Insomniacs Plight

[LowBaller]

So to begin, in case you are unaware for some reason here's the definition.

noun 1. a person who suffers from insomnia, the inability, especially when chronic, to obtain sufficient sleep, through difficulty in falling or staying asleep.

I'm going on about 28 hours of no sleep, and being the internet addict I am I go to search ways to calm my mind and actually go to sleep. To no avail I'm still up, typing this.

I lay in bed for hours, my mind just races in an infinite loop of everything stressful. My body becomes restless and I feel like I must move around or I will go insane. Even with my eyes so tired I just can't sleep.

So after all this what I am actually trying to get at is what do you do to help yourself relax and fall asleep? Please help me find a way to free my mind and get some well needed shut-eye.

 

[Skip Class]

Now I don't suffer insomnia like you do, but there have been a lot of times when I can't sleep at all due to having too much on my mind or just not being able to sleep. Is this 28 hours the first time you haven't been able to sleep? Or has this happened before in the past? I know the hardest bit about not being able to sleep because of stress is that feeling of it surrounding you in the darkness of your room - well that's always what it felt like to me.

From the sounds of it, your main problems is that:
A: Too much stress - keeps you up thinking all night due to worries
B: Internet Addict - your mind keeps coming back to your internet activities and the off switch isn't working.

1. Can you define what the stress is? School related? Work related? Family related? The whole "Assessing what is stressful" thing really helps me especially when I can't sleep due to the stress. Usually if I don't physically write down the list, I keep finding more things to stress about, go back to the original things I was stressing about and then all I can think about is stress.
   
   Write them down on a list and think about if you can personally solve them - and take it in one by one instead of all at once. If you personally can't or find it difficult to do on your own, talk to a friend (whether real life or online), ask for advice and a shoulder to lean your words on. To me, keeping it pent up inside of you makes it worse.
   
   Stress doesn't go away easy, but if you can lessen the load for your mind, it'll help greatly when trying to get some sleep.
   
   
2. Tire yourself out. I'm somewhat athletic so I play sports, tire myself out and then I fall asleep as soon as I hit the bed. I know not everyone plays sports or does the athletic stuffs. One of my best friends isn't quite athletic either and also suffers from insomnia on occasion, so what he does is he takes a walk out on the streets while clearing his mind before bed. The walk often gets him a little tired so he ends up wanting to go to bed straight away.
   
   
3. Basically "internet cures". The whole, turn off all your screens one hour before you go to bed actually works well for me. Turn off electronics, take a walk and then head straight to bed. Especially when you're addicted to the internet and constantly thinking about what's happening on there, your mind sometimes won't turn off from the internet.
   
   Aside from that, going to bed early around 10-11 (apparently I've heard that's the "sleepy time" for your body and it's harder to go to sleep after 12-1-3 or something... need to check up on that). I know personally I'll feel sleepy at 11, but if i stay up till 2, my mind sometimes will be wide awake and I can't sleep. Not drinking any caffeine products an hour before and eating healthier also helps a lot.
   
   
4. I usually use sleeping pills as a last resort. To be honest, they're more for my allergies, but they knock me out pretty fast. I don't take them often, but like I said, very last resort.

Probably not the best advice out there, but hope you do be able to overcome the insomnia!

 

[Somewhere_]

Being in front of a screen tricks your brain into thinking it is sunlight, so i would recommend not being on the computer, phone, or TV before hopping into bed. I would also avoid being on your bed during the day because then it takes longer to fall asleep on it because it tells your brain that is not a place to sleep, but rather a place where you are awake during the day.

 

[Auticorn]

I lay in bed for hours, my mind just races in an infinite loop of everything stressful. My body becomes restless and I feel like I must move around or I will go insane. Even with my eyes so tired I just can't sleep.

You just explained what I deal with most nights. XC

Anyway, I usually watch TV. I know, I know... it's probably not the best idea. *rolls eyes* It works for me though. It helps me relax and can also distract my mind, especially if I focus enough on what I'm watching. Before I know it... I'm passed out sleeping. XD Though, I wouldn't really recommend doing this. I've been doing it since I was really young, and it's become part of my autistic routine. DX

Now, I do come out in the living room during the day though. I don't like being in cooped up in my room much. It makes my mind go nuts. The only time I'll stay in my room is if I want to watch TV. My dad usually takes up the living room TV most of the day, so that's usually the drawback of coming out into the living room. :c

 

[gimmepie]

The severity of my insomnia problems comes in patches, sometimes it's only a slight difficulty sleeping but other times I go days upon days with little or no sleep. Weirdly enough though, I find things like movies, music and internet time actually help me since it focuses my brain on one thing instead of letting it wander from thought to thought all night.

 

[Auticorn]

I just thought of something... have you tried listening to comforting music? Like, not heavy stuff or anything that would make it worse. Soft stuff such as ocean music or something? I've never tried it myself, but I know my dad does. It helps him sleep better, and I have also heard how it helps others to relax.

 

[maccrash]

Being in front of a screen tricks your brain into thinking it is sunlight, so i would recommend not being on the computer, phone, or TV before hopping into bed. I would also avoid being on your bed during the day because then it takes longer to fall asleep on it because it tells your brain that is not a place to sleep, but rather a place where you are awake during the day.

if you were an insomniac your username would be BadSleep. LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

okay, I don't really have anything to add. I've never had much trouble sleeping in my life outside of a few isolated nights. I've been lucky. however I can't do it without some white noise in the background, like a fan or something.

 

[Somewhere_]

if you were an insomniac your username would be BadSleep. LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

okay, I don't really have anything to add. I've never had much trouble sleeping in my life outside of a few isolated nights. I've been lucky. however I can't do it without some white noise in the background, like a fan or something.

lol i love puns! If a noise is constant and not too loud, it will not hinder me from falling asleep. However, if the noise is the same volume, but random and somewhat infrequent, it will prevent me from falling asleep.

 

[Legobricks]

I would also avoid being on your bed during the day because then it takes longer to fall asleep on it because it tells your brain that is not a place to sleep, but rather a place where you are awake during the day.

Interesting, but why would the brain need to segregate those locations?

 

[LowBaller]

Sorry I have not responded I slept for like 14 hours.. lol.. and I feel like crap. I was googling how to fall asleep and I read an article that stated to just rapidly blink until your eyes can't take it anymore.

Well I did, for like 20 or so minutes.. my eyes felt so heavy I didn't even want to open them and just fell asleep!

Thanks for all the advice and replies!

 

[Nolafus]

Interesting, but why would the brain need to segregate those locations?

It's not something that's conscious, but it does help. The brain likes to associate various objects with various activities. If you constantly draw at one place, then once you sit down, you're much more likely to focus on drawing. It's also why it can be difficult to work on something off the computer if you're at the computer desk.

It's not like you'll never fall asleep on your bed, but if you only use your bed for sleeping, then once you lay down, your brain will register that it's time to sleep. It's an association through action, and it can help a lot. Of course, this is stronger for some people, but it does work wonders in certain cases.

As for my tips, I would recommend listening to some white noise in the background, like a playlist of your favorite songs (low volume, of course), and to get off of all electronics a half hour before you go to bed. If you're feeling stressed, keep a notebook beside your bed and write down any thoughts that come to your mind. I used to have a minor case of insomnia, and this is what helped me through it. Not perfect, but it's better than nothing.