WHY CAN'T I FUCKIN' SLEEP?!

[Der Cute]

Do you meditate?

Breathe in, slowly. Clear your mind, and just picture an empty, big old blackboard (old school). (something big and vacuous, but not happy. Peace & tranquility.)

As you breathe in, think about how the air goes in. Through your nose, up your sinuses, down into your lungs. Breathe in, as far as you can - slowly and steadily. Extend your belly as you inhale - when the air comes into your lungs, think about how it fills. If you inhaled a little dot, where would it go? How far down your torso?

Slowly, think about the dot coming in and traveling down to your belly button. Can it get there? Extend your stomach in and out. Slowly, smoothly, rhythmically do this.

Keep the picture of the old blackboard in your head as you breathe. After about 10 or so breaths, take note of your shoulders and neck. Can you send them a note to relax? Good. Keep breathing.
As you breathe in and out slowly, relax another section of your body.

If you start squirreling in your head, tell it to shut up and focus on the blackboard again, and focus on slow steady breaths.

Cutenoob

[Bella_Vixen]

I broke down and got some OTC sleeping pills at the EES. They actually help me a lot.

When I know I don't have to work the next day is the worst. If I'm lucky, I go to bed around 4 am. If not, 7 am...or 10 am...or not at all.

That time a few months ago, when I didn't sleep for well over 24 hours, I finally drank some hot chocolate, ate some oatmeal, took a shower and managed to actually sleep.

Then I got called into work. Twice.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

So last night I had some trouble falling asleep again.

So I took RK's advice, poured some Jamesons in a paper cup, slammed it down, crawled back into bed, and slept like a drunken baby.

Not that this will become a habit, but it worked this time.

[AdminAssistant]

I stumbled into bed, absolutely exhausted and still pretty tipsy, at 3 am. I woke up at 6:30 am and could NOT go back to sleep.

Guess who is not a happy freakin' camper?

[Peppergirl]

I'm with you guys.

I got off work at 11pm last night. I worked from home. I laid down around midnight. I think I fell asleep at 430a. I started work this morning at 8am.

*sigh*

I might try the Jamesons. Used to be a single beer would work for me, but not anymore.

[XCashier]

I've been dealing with stress-related insomnia, too. If I remember to take a melatonin tablet before bed, that'll help, though occasionally it'll stop working around 3 AM and I'll be awake the rest of the night.

A shot of Bailey's will help sometimes too, but I don't want to make a habit of it.

[blas]

A little late here, but I feel for ya Irv and I'm suffering right alongside you.

Just one more week until that nosy old bitch comes back.......instant reason why I'll have trouble getting to sleep. Watching her TV at max volume, talking on the phone really loudly, vacuuming for hours on end...

I've been doing the night shift thing for almost 3 years, and it can be trying at times, but if I can try to tune out certain noises, it usually works. In the winter, when nosy old bitch is gone, I can fall asleep right away in the late morning....but my current problem staying asleep has been when my next door neighbor gets home between 3-5 pm....he stomps up the stairs, slams his door shut, tosses his knapsack at the wall (I swear, I hear a huge thud) and he takes a shower. I mean, I can deal with the running water, because these walls are so thin, but the bastard had the audacity to bitch at me for being loud when I have my boyfriend over on the weekends....yet once he's home in the evening, I have a VERY hard time staying asleep. This man does dishes louder than anyone I've ever known.

But there's really nothing I can do. The answer to my problems is to work a "normal" shift. I look like the bad guy because when I'm up at night with friends, I'm "loud" and cause problems, and everyone is trying to sleep. No one really cares that I sleep during the day, and certain loud daytime activities really hurt my ability to fall/stay asleep.

[RootedPhoenix]

I feel for you Blas. It makes me upset when people help your insomnia.

If I don't get my sleep, my life explodes. People don't get it.

Everyone with insomnia has my sympathies.

[taxguykarl]

I've been dealing with stress-related insomnia, too. If I remember to take a melatonin tablet before bed, that'll help, though occasionally it'll stop working around 3 AM and I'll be awake the rest of the night.

That works for me too and I've had isomnia since my teens.