What do you do when you cant sleep?

3240 Views 53 Replies 37 Participants Last post by jfk1116, Jan 17, 2015

jfk1116

Discussion Starter · Mar 18, 2009

I have on and off insomnia. It used to be all the time. Its a little better now that I am on meds. But, for instance, the past week or so I have only been getting 1-3 hrs of sleep.:yawn . What do you guys do when you cant sleep?

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TorLin

· #2 · Mar 18, 2009

surf the internet (read articles, download movies)
watch movies.
sometimes i even do free-weights exercise

i hope you get some sleep.

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Black_Widow

· #3 · Mar 18, 2009

I usually either try listening to some soothing music or else read - to take my mind of it - which in the end usually helps. As it distracts me from telling myself i should already be asleep - which usually only makes the situation more difficult (when I experience insomnia very occasionally).

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John_in_SF

· #4 · Mar 18, 2009

Get out of bed and leave the bedroom when you can't sleep. Go do something relaxing and perhaps a little boring until you feel sleepy again. It's important not to lie in bed awake for more then 30 minutes because you can developed conditioned insomnia. I've been there and it's nasty.

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is_there_hope

· #5 · Mar 18, 2009

I have made a "Sleep-CD" for myself. It mainly consists of relaxing chillout songs and Brian Eno's ultra boring ambient songs (Discreet Music is a killer

, length: 31:34). I think the CD helps a bit. Of course I use very low volume.

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Canadian Brotha

· #6 · Mar 18, 2009

I either read, watch movies, or do some yoga/meditation

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Iced Soul

· #7 · Mar 18, 2009

Read, watch a movie, listen to soothing music(which isn't really soothing, it's just slow/low rock songs), or I'll surf the internet.

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Neptunus

· #8 · Mar 18, 2009

Read, watch tv, or surf the net. Sometimes I'm too tired to any of those, so I just give into my incessant worrying.

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staystrong12

· #9 · Mar 19, 2009

usually reading makes me tired..i know a lot of people said this ...but even if u dont like to read it will put u to sleep lol

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scaredtolive

· #10 · Mar 19, 2009

watch tv or surf the internet

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shyvr6

· #11 · Mar 19, 2009

Watch tv. What sucks is I probably won't get tired until the morning and my whole day is wasted from sleeping.

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coldmorning

· #12 · Mar 19, 2009

Sometimes I'll play a video game or read a book if I can't sleep. I used to listen to music but that only made me feel more awake.

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Braxietel

· #13 · Mar 19, 2009

Listen to another audio drama, whilst I lie there trying to force myself to sleep

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march_hare

· #14 · Mar 20, 2009

Stare at the ceiling, dreaming of people I encounter in my day to day life and what I'd like to say to them.

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yellowpaper

· #15 · Mar 20, 2009

I usually just stay in my bed for hours. What keeps me up is that I just keep thinking all night, nonstop. Things I said, things I regret, people from my past, etc. Sometimes I turn on my tv, to get my thoughts somewhere else. Then turn it off and try again. Sometimes I count FORWARD... 1 2 3 4 +... idk why, I just start doing it, and it seems to work a little (better than backwards). Sometimes I just try to clear my mind.

Idk.. sometimes it works

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lefty

· #16 · Mar 21, 2009

If thoughts are keeping me up, I try to re-focus my mind on something structured and engaging. I'll go through some Sukoku puzzles until I'm so tired I drop the book, or I'll come up with a 3-letter word that starts with 'A', then one that starts with 'B' all through the alphabet. If I get through that, I use 4-letter words (those can be fun). Sometimes simple deep breathing/muscle relaxation works.

For a while I wrote out all the worries in my head before I went to bed or after I had been awake in bed for too long. I wrote down the thoughts and I came up with ways to deal with any potential problems. Once everything was written out, I could rest because it would all be there in the morning.

When I got really off schedule, I took Melatonin for a few nights.

I hope you get some restful, lengthy sleep soon.

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GreenLantern

· #17 · Mar 21, 2009

Usually thoughts about my past, present, and future keep me up while I'm laying in bed trying to to sleep. Usually the thoughts don't help so I find a book to lose myself in until I get sleepier.

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Shauna The Dead

· #18 · Mar 21, 2009

I usually lay in bed, aggravated. I can't sleep right now and its only 4:29 am-- I've gotten 3 hours of sleep tonight so far. I can't sleep anymore. Insomnia has became a regular problem for me

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jfk1116

Discussion Starter · #19 · Mar 21, 2009

Shauna The Dead said:
I usually lay in bed, aggravated. I can't sleep right now and its only 4:29 am-- I've gotten 3 hours of sleep tonight so far. I can't sleep anymore. Insomnia has became a regular problem for me

I hear ya. I have not been sleeping good at all lately, sometimes I just lay in bed aggravated, but other times I will get up a few hours early and start working out, and begin the day. I have tried to get up and do relaxing things as others suggest but they normally dont work!!!

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Shauna The Dead

· #20 · Mar 21, 2009

Sometimes nothing works for me either. I took a unisom this morning and that worked. Sort of. I still didnt sleep the best ever.

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