I can’t sleep

[barleymalt]

i know why....kinda. too much on plate, too much to do, work, family life, music band, leadership positions at work and Yacht Club and YRA and and and and and...............it gets overwhelming from time to time. In the past I could let it go but now I just cant sleep and thats making the days harder.............

and No there's some things I can NOT give up easily :-(

Yeah, I hear you. Stress can be a major factor. As a suggestion, give yourself a few minutes or as much as you can spare before you hit the rack to try and empty your mind and relax stuff.

Absolutely not

To clarify, I have not given up alcohol. I like beer way too much for that. I have moderated it some, especially later in the evening, and drink a lot of water along with it. I went to one of the local breweries Saturday for a while, got home, and instead of hitting my own kegs for several, had one and drank water the rest of the evening. Slept much better.

I have found (and YMMV, everybody needs to understand their own bodies and situation and make their own choices) that drastic changes aren't really required. All about trade offs.

 

[Jkdubz808]

After years of working on loud diesel tugboats and offshore supply vessels, I had horrible time going to sleep when I got home. even after a good meal and the sailor wife taking care of me before bed, nothing. Now I take all natural melatonin gummies about 40 minutes before bed, great sleep. I even take them out here on the drill ships since its super quiet (forward accommodation house, all generators aft end of the ship). Can't touch the CBD or HTC stuff since I'm constantly drug tested for employment and all of my licenses (USCG, Marshall Islands, UK) but the all natural melatonin gummies do the trick for me.

Good luck, hope you find a solution.

 

[Mrleft8]

I try to remember old girl friends/lovers in chronological order (and their names if possible). Kinda like counting sheep, but more fun.

 

[Ed Lada]

Any book that has little plot development in the first 60 pages will put me to sleep, but then I must choose another book to read....

After trying for many years, I managed to read all 4 or 5 thousand pages of War and Peace while convalescing from my 1st knee replacement surgery. When I finally finished the book I still didn't know what the plot was.

 

[billy backstay]

After trying for many years, I managed to read all 4 or 5 thousand pages of War and Peace while convalescing from my 1st knee replacement surgery. When I finally finished the book I still didn't know what the plot was.

The philosophy of war is the area of philosophy devoted to examining issues such as the causes of war, the relationship between war and human nature, and the ethics of war.Wikipedia

 

[3to1]

not apnea...its mental unfortunatley. shitty cycle of no sleep, cant sleep, try to sleep, cant sleep, tired, the day turns to complete shit, and start all over again...............Ill get though it some way i guess.

maybe drag in some speakers and listen to soothing 'white noise' at very low volume, the sound of rain audio is really nice when the mind won't center.

 

[silent bob]

War and Peace is hard to beat in my experience.

Or any of Stuart Walker’s books!

 

[Rasputin22]

I bought one of those Google Home gadgets on sale at Christmastime. It has a sleep sensing chip that can monitor your sleep cycles. I haven't tried it but after following this thread I think I will give it a go and report back.

 

[billy backstay]

I bought one of those Google Home gadgets on sale at Christmastime. It has a sleep sensing chip that can monitor your sleep cycles. I haven't tried it but after following this thread I think I will give it a go and report back.

I think our daughter has something like this in our 1 YO grandaughters bedroom near her crib. When Missu BB logs in to see her sleeping, it tells her how long she has been asleep.

 

[Latadjust]

maybe drag in some speakers and listen to soothing 'white noise' at very low volume, the sound of rain audio is really nice when the mind won't center.

Or put a fan on low, not pointing at you- helped with tinnitus

 

[Nettles]

Decapo, your experience has been mine for the last 40 years, only I can usually get back to sleep if I wake before 0100. It is very rare for me to get back to sleep if I wake after 0330, though sometimes I can grab another hour. I come by it honestly, my father was the same way. I've gotten used to it, even relished it, though I get annoyed by a long string of 0330s. Now that The Boston Globe arrives by electrons at 0400 every morning I have something to do. Like you, it all stems from starting to think about something that needs doing. As soon as that thought enters my head, I might as well get up, because I sure as hell am done with sleeping. Mrs Nettles is pretty patient about it, even though the dogs get up with me and go back to snooze with her after they have breakfast. She will give me shit if it is closer to 0300.

I just learned to live with it. I go to bed early and usually get 7-8 hours of decent sleep. I love summer mornings when it gets light at 0430 and there is no one clogging up the ocean and I have to wait until it is light enough to get on the water with no lights. I am usually at work by 0630 so that is no problem, though if and when I get to retire that may change.

I realize you don't have the same ability for unfettered early nights. Good luck.

