What do you do when you can't sleep?

[TCotton]

I listen to the BBC World Service or LBC talk radio
I like the background chatter
Or I code, as I'm a programmer
How do you deal with insomnia?

 

[Unending]

I listen to music generally or anything like that which doesn't require immediate attention and allows me to zone out. If the insomnia is bad, I'll pull out my laptop and browse the internet, maybe get a glass of water and walk around for a second. I know that staring and screens is generally bad for sleeping purposes but it doesn't seem to affect me too much since my insomnia is more anxiety/stress related. Sort of quells the mind.

 

[LastFlowers]

My insomnia is to the point that I wonder if even a horse tranquilizer could knock me out.
It has spit in the face of both OTC and prescription sleep meds plenty of times.
When I tried to have a sleep study performed, they couldn't end up performing it..because I wasn't able to fall asleep.
It's very bad.
Falling asleep, staying asleep, quality sleep..nice try, but no.
Since I am still exhausted, I usually try to distract myself with something passive (like a movie) but the mind continues to wander due to my hellish circumstances.
And sometimes these distractions have the opposite of the sought after effect and only wind up serving as painful reminders of my predicament.
So I just end up going online and typing my head off.
Or texting myself my thoughts so it feels like I'm giving them consideration and a rain check, as completely dismissing them is out of the question.
My brain seems to have a "mind" of its own, and an energy source that doesn't line up with the rest of the body.
This would be a good thing in and of itself, but conversely, there are no "good things" for it to latch onto and analyze, only nightmarish shit and disparities.

 

[jodes2]

I get up, go on Reddit or here, and either listen to a bit of music or put on star trek or something. Turns out I might have a rare circadian rhythm sleep disorder called non 24, where my body likes to have a 30 hour day! There are other similar disorders too. Explains why I always have trouble keeping a consistent sleeping pattern. I like to sleep 12 hours then be awake for like 20 or more. If I try and shorten the day to 24h I really struggle to go to sleep on time. I downloaded a sleep tracking app on Android so I can graph it and try and work out what the hell is actually going on!

 

[hungry_ghost]

Mostly watch Youtube or go on bootleg movie sites to watch shows and films.

Maybe once in a while I'll have the focus to pick up one of my books and read a little.

 

[VioletNight]

Aimlessly browse or watch things on my phone, sometimes just give up on sleeping and work all night

 

[manocsak]

I watch some series, but I hate those times, sleep is my purpose

 

[kallemi]

subway surfers

 

[thx1138]

My insomnia is to the point that I wonder if even a horse tranquilizer could knock me out.

Oh nooo This sounds horrible. Sometimes I go for 3 days without sleeping and have this exact feeling like "the body is tired but the brain has unlimited energy". You described it so well! Your story is very painful. It's amazing that you can write so beautifully with so little sleep! Are you a writer? Hopefully you find something that works.

This is what I do:
- take sleeping pills
- listen to guided meditation
- listen to nature sound
- do breathing exercises
- reverse psychology: tell myself that i have to stay awake at any cost. Then sometimes i start feeling sleepy

 

[Source Energy]

Scroll on the forums. Or read. But with books, there is a risk I won't fall asleep for hours. Reading the forum, eventually will tire my eyes and I will sleep.

 

[lionetta12]

I listen to the BBC World Service or LBC talk radio
I like the background chatter
Or I code, as I'm a programmer
How do you deal with insomnia?

Lay around looking at the wall until I fall asleep, but that can take hours.

 

[LastFlowers]

Oh nooo This sounds horrible. Sometimes I go for 3 days without sleeping and have this exact feeling like "the body is tired but the brain has unlimited energy". You described it so well! Your story is very painful. It's amazing that you can write so beautifully with so little sleep! Are you a writer? Hopefully you find something that works.

This is what I do:
- take sleeping pills
- listen to guided meditation
- listen to nature sound
- do breathing exercises
- reverse psychology: tell myself that i have to stay awake at any cost. Then sometimes i start feeling sleepy

Thank you for the kind response and I'm so sorry you also go so many consecutive days without sleeping. (Even one night without sleep or losing hours over the course of time can be damaging. Racked up sleep debt.)
It's especially terrible when it's chronic.
I'm reasonably certain that if my life circumstances were different, I would have a much easier go at it, or medications would work more efficiently at the very least.

3 days..yea, that's about the length of time where things get a little nutty, like seeing spots and shadows in the corner of your eye, jumping at imagined figures or objects flashing in your vision.
I slept about 6 hours across 6-7 days semi-recently and I was hearing things that weren't there, phantom cries.

No I am not any sort of established/legitimate writer. Besides running my hands across the keys over 2k times (apparently) on this forum, sometimes to my own chagrin.
I lack the higher education, vocabulary and stamina to really press onward with that endeavor, or any other.
Still, your comment sure is flattering haha, thank you.
(I know there's plenty of other comments of mine on this site in which I unknowingly presented my inadequacy.)

I have listened to white noise, fans, rain sounds with only the occasional positive effect.
I think you might be onto something with your last tactic though, I am definitely more likely to fall asleep for a bit at the rare times I am trying to force myself to stay awake.
The only problem is that I am awful at deceiving myself..

 

[thx1138]

Thank you for the kind response and I'm so sorry you also go so many consecutive days without sleeping. (Even one night without sleep or losing hours over the course of time can be damaging. Racked up sleep debt.)
It's especially terrible when it's chronic.
I'm reasonably certain that if my life circumstances were different, I would have a much easier go at it, or medications would work more efficiently at the very least.

3 days..yea, that's about the length of time where things get a little nutty, like seeing spots and shadows in the corner of your eye, jumping at imagined figures or objects flashing in your vision.
I slept about 6 hours across 6-7 days semi-recently and I was hearing things that weren't there, phantom cries.

No I am not any sort of established/legitimate writer. Besides running my hands across the keys over 2k times (apparently) on this forum, sometimes to my own chagrin.
I lack the higher education, vocabulary and stamina to really press onward with that endeavor, or any other.
Still, your comment sure is flattering haha, thank you.
(I know there's plenty of other comments of mine on this site in which I unknowingly presented my inadequacy.)

I have listened to white noise, fans, rain sounds with only the occasional positive effect.
I think you might be onto something with your last tactic though, I am definitely more likely to fall asleep for a bit at the rare times I am trying to force myself to stay awake.
The only problem is that I am awful at deceiving myself..

Oh sh**, I am not very often on here so I didn't realized you were so prominent on this forum. Regardless, I still think you have a great writing style. Best wishes for a speedy recovery and for your circumstances to improve