Every once in a while I have nights where I simply can't sleep at all. It's almost always when I watch spooky games, the easiest solution is to simply not watch those. But there's a youtuber I enjoy seeing the reactions of and most of the time the games don't bug me anymore. I usually keep myself busy by watching disney movies or some such. maybe do a little writing too.
I've had insomnia since my teen years, usually triggered by weather change. Means I don't feel sleepy at all and just spend the night qs if nothing happened. I don't even crash the next day, most of the time, just go on and sleep at normal times. I tend to write or spend the time useful because the condition means my mind's pretty much in daylight ready to work mode.
It might sound silly, but I find a comfortable position and force myself to stay still. My natural reaction to insomnia is to toss and turn constantly, which only gets me frustrated. I usually find if I maintain one position I’ll find myself entering that ‘edge of sleep’ state.
You also have to deliberately switch off thinking in words, like you're taught to for meditation. 'trap the tongue' and stop allowing words in your mind. It can help you transition away if you count or hum internally, like one long "Oooooohhhhhhmmmmmmm" or something. Also do the thing where you relax each part of your body, from the feet up, and when you hit the head deliberately feel your mind relax. I'll sometimes even go through the brain in sections, and then imagine my entire head just drifting into a sleep-like relaxation.
Another one my mum taught me was the ‘journey’ technique. Think of a journey you know well, and visualise yourself walking it, stopping at each of the houses to say hello.
Insomnia has been a companion most of my life. I used to play Microsoft Solitaire on the computer but lately the program has been locking up my computer so I abandoned it. My husband found a deck of cards in his desk this weekend, so reckon I'll be back to the old-fashioned way. Sometimes I read, sometimes I write, sometimes I go out in the garden and look at the sky.
A lot of ‘solutions’ to insomnia seem to be ‘Give up and go do something else.” I get it - sometimes you know it’s just not gonna come - but that’s never going to help you drop off.
Actually, it does. The repetitive nature of solitaire helps, the acts of reading, writing, and skygazing can sooth the mind.
Q: "What do you do when you can't sleep?" A: Panic. Then panic some more... I do remember the inventor Tesla claimed to only get 2 hours of sleep or fewer every night. Also had a habit of circling a building three times counter-clockwise before entering. Actually what I did last night was read up on some forums (not this one). The discussion was between some guy trashing this developer and his collaborator, and the collaborator defending them. With quasi-personal knowledge of the situation I found the whole thing disgusting if not hilarious. "How much are you paid to spread lies about us?" Countered by, "So, how much do you get paid to post fake news?" Really some people may have too much time on their hands. But I went to sleep a lot happier... TTFN sarka
With my ADHD, I start thinking of a project and I can't sleep until I sort it out. I took medication for years, but it left me groggy and unable to function at a peak the next day. Which is bad because as an engineering consultant, they could fire me for any reason any time. So I came up with a routine that works for me. I put down the compelling book—Tom Clancy—and watch a rerun on TV. Something mindless. I use that time to relax, mentally ignoring things I could use on my WIP. Then, when I lie down and close my eyes, I search for a black spot in the seven shades of grey. I concentrate on making it grow. It never gets over thirty percent and I'm out. The other thing that worked for me was when I lived in Maryland, I worked twelve-hour days in landscaping. When my head hit the pillow, I was out.
Nowadays I take medication that helps me sleep 12 hours a night. Had a period of sleeplessness a long time ago that in combination with some other things resulted in psychosis sickness. So now I take my sleep very seriously. But it can still happen some night here and there that I just can not sleep, even if I try to lie still and force it, then I usually just go up and read or do something else.
But there comes a point where you must return to bed in order to sleep. I suppose I’m looking at this from the perspective of someone who possibly needs more sleep than most, and if I’m not at least laid there trying, I’m sacrificing that time. Doesn’t really make sense, I know. It makes no difference whether you’re lying in your bed or sat at a desk writing, if you’re not sleeping anyway.
Oh. if I'm too wired or too wide awake I'll just get out of bed and do something for a while. There's absolutely no point laying there if your mind is racing or your body refuses to relax. In that case I'll do whatever until I start to feel like I'm getting tired, then go back to bed. Sometimes it seems like you have excess energy that you need to burn off (use up) before you'll be able to sleep. You can't burn it off laying in bed. What really sucks is if you wake up at like 4 in the morning and can't get back to sleep...
Depends on the person and the specific scenario. Insomnia can get weird; in my case when it strikes I pull a night without sleep - it's how I differentiate it from having trouble falling asleep. In some cases I will have drowziness hitting usually in the afternoon the day after. Most of the time I just go on without anything special and sleep normal time in the following evening. I know it's abnormal; but I haven't had major issues with it and since (I believe) it is caused by major weather changes, it occurs quite rare. To my knowledge, most insomniacs have the former scenario primarily when they feel drowzy and exhausted during the day ajd might catch up with afternoon sleep.
Count my breathing. In for three out for four. If I find my mind wandering, I force myself to focus on the counting. If that doesn't work, I stay still and just wait it out. Getting out of bed makes it worse.
After my mind calms down and I start getting drowsy, I go back to bed. Sometimes I go to sleep quickly, sometimes insomnia lingers. If I stay in bed during a bad bout of insomnia, my mind goes into overdrive and takes me to uncomfortable places. I'd rather get up and read. What really sucks is if you wake up at like 4 in the morning and can't get back to sleep... until half an hour before it's time to get up for the day. Yeah. Definitely sucky.
Stare at the ceiling and think about life. That gets so boring that I end up passing out. Works every time. Okay, maybe not all the time. If it gets bad, I grab a book and read or write poetry.
Weather fronts. Eg, a warm front or a cold front (or to be precise, barometric pressure). I've other issues along with it too, same issues my mother has, and same issues her father says so kinda accepted it as is.
Barometric pressure and weather changes affect my migraines, too. Several of my dance students and friends also get migraines. For some time, I kept track of who got migraines when and was surprised by how many of us got headaches within a couple of days of each other. I asked the neurologist if he thought the weather theory had any validity. He thought about it and said it made sense. He also got headaches and started keeping unofficial track of his own weather/migraine connection.
When I can't sleep, I start reading some boring book and eventually fall asleep. In fact, I have no problem with insomnia.
Aww! No! You've got to touch those dirty cards to shuffle! No music when you win. What's the point? Try 2 oz of brandy, avoid beer though it's too gassy if you don't sleep alone.
I turn the sound off for online solitaire- hate things beeping, chiming, and singing at me. I played with dirty old decks for fifty or sixty years; guess I can wash my hands afterward. Alcohol is no good. First of all, I don't like the taste of most of it. Second, it may send me drowsing off, but in four hours, I will be wide awake and ready to paint the house or clean the stalls. Alcohol sleep is just a prelim to being more wired than ever.