 

[loungesailor]

Don’t laugh ok?
I can’t remember who turned me on to the idea but for falling asleep pronto this Is the bomb.

When trying to sleep I focus really hard on trying to keep my eyes open...that’s it, dumb I know but damn if it doesn’t work. When the eyelids start to get heavy and close of their own accord and if I happen to notice I force them open again, rinse, repeat. Usually don’t remember the repeat. First time I tried this technique I was shocked at how quickly I fell asleep.
My whole life I‘d lie there wide awake for hours and now its consistently lights out in 2 minutes or less.
I’m not quite sure how the sciencey bit works but I’ll take it.

If the eyeballs stay open easily then I just get up or read.

Reading in bed I’ll stick with something comfy I’ve read before. I have no discipline and get easily overstimulated by a new book. Next thing you know it’s 3am and I can’t sleep cause I’m wired and cranky cause I stayed up so late.
All my reading is done on an iPad so to counter it keeping me awake I’ll bump the colour spectrum slider bar to as warm as it’ll go. Flip the reading app to dark mode and turn the brightness down to just a “tad below“ comfortable reading level, it doesn’t take too long to pass out this way.

I‘ve always had a lifetime of problems with snoring, sleep apnea and migraines. Turns out they were all interconnected and thanks to braces and a custom retainer it all disappeared. The jaw particularly was way out of whack and was closing my windpipe and interfering with my breathing while sleeping. The retainer fixed that literally overnight.
Much better quality sleep now so even if I do only get 5 or 6 hours it means I feel a bit more rested.
Bless my little Tica dentist forever and ever for spotting the problem

YMMV of course.

Now if only my other ongoing dysfunctional sleep patterns were as easy to fix.

 

[Grande Mastere Dreade]

Or any of Stuart Walker’s books!

for hardcore sleep issues, any ibm technical software manual...

 

[Steam Flyer]

Or any of Stuart Walker’s books!

for hardcore sleep issues, any ibm technical software manual...

'General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money' by J.M.Keynes

Absolutely the most boring, soporific, book I have ever encountered. It makes 'War And Peace' or anything by Stuart Walker seem like barn-burners. I actually have an 1890s textbook on what were then the principles of private (business) banking) and issuing bonds, written in the then-popular style of very long sentences, written by one of my great-grandfathers. That also seems far more entertaining than Keynes.

 

[Captain Ketamine]

There is of course La petit mort, as an aid to sleep…

 

[dacapo]

shhhhhhhhhh, 2 nights in a row of 8 hrs. sleep..........

pretty much followed the Indian Guys advise from Facebook....

 

[justsomeguy!]

"Life coach".
But I'm still glad you're sleeping better, even with an Indian guy's advice.

 

[M@AYC]

Big pharma is no bueno, as are their products.

Try an organic Kava Sleep Tea before bed

 

[genealex]

fter reviewing the evidence presented in each court case and the post-election reviews with this lens, certain patterns emerge. Most obvious is that the former president’s rhetoric—before, during and after the election—was not supported by the legal cases he tried to make or any evidence he introduced. Cases and reviews in the six battleground states included similar charges and similar dismissals by federal and state courts.

Assess what you really need in life and cut down on some stuff. Replace with healthy habits. That's the only long term solution.

Check with a doctor for possible physical causes. Avoid psychiatrists and psych labels at all cost.

Bad advice. If the problem persists talk to your GP first, but stay open to psychiatric help. It can be the difference between suffering the rest of your life or getting a handle on the situation. Nevertheless make sure that the therapist doesn't start by prescribing medication, this should just be an option when redirecting and managing thought and behavior processes don't have the desired effect. Though there is little problem with taking sleep medication for a day or three, just to get out of the vicious cycle and become clearheaded enough to have coherent conversations with your therapist. I'm not a professional just a patient with positive experience. Don't expect miracles though, expect confronting yourself (It won't be fun most of the time), questioning your behavior (is it helpful or harmful?) and changing your behavior (Tough to start doing and hard to stick with) The moment I realised I needed help is when I came close to harming my family. I never was a good sleeper, but a very long period of very poor sleeping, even for my standards, led up to this. Have slept well for a couple of years during and since therapy, last few weeks started sleeping poorly again, lots of professional pressure combined with post lockdown life (did I mention I'm convinced that people suck?) If I can't get a handle on it myself soon, it's back to therapy for me.

 

[dacapo]

Big pharma is no bueno, as are their products.

Try an organic Kava Sleep Tea before bed

Girl Scout Cookies have helped me this week ;-)

bong hit at 7 has let me sleep thru the night.........