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Post by contrarymary on Jan 18, 2016 14:23:10 GMT
snap, snap, snap Babble - cold room two duvets, sleep deeply. usually once i get my head to the pillow i sleep like a dead person, but it's getting myself to actually lie down in bed and let go of all the distractions/buzziness/unwise choices that lead to really late bedtimes or resisting sleep. my sleep hygiene has been good so far this year - get chores done & eat earlier in the evening, bath with lavender/epsom salts/coconut oil to help me relax, get to bed and let go of the day. for a week i've been going to bed early to try to fight off a bug. it's simply amazing the difference it makes when you've slept 8-10 hours and are feeling rested for once - miraculous, energising, like letting go of a huge weight. I've had the odd hiccup (like last night!) when I let it all slip, and then the next day's so much harder ie my totally usual tired monday made even worse, really hard to think and an unproductive waste of a day. but really important not to throw in the towel/beat myself up. still got a heck of a lot to get through & i've had a hint of another way of feeling about life. sleep - who knew?! i'm going to try the extra blanket thing too... you've reminded me that last winter it really helped to get a sense of weightiness and i slept much better, didn't wake myself up in the night quite so much ...
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Post by Babble on Jan 20, 2016 10:04:11 GMT
You're way more disciplined than me, contrarymary! I tried an extra duvet on my bed last night (that makes it 3!), and aside from my inability to stop reading my book, I slept really well. I usually wake up several times in the night, and have trouble dropping off, but I didn't do any of that this time round. To be honest, it could have been a placebo effect, but the extra weight did feel very comforting. Whatever works though!
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Post by contrarymary on Jan 20, 2016 10:16:32 GMT
the discipline is an active effort Babble and it's not going quite so well this week. another late night last night caused by procrastination & lack of boundaries during the day, so everything slipped into late evening - i ended up bathing and answering emails simultaneously after 11pm! like you, i usually have trouble switching off and waking up several times a night. i often fall asleep sitting up still doing something; last night i woke as i was falling out of bed i tried putting a cover on top of the duvets for the last 2 nights, & it's amazing! it creates a kind of nest feeling, and i feel all warm and snuggly and contained. the first night i didn't wake in the night at all, and woke feeling more rested than usual after only 7 hours' sleep (not enough for me). last night i woke repeatedly - i think partly cos i'd fallen asleep sitting up and then crashed to one side at an awkward angle and not under the duvet! - and i kept ticcing myself awake. but maybe partly because i ws anxious about over-sleeping and not having time to prep for my assessment appt this afternoon. which i still havent' prepped for so i'm going NOW! i'm going to keep persevering with the sleep hygiene and the extra cover tho. i LOVE the nest thing. highly recommended
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bonji
Member's not posted much yet
Posts: 21
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Insomnia
Jan 21, 2016 0:14:08 GMT
via mobile
Post by bonji on Jan 21, 2016 0:14:08 GMT
When does sleeplessness become insomnia? I haven't slept more than a few hours at a time for a few years! It doesn't seem like to much of an issue. I do quite often feel tired but can never really switch off. I'm not sure if it affects my mental health or not it just feels normal. I wonder if having a good night's sleep would make me feel different? How do you know if it is a problem?
Regards
Ben
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Post by vagueandrandom on Jan 21, 2016 0:53:36 GMT
bonji I don't know. I would say that I don't sleep much rather than have insomnia. It's insomnia for me when I'm physically and mentally exhausted and can't sleep. Mostly I sleep for 2 - 4 hour periods. It takes at least an hour to get to sleep and I'm usually awake for an hour or 2 in the night between 2 sleep periods and sometimes the second one doesn't happen.
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Post by marionk on Oct 13, 2016 13:46:01 GMT
Oooh, very interesting thread this! I need to read it again . . @planetdave and contrarymary sorry for the delay in responding, I've taken myself off on a communications break for various reasons for the last week. I'm really interested in the 'crush' or 'squeeze' response and weighted blankets. As anyone who's read my posts and the shoutbox knows, I have real problems with insomnia. The first 2 weeks on concerta were bliss for sleep like I've never experienced - then I went back to normal (not sleeping). I like a heavy cover and like to wear tight-fitting clothing/base layers in and out of bed. I hate summer for this. I also tend to sleep better if I share a bed (which happens very rarely) although I like to have control over the way that I'm touched. I had an ex who'd fall asleep very quickly and heavily, often holding me tightly, which I like. . .until I feel trapped because I can't sleep and can't move and their watch is deafening me. . . so a controlled pressure which could move with my hyperactive wriggling and restless legs, would be interesting to try. I'm so interested in this, I'm going to start another thread because it's not just related to insomnia and I might go off on a wild tangent. I've read about weighted blankets before, but never heard of 'squeeze response'. I used to love being tucked in really tight, unfortunately I can't really remember why . . . :S Did it help me sleep? Did I think I'd be warmer that way? Or was I so little I just liked being 'snug'? /me goes off to google 'crush response' . . . Oops nearly forgot, has anyone tried valerian?
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Post by marionk on Oct 19, 2016 10:21:00 GMT
Well, as I discovered that salt cravings are a possible sign of adrenal insufficiency, I figured I should look into why, and whether or not I should stop trying to keep salt intake as low as possible. So to cut a long story short, I have stopped trying to avoid salt, and for the last couple of days have been shoveling it into my cooking so that the food on my plate actually tastes really good. Also for the last couple of days I have been sleeping better, especially last night; I slept like a log! So, I look into 'insomnia salt' and find that, while many sites do still say 'oooh nasty' many say that it helps with sleep disorders . . .
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