SLEEP

[Doolhof]

Hi All,

In the past there may have been threads on sleep and how to improve our quality of sleep.

I am starting this thread up and hope to include past thread titles.

For some of us sleep is a real issue, the more we can learn about it the better informed we will be.

Funny stories on weird places you have fallen asleep are welcome as well.

For me, I had just moved house and was very busy getting everything organised. Friends invited me to the drag races. I was so tired and exhausted that I sat down, leant against the fence right near the starting line and fell asleep for most of the evening.

Hope to read some of your stories and tips.

Cheerio for now, from Mrs. Dools

[sparrowhawk]

Hi Dools,

Thanks so much for your response. I usually do sleep through the night, my trouble is getting to sleep. I often find I do need to take something to get me to calm down, or sometimes even simply drinking a relaxing tea helps.

Yes, very wound up last night and another night last week. I was thinking a lot, or something had happened to me to bring on the feelings of anxiety and general unhappiness with myself. I feel that my negative thoughts, especially those about myself, tend to inundate and overwhelm me before I am able to tell them to back off. I generally try to divert myself with music or looking for something positive but it doesn't always work.

I did talk to my doctor, yes. She said the only thing, besides making sure I have a calm sleep environment, is to change my schedule of waking. There is not much chance in that given my current schedule, so I make sure I keep my room dark and try not to use too much technology at bedtime.

I will try the writing technique you suggested; I love to write and I think that will help!

[Doolhof]

Hi sparrowhawk,

Our minds certainly are amazing things aren't they! It is beneficial you have an understanding of what your issues are, you have a sense of what may help and what does assist you already.

I need to practice some of these techniques myself. My mind is working overtime with a few issues I am not sure how to resolve.

I'm usually able to get to sleep after a while, staying asleep is my issue. I might have 2 hours and then I am awake again, sometimes for hours.

t sounds like you are making every effort to have a better sleep. Sometimes I think we also need to just accept we have issues now and then and try again the next day to do things a little differently if we can.

Cheers again from Dools

[quirkywords]

dools and everyone reading,

I am resigned to the fact I don’t sleep more than 2 hrs at a stretch usually one hour but I have tried ways to help me.

I have tried the writing down what is worrying me but then I felt that may make me dwell more.

I did the same with disturbing dreams that made me feel very low when I woke up but by writing the bad dreams down I found it made it worse as I kept thinking about them.

I am probably repeating myself, but I have tried so many different pillows, music, meditations, therapies techniques, every herbal tea for sleep available , blankets mattresses etc.

I too can fall asleep but I wake up up to 12 times a night due to a physical problem.

I think I have decided it is what it is, and uninterrupted sleep is not something I will experience. So maybe I should embrace it rather than fighting it!

Quirky

[sparrowhawk]

Hi Dools, thank you! I was able to settle yesterday, maybe because I had started on my antidepressant and was feeling very sleepy. I am still quite sleepy and feeling a bit out of it today. It would be so hard to consistently have interrupted sleeps, that would make you feel so tired. I really hope something can help you to give you a more restful night.

Quirky, sending good vibes to you too. Your sleep schedule sounds rough.

[Ggrand]

Hello everyone 🤗..

I have a lot of trouble sleeping lately....my mhn said that I have been re-traumatised since a visit to family members....causing me nightmares, which is causing me sleep anxiety....

Recently I discovered sleep stories on YouTube...They are softly spoken..I particularly like Dan Jones, who does a lot of vids concerning mh...his stories are relaxing...My mind still wanders off to unwanted places before I realise it, so I bring myself back to the story, listening and absorbing myself in his voice and words...Eventually I fall asleep without knowing it while listening to the story....They last around 30-50 minutes...and if you turn off auto play...It doesn’t go from one vid to the next... It stops after your selected story has finished...YouTube turns itself off..(I think)..um it’s always off when I wake up....

Just wanted to let people know about the sleep stories...I find them better to relax me more then meditation does...They might work for others..I’m not sure as everyone is different..Maybe worth a try..to see how and if they work for you....

Kind thoughts....💖🤗.

Grandy...

[Doolhof]

Hi Grandy,

Thanks for the idea of the sleep stories. This may well be beneficial for people. I'm not technologically minded, guess I could get someone to help me with it!

My issue is turning off the negative thoughts when I do wake up during the night. Sometimes it is easier than other times. I could get up and write them down to get them out of my head, or write about issues a couple of hours before I go to bed.

I know what may help but don't do it!

sparrowhawk all the best with the new medication. It can take our bodies a while to get used to them. Good to read you had a better sleep.

Quirky, I understand what you are saying about sleep, yes, maybe your sleep patter is your normal. Hopefully you may find some things that do help though.

Regarding writing stuff down, once you have written out the yucky stuff, can you add a few happy notes? Maybe think of 3 things that are good in your life and expand on those thoughts.

Look up some cheerful quotes or funny sayings and add some of those after your off loading session. Draw a picture, even if it is of a flower and a butterfly.

Something else I need to practise more of myself!

Cheers all from Dools

[quirkywords]

hello all,

Grandy those sleep stories sound interesting but I read that you should avoid tv and computers at least an hour before bedtime because of the blue light or something like that.

I wonder if there are audio stories to listen to.

Dools, thanks for your suggestions. I do keep a gratitude journal.

Cheers

Quirky

[sparrowhawk]

Thanks Dools. I'm drowsy most of the day, because of the medication, and am sleeping on and off at night... but at least not crying myself to sleep.

[Ggrand]

Hello everyone...

Quirky..there are audio books that you can listen too, but I find that the way they read them, sometimes acting out the words are to loud and sharp, and it wakes me as I’m drifting off to sleep..

The sleep stories are read in a very soothing soft voice with no acting out of the words...after a few minutes my iPad goes into sleep mode and blacken the screen while the story is being read....I get them of you tube...and don’t click auto play..so after the story has finished you tube stops...

Waking up of a night is something that happens to me a lot..I usually just turn on the sleep story again...and start listening to it...as best I can...after a few minutes the negatives for me seem to fade away as I try hard to put my full concentration into listening to the story...

Kind thoughts.....Love n hugs..💖🤗.

Grandy

[Gambit87]

Giving this gold mine a bump.

I don't know what it is but some days a sleep fine (I may wake up once or twice) but others i'll sleep for like an hour or 2 then wake up and not be able to get back to sleep for hours.

I try -

breathing exercises - they work sometimes, sometimes my mind is to interested in counting breaths then getting back to sleep.

relaxation techniques.

sometimes music works (playlists on spotify that relate to sleep/nature/weather sounds)

taking a walk around the house then trying to sleep on the couch.

start reading a book on the couch.

Before going to bed, I try to just relax and watch a random show whilst drinking a cup of peppermint tea. I also try to a sleep meditation when im in bed.

I don't feel OVERLY anxious when i cant sleep (although - when i cant sleep its usually week days knowing I have to go to a job that I dont like) although I do think about whether or not ill get enough sleep to function the next day.