How do you deal with insomnia?
Insomnia drives a lot of people crazy. Me, I usually sleep right through it.
I’ve always wondered who came up with the concept of counting sheep to fall asleep. Why not, say, monkeys? Sheep just sound so… trippy.
So, as you can tell, I haven’t got a clue. If you have any thoughts or experiences you’d like to share, just visit the comments section and have at it!
When I can’t sleep, I close my eyes and go back in time to the house I grew up in, and slowly “walk thru” every room,noticing every detail, every nook and cranny of it, and at some point, walking thru it, I fall back to sleep.
We were 7 kids and my parents, all living in a big Tudor house. I loved that house. I loved it’s big basement rec-room where we played, it’s third floor attic with it’s many walk-in-closets and the smell of cedar. The kitchen had maid and butler pantries, and there were first and second floor dens, along with 7 bedrooms, some with their own bathrooms.Special place to grow up in.
Red wine. Works every time.
cobweb25: Tried and true – I am a practitioner…
And Barbara, I *LOVE* your solution – a wonderful way to revisit your childhood AND get to sleep!
(It also hurts less in the morning than the red wine.)
A variation on Barbara’s idea…deep breathing and focus only on the breath, slowly in, slowly out. Sometimes it helps–then again the red wine isn’t bad either! My insomnia seems related to…I can’t bring myself to say it…the M word. Your wife is a doctor Bruce, and we’re close to the same age so I’m guessing you know what that is. Brutal!
You know, you are right, Bruce! When I don’t have the “time” to THINK(!)about HOW(!) I am EVER(!) going to fall asleep,red wine works!
Joan, I am with you! But sometimes, yes?, too much M, particularly when you NEED to sleep,keeps you even more awake! So THEN what?! Votes keep coming in – red wine!
Perhaps we can start the Bruce Barber Insomnia Club and chat with each other via facebook when we can’t sleep. Actually that’s supposed to be a bad idea (going online when you can’t sleep)–the light from the screen wakes your brain up, when you want the reverse.
I could tell my old college stories – they’ll put ANYONE to sleep.
I say the rosary…by the end of my first Hail Mary I am out for the count. Then people ask me “do you pray often?”
“Yes” I reply. “I say the rosary every night when I go to bed.”
Give her a round of applause, ladies and gentlemen!
well, i’ll go down stairs and watch tv… when i fall asleep, i fall asleep…
My insomnia began at birth. I attribute it to the three 8-foot egg-shaped windows some fancy architect designed for my bedroom. My first approach to sleeplessness was to ask my sister pressing questions (that I would answer while she slumbered) like “How long do you think it would take to get to the moon by car?” My parents eventually had to buy me a dachshund so that my sister could get some sleep. Sam, the dog, was a good listener, but his frequent gas, his tendency to hog the bed and incessant snoring left me in the same quandary as before. I went into remission during adolescence and into my 20′s, but it wasn’t until my thirties that I found the ultimate solution: BORE YOUR BRAIN.
Here’s how: Count backwards from 100 to the rhythm of your breathing. Inhale and then count down one number on the exhale. Don’t worry if you lose count because your brain WILL try and interfere. Just pick up on the last number you remember and continue. I have found myself at 0 only several times. If this happens, I turn on the light, read until my eyes flutter, turn off the light and start the count again.
Cheers, (and sorry for the long post!)!