Advice for insomnia

[Sidhe]

Aye that's what I meant when I said x rated in the original post that and some rather less legal methods of relaxation involving herbs

Sexual release is such a wholesale chemical rush that not only does it distract you completely the chemicles that are released do one of two things, make you tired and make you profoundly uninterested in sex for at least 5 minutes, this is why men sometimes fart rollover and go to sleep after sex instead of cuddling I'm not making it up either it was in New Scientists, well not the bit about farting that's just gross.

I've found that alcohol, in moderate to large amounts, is a sure-fire cure to insomnia.

However, it's not a good long-time solution; why is left as an exercise to the reader.

Yes I intend doing the get inebriated bit tonight, but then it is the weekend, I suspect I will be able to sleep quite well tonight

I have practically tried to use alcahol as a method of sleeping non con, all that happens in the end is that you get high blood pressure become stressed and end up having insomnia if you don't drink large quatities, short of becoming an alcaholic it is a temporary solution at best.

I had 3 glasses of wine last night and it worked a treat so even small amounts of alcahol works temprorarily especially in conjunction with other techniques, at least so I found last night anyway

It's definately no way to go though, I've learnt that from cold hard experience. Although like any drug if your carefull and use it in moderation it's little different from popping a pill.

 

[AL_DA_GREAT]

I used to eat melatonin but those made me sick.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Sidhe, all those that you listed are good, particularly meditation. What I do is a sort of meditation I suppose. Usually I imagine myself serenely floating like a dustmote in a shaft of warm golden light. It doesnt have to be that though, any weird dreamlike activity will do. Sometimes, I fly straight up, leave the Earth and travel at lightspeed around the universe, visiting strange alien races that cant even see me By thinking of impossible things, youre manually switching your brain into sleep mode by beginning a lucid dream while still awake. Im sure if they monitored my brain waves while doing this, it would show that they almost immediately begin to look like those of someone who is asleep.

 

[Sidhe]

I used to try a technique like that, first off you'd relax your body by stretching all the muscles in turn from head to toe or however you liked then you'd start to imagine yourself and your room from a perspective outside of yourself and slowly but surely you'd begin to explore your environment, I usually stopped short of flying of to distant galaxies but the principle is very sound. I have to say it's a very good technique thanks for reminding me I'd forgtten about that one.

Breathing technique you can do as well breath in a few deep breaths, this has the effect of relaxing you, then start to breath in through your mouth and out through your nose but only take in shallow breaths, do this so that you aren't quite getting enough oxygen and concentrate on making it feel that you are comfortable with the amount you have, do this for a few minutes and your heart rate will plumet by about 20 BPM as your body tries to cope with the slight lack of oxygen, once you've done this proceed to the above space voyage

EDIT: The reason I know it works it works and is effective: I had a sats(oxygen blood saturation) monitor on me at work and tried doing it, my sats went down to about 96% should be about 95-100% lower can be a sign of hypoxia and my heart rate fell by about 20 BPM, so I know that it works. I tried it several times and the more I used bio feedback the quicker I could lower my heart rate, shame I couldn't ake the piece of equipment home with me but it costs alot of money

 

[Rik Meleet]

My girlfriend has insomnia once in a while. She's drinking "sleeping tea" about an hour before she goes to bed and the problem is far far less.

 

[aneeshm]

A method which I have found to be very good : focus on your breathing , and as you inhale , think "so" , and as you exhale , think "hum" .

 

[Sidhe]

My girlfriend has insomnia once in a while. She's drinking "sleeping tea" about an hour before she goes to bed and the problem is far far less.

Is that tea with a nip of brandy or is it another drug like a barbiturate or antihystemine type thing in a tea form? Or some over the counter medicine? Or is it herbal like camomile?

 

[Rik Meleet]

I'll ask her.
There definately will not be alcohol or additives (put in by her) in it.

 

[Sidhe]

That reminds me hot chocolate is remarkably good, I believe there is a chemicle in milk that makes people drowsy, I seem to remember drinking mothers milk makes you drowzy as a child, although I'm not sure theres any link and I wouldn't advise it

 

[Pyrite]

Chocolate has caffiene in it.

Heating milk brings out a mild downer, but the chocolate should offset it. I would rather just drink hot milk (if i wasn't vegan) Valerian root supposedly works. I tried smoking weed, but that just made me distracted. Drinking does the trick, but it's just not healthy.

 

[The Last Conformist]

Heating milk brings out a mild downer, but the chocolate should offset it.

Depends on your caffeine sensitivity. The caffeine content of chocolate milk just isn't enough to affect me.

 

[Sidhe]

Depends on your caffeine sensitivity. The caffeine content of chocolate milk just isn't enough to affect me.

that's very true theres a mistaken belief that drinking caffeine drinks increases your blood pressure dramatically, but in actual fact that only tends to happen in people who don't regularly drink caffiene. As with most drugs the effects are diminished by constant use.

It goes without saying though don't drink coffee in the evening or any caffeine based drink before you go to bed, give it four or five hours caffeine free and drink milk based stuff instead.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

I have this problem as well. It usually takes me around an hour of lyimg in bed before I get to sleep unless I am extremely tired (which I usually amn't. [Why isn't that a legitimate contraction? Anyways . . .]). I am too lazy to exercize much but back in high school when I worked out an hour every day I had the same problem. Sex and alcohol aren't solutions for me either (not sex at the moment, anyways). And when I am in bed I am tossing and turning and doing all sorts of motion because if I don't I go crazy.

 

[CIVPhilzilla]

Keep a regulart sleep schedule and avoid consumption of stimulants.

 

[Pyrite]

"Depends on your caffeine sensitivity. The caffeine content of chocolate milk just isn't enough to affect me."

Well, vegan here, but I did used to try this, and back when I was younger, I didn't consume caffiene at all so it kept me up. (Having no tolerance to it based on like daily coffee consumption.)

 

[FriendlyFire]

Do some kind of activity that signals the brain your intend to sleep. And build it into a careful routine.

I would so a 3 x form "kata" in progressively slower to prepare for sleep. Helps signnal my brain its time to sleep
it probably helps to clear the mind as well. or as someone posted blanks the mind.

 

[Pyrite]

What's that?

 

[MobBoss]

Have some great sex. That always puts me right to sleep.

Watch Matlock on tv.

Take a nice long, very hot shower. If you combine this with the great sex, it is doubly effective.

Take your dog for a walk.

And if none of that stuff works, then you can always take a pain reliever with a sleep additive.......something like Tylenol PM. Couple of those should knock you right out.

And if you STILL have issues, consult your physician. There are products out there like Ambian that will knock you out cold, but require a prescription.

 

[C~G]

When I was younger I used to eat banana and drink cold milk.
It calmed me down and gave me nice sleep. But that was easy solution for easy problem.

Some of the medicines contain parts that affect the serotonin levels of the body so you usually take them an hour before going to sleep. It should help after a while even though if the problem persists it's better seek professional help.

Especially this is the case if the insomnia starts to play significant role in your daily life and affects your normal habits in such a way it becomes burden too much to carry.

Just saying this because people don't usually consider it too be serious problem.
Most of the people suffer from insomnia now and then but if it really starts to affect your life it's better play it safe than say sorry afterwards.

 

[GarretSidzaka]

I find that when i turn off the computer, and force my self to lay perfectly still for as long as possible i eventually get to sleep.

But then again Im watching over an infant so my sleep paterns are super-screwy