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Share Your Tips On How To Sleep Better

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app

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It seems like a lot of people here are in therapy, but by far the most common thing mentioned to fix problems sleeping is medication. What have your therapists recommended you try to sleep better? What works for you?

I can't post a link to a site because of my post count. But I take a shower before bed. The cooling off is supposed to make you more sleepy.

Even if I'm tired, when I get in bed I start getting upset. Breathing helps some, but my mind keeps drifting so now I'm trying to listen to lectures I'm interested in and focus on breathing. More distractions the better.

I also get out of bed if I'm not sleeping and start doing something boring for a while. Once I'm sleepy again I'll go to bed.
 
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The room has got to be cool for me and it helps if I worked out that day so I am physically tired.

But even then - it sometimes comes down to my ability to hold nothing in my head for a minute or two. This can be supremely difficult - to think of nothing, just have a consciousness of being. Very very hard, but when I can do that - I will fall.

I was taking Imipramine for sleep for twenty five years. But it kept me emotionally numb as Novacaine. That is - not in a good way, but without it I don't think I could have held any jobs.
 
I got one of those noise machines meant for helping create white noise for babies to sleep. It has different settings. - rain, a stream, crickets, etc. I imagine I am lying by the stream, listening to the water. It helps me feel like I am not in my bed, and helps cancel out the noises which can startle me.

I will admit that it can also be challenging to cancel out sounds which could alert me to danger. I have to really imagine I am somewhere safe.

I also have found it helpful to have a lock on my bedroom door. This way I feel that if someone comes into my house, I will hear them start to kick in my door, and i won't be surprised. This has helped me to not have to stay so alert.
 
I refuse to take any medication for sleep as I want to be able to wake up if my family needs anything.

The one thing that works the best is basically narrating my breathing. In my mind I say "breathing in" on inhale and "breathing out" on the exhale. I try to clear my mind of everything except breathing and just keep at it until I fall asleep. I usually am okay at falling asleep but I don't do well staying asleep.
 
I run a fan all year long. Keep room cool as franciemarnie does. I have a cup a herbal tea before bed. I use you tube guided meditations until I fall asleep. Keeping a bed normal bed time and a teddy bear is also helpful.

Can you recommend any good meditation videos? That sounds like a good idea.

Holding my dog helps me relax.
I've also found relaxation exercises where you tense each muscle starting at your feet to help.
 
I refuse to take any medication for sleep as I want to be able to wake up if my family needs anything.

The one thing that works the best is basically narrating my breathing. In my mind I say "breathing in" on inhale and "breathing out" on the exhale. I try to clear my mind of everything except breathing and just keep at it until I fall asleep. I usually am okay at falling asleep but I don't do well staying asleep.

Yeah, that's why I'm up right now.

For those who have been meditating for a while, how long does it take for you to get good at keeping your mind from wandering?
 
My routine: shower, glass of water, a clean room, clean sheets/"organized" bed, 3-5mg melatonin, fan, sound machine w/ rain, a little eucalyptus oil on my pillow, locked door, extra pillow to hug, worry stone to hold if I'm anxious, alarm set / list made for next day, and occasionally a short progressive relaxation tutorial on my iPod. I also have a little board near my head where I pinned some calming, happy pictures and loving notes from friends, etc that I can look at if I can't sleep. When I have my dog to sleep next to me I feel safest! :)
 
Ive tried drugs and sleep walked and I just recalled waking up somewhere different but my doc at the time wouldn't recommend different meds as the one I was on was suppose to very mild.

I sleep best when physically exhausted. Lately I shovel and chip/snow ice for an hour. It all moved so now to start intense martial art workouts for just 20 min or so for that explosion of energy and just wear me down. Hit shower and I'm out. No dreams/night mares usually else those are zero rest/fun nights.
 
@app - The mind always tends to wander. Some people can meditate for years but still have a lot of trouble keeping the mind still some days.

It's about non-judgmentally recognizing a thought or image that comes and letting it go for me - no matter how many times.

Some people who never meditated might have a better first day than one who has done it for years. So I guess I am saying you don't need to accrue time and experience to have a still mind.

That said, experience has shown me the nature of my mind so I am familiar with its quirks and am more ready for them.

Somehow for me - letting my mind go blank and "holding" that has to do with a willingness to relinquish control - as if I can control the universe with my mind, right? LOL!
 
@app Yes I like the guided meditations of Jody Whitely my favorite is the Chakra guided meditation. She is on you tube. You need to find a voice that appeals to you.
 
@app - The mind always tends to wander. Some people can meditate for years but still have a lot of trouble keeping the mind still some days.

It's about non-judgmentally recognizing a thought or image that comes and letting it go for me - no matter how many times.

Some people who never meditated might have a better first day than one who has done it for years. So I guess I am saying you don't need to accrue time and experience to have a still mind.

That said, experience has shown me the nature of my mind so I am familiar with its quirks and am more ready for them.

Somehow for me - letting my mind go blank and "holding" that has to do with a willingness to relinquish control - as if I can control the universe with my mind, right? LOL!

That's good news then. Hopefully I'll get better at it sooner than I was thinking.

@app Yes I like the guided meditations of Jody Whitely my favorite is the Chakra guided meditation. She is on you tube. You need to find a voice that appeals to you.

I'll check it out now, thanks!
 
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