Mary. Drink the water rather than spilling it on your shoes.
That should do it.
Last night I slept like a baby without having to take sleeping pills or drink alcohol for the first time in quite a while.
What did I do?
I lay down and started thinking about 2 syllable words starting with every letter of the alphabet. Then I went on to place names. Half way through that I fell asleep.
I also read that you should never stay in bed for more than 30 minutes if you canāt sleep. That is why I am here typing now.
Iām going to go to bed in a few minutes and try thinking about foods from A-Z.
Iāve also been exercising like a maniac for the past couple of weeks and that helps.
Got hammered. Not sleepy in the slightest. Waiting for dawn so I can go hiking. GodIām bored.
bob, pooing is not the answer. Running wakes me up. No candles since the London fireā¦ a lover? Someone has to like me first which is unlikely as å åØ I am as mad as an actress. Pickles? Catholicism? Iād never spoil my shoes.
Iāve always had a thing for crazy girls bc! :loco: 
Pooing āisā the answer. Never notice haw well you sleep after a good poo?
Similar things have worked for me as well. Thinking about American states and their capitals, thinking about how many countries or places begin and end with the letter A, how many five letter words can you make from the letters in āextraordinaryā. Iāve tried just about everything, now Iām trying to remember the Japanese 50 sounds along with the characters. These things are very hypnotic and let you drift away. I have to say I am sleeping quite well these days without the aid of pills or booze. And as much as I sympathize with everyone going through this, it is somehow comforting to know I am not alone.
Maybe thereās nothing wrong with you except that youāre trying to impose unnatural sleep patterns on yourself?
Just came across this on segmented sleep, which I found most interesting.
Iām tired. 4 hours.
I bought a sudoku book a couple of weeks ago and it has worked like a miracle in getting me to sleep. I usually donāt last longer than 10-15 minutes and I am out.
Suduko is easy. You just have to line up rows of numbers. Itās also one of the most pointless pursuits known to man, other than crown green bowling. Modern society is decadent.
Wellā¦if the goal is to get to sleep it is certainly a means to an end. I agree though that it is a royal waste of time otherwise.
Insomnia? Me? Nah, I just always get up at 5 or 5:30 and sometimes earlier because I have a lot of important things on my mind. And because I have important things to do, such as bicycling before work, or studying Chinese (recently started again) or posting messages such as this one on forumosa. I also LIKE getting up early, Iām a morning person, and I go to bed the same time as my 5 year-old daughter, about 9:30 pm, so I am getting at least 6 or 7 hours sleep per night and I think thatās really all a person needs.
Admittedly, today Iām up a couple hours earlier than usual, and may require a nap this afternoon if I donāt climb back in the sack in an hour or two. I also donāt tell my wife I get up THIS early, because sheād be angry with me, but she does know I get up at 5 or 5:30 for my bike rides and, in truth, thereās no problem at all with that ā I manage my work OK, donāt have time to squeeze that essential exercise in anywhere else, and Iām able to last till my 9:30 bedtime without too much difficulty.
So, maybe itās not a problem at all, but just an alternative sleeping arrangement, such as when I worked the nightshift in a grocery store many years ago and came home to hit the sack after breakfast. I do love how peaceful and quiet it is in the very early morning hours, since Iām very busy in the day I consider this a few hours of āfree timeā when I can screw around as I choose, and then the dawn bike ride, thatās terrific, itās beautiful outside then and I feel great getting in such enjoyment while most people are still lying in bed wasting their precious time.
Nutty, perhaps, but it works for me.
You might want to try a tea made from a handful of peach leaves, twigs or bark (or a mix). Just let it steep in boiling water for 15 minutes. Itās best ingested right before going to bed as its effect can be immediate (depends on the dosage). There are also commercial peach teas available but Iāve never tried those.
Worked for me.