Sexual Assault Sleep Aids

[Nyx]

Okay. Let me ask you another way. What is the first thing you do to start clearing your head?

 

[anthony]

I will close my eyes and refuse to sleep if my brain is thinking about something. If I have thoughts actively in my head, ie. tomorrow, today, anything, I will not go to sleep, because I know I will dream.

Without regurgitating what is already around, about.com has a good piece about four immediate things that come to mind: http://stress.about.com/od/generaltechniques/f/clear_mind.htm

• Meditation
• Cultivate Mindfulness
• Expressive Writing
• Distraction

Meditation never really did it for me. 2,3 & 4 work well for me. Two... something like watching a TV show and becoming fully engrossed in the comedy of it, then literally turning it off and falling asleep.

Writing... I have done a lot of that and used it in the past to get all my thoughts out, so I don't go to bed thinking.

Distraction... even sex is a good distraction to engross yourself in it before sleep, as well as the chemicals created after an orgasm that create sleep, for both sexes.

I ensure I set my mind so that when I stop doing things in the day, I don't have something pressing to do, because if I do then I will dream about it / dream or have a nightmare. Even updating the forum... if I feel like something is not completed when I go to bed, then I could have a nightmare as I would have a hard time getting it out of my mind, or if I went to bed thinking about coding or some other aspect in web design, etc... then I would dream / nightmare.

So preparation of my own mind is also key when I finish things, being I pick a point and finish, accepting in my mind that I am finished with it for the day and don't have to carry any urgency or such to bed with me. If you carry those thoughts you will dream about it or have nightmares about something else, because you bring negative emotion to bed.

Its like having a fight before going to bed... nightmares often pursue. The old saying of "don't go to bed angry" is very true.

You have to think about anxiety in general... any negative emotion you carry into bed will enhance anxiety. If you are anxious about the house being locked, you will have nightmares, so you're better to literally go around the house and check every lock, window, etc... if it relates to you. I do... it is the last thing I do each night, being to check every door is locked and know if any windows where opened during the day, ensure they are locked... then I don't carry any negative emotion about that to bed with me, ie. is it easy for someone to get into the house at night?

Remove harbouring and carrying negative emotion to bed... thus your mind is clear of negatives. I also clear positives myself... through simply having trained myself that I don't look forward to things. I do... but I don't get all excited about it until the event itself, that way I don't endup having a nightmare because I can't clear my mind of something good. It works for me... but its always individual.

 

[lilstar]

my problem around sleep is that i'm terrified of having another nightmare, so then i get really anxious when i know its time to go to bed.

 

[anthony]

That is a cycle you are putting yourself in... being you are creating anxiety over going to sleep due to having a nightmare, but the anxiety you are creating is partly the cause of the nightmares with pre-thoughts. Vicious vicious cycle that is extremely common with anxiety. The trick is to break the cycle...

 

[WonderingWhy]

my problem around sleep is that i'm terrified of having another nightmare, so then i get really anxious when i know its time to go to bed.

Lilstar,
That is exactly what happens with me. I came upon my solution just by accident. I would be terrified to fall asleep so I would play my daughter's DS or read (nothing scary or stressfull) or play sudoku or read stuff online. I realized when I just fell asleep doing something that distracted me I usually slept without any bad dreams.

 

[Nyx]

I wouldn't call sex a distraction, but I get what you are saying. I was missing the preparation, that's what kept me in the circle of thoughts. I often go to bed thinking about the things I haven't finished and fight to prioritize what I'm going to do the next day. Bingo!

Thanks, Anthony! This answer was a lot of help.
Please help yourself to some chocolate cake (my diary) before it runs out :)

 

[anthony]

I wouldn't call sex a distraction, but I get what you are saying

Thank goodness... because I struggled after re-reading it.

Yes... sex being a distraction to the brain, not a distraction in the act. It takes the brain usually away from thinking about trauma, though I guess everyone is still unique, and then for some, sex may invoke traumatic thoughts if something occurs during. So for some it could help, others make things worse before sleeping.

I will shut-up now!

 

[Nicolette]

I will shut-up now!

Hallelujah! :D

 

[Nicolette]

read stuff online

Did you know Lilstar, the worst thing you can do if having trouble sleeping is do anything computer related or say watch television etc? I can't remember exactly but I think it was something from the display/screen actually heightens brain activity versus making you sleepy!

 

[Nicolette]

Distraction... even sex is a good distraction to engross yourself in it before sleep, as well as the chemicals created after an orgasm that create sleep, for both sexes.

Now...I mean this in a jovial aspect and trust that most of us can appreciate the humor despite the nature of this forum........

Anthony, I am having trouble with sleeping, I vote for the above distraction to be our best alternative (win, win situation).. :D lol!

Sorry CB, should have put all the posts into one thread but I had after thoughts and they are sort of separate points....merge if you wish.

 

[Crusoe]

I wanted to post about a method that I thought helped me at the time with sleep but in the long run has only served to make life harder for me. Consider it as a "What NOT to do".

I used to stay up until 3 or 4 am, sometimes even later to avoid having nightmares and to avoid my brain over thinking or having flashbacks as I was falling asleep. The aim was to get so tired that I just fell asleep within literally 30 seconds. It worked BUT (there's always a but)... it meant that as I was still working and therefore couldn't have a lie in (I usually get up at 6 at the latest) I was only getting between 2 and 4 hours sleep a night maximum. Driving to work was highly risky as I had trouble keeping alert and on the way back from work it was even worse. At the time I was prepared to suffer that in order to avoid the flashbacks and intrusive thoughts but in retrospect I am amazed that I am here to tell the story and amazed that I didn't have a crash and injure other people or worse. That carried on for a couple of years or so and has altered my sleep patterns immensely. I found that I COULDN'T sleep at night and that I was desperate for sleep during the day. I am now much better and go to bed at about 11ish but still need those daytime naps. I'm trying desperately to get out of the daytime nap habbit but I realllllllllllllly am struggling.

DO NOT TRY THIS METHOD OF GETTING TO SLEEP. I can't recommend it little enough.

 

[cherryblossom]

Sorry CB, should have put all the posts into one thread but I had after thoughts and they are sort of separate points....merge if you wish.

LOL - don't worry about. That's one of the things I really, really like about this forum - how fast it updates... and how that gives a really 'chatty' feel. I like it alot. I can just imagine that we'll all sitting around having a chat with Nicolette jumping in with ...."and another thing......" Hehe!! I love it :D. (but I definately want a 'hug' icon for Christmas, please?!!:p)