Night Owls (for those awake late and can't sleep)

[Croix]

Dear All
The purpose of this thread is as a meeting point for those that can’t sleep and it is late (I.E. AFTER midnight.)

It can be a useful space for users to share their issues with insomnia as well as coping strategies. It can also be a general space for users to converse and support one another throughout a difficult night.

Please note – for those that are just bored or lonely we already have a place - the BB Café, which I recommend instead of here

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/bb-social-zone/the-bb-cafe

Croix

[blondguy]

Hi Rynn

yes....and thankyou for being a part of the forums!

I hope your day has been good to you Rynn

Paul

[Rynn]

Hi Paul,

I hope you had a good day too

I had a good day, accomplished two of the big jobs on my to do list. So feeling good about that.

just not feeling ready for sleep just yet, I often find myself up till about 2am.

[blondguy]

Hi Rynn

Good one finishing the two big jobs....and yes the quality of our sleep is always better when 'we are ready for sleep' as you mentioned. I hope you have a peaceful sleep and a really good day today too 🙂

Thankyou for taking the time to ask about my day! Its been long and been doing some landscaping..ugh!

Great to have you as part of the forum family Rynn

my kind thoughts

Paul

[Harpbird]

Hi all, how is everyone? Wide awake lol

[Croix]

Dear Harbird (with a wave to Paul)~

Yes sadly still awake. I'll change tacks in a few minutes, do a little Smiling Mind then read for a while. If I stay on the Forum I'll just keep going -not good for me in the long run.

Do you have any strategies to yelp you get ready for bed? I do know your history and know it would be particularly difficult

At bad times sometimes I put my mind in another place, one from my childhood in Wales, standing on top of a cliff on the side of a mountain, with sheep cropped turf all around. On three sides is grey seas, windswept and with squalls of rain. I can see the squalls coming. They hit me as the wind pushes me around. It is not a bad feeling, I'm closer to the earth, away from civilization, and the rain washes away memories and fears.

There is more but that is enough to give you the idea. Do you have mental retreat to help calm and sooth you?

Croix

[Lillylane]

Hi all,

Often find myself waking around 1am and then again at around 3.30am. Often waking in a bad state (feeling of panic, racing heart).

I usually get up straight away to try and interrupt my thought patterns. I don’t know if anyone else does this, but I take my pillow and blanket with me to somewhere else in the house and fall asleep in a different place eg on the lounge. No idea why, but I’ve found it helps me get back to sleep. I also listen to online tutorials. I find calm voices help my mind focus, and then it sends me off to sleep.

[jumpyjellyfish-]

Hey,

I had to go back and check the time you posted to see if it was yesterday like just then or early hours of this morning lol.

Usually when I'm up at night I'll get up to, if only to preoccupy myself for a while so that I can distract myself from thoughts not so differently from what you do. I also have the tendency to listen to music at night - mostly again, just as a distraction until I'm tired to the point where I can actually fall asleep, not lying there tired but awake.

I think my main issue is just that I get to sleep a lot later than I should but wake up at a normal time, like going to bed between 12 and 2:30 and wake up around 6... not the best for a school day... I can't stop myself from wanting to do stuff at night though because if I'm just trying to fall asleep, I get invaded with intrusive thoughts

[Harpbird]

Yes Croix’s, tried almost everything, don’t sleep clinic, normal love listening to the blues from the 50’s/60s, or radio on the talk back station. Did have a sleep app on phone with certain sounds I could mix . But gave up on all that, just get back in recliner playing words on my phone . Then if I start dozing I just stay here. My poor little dog is up and down with me all night lol. She gets less sleep , but then she can snooze in the day time.

[Lillylane]

Hi Jumpy Jellyfish

Yeah I can understand - I wish there was some way to convince my brain to look forward to going to sleep. I usually either put it off and end up falling asleep quite late, or I end up so tired at the end of the day that after putting my kids to bed I sit down to read at about 8pm and fall asleep almost instantly.

I do like the quiet at night. And the time to myself to read.

[Guest_4643]

Hi all.

I'm here if anyone wants to chat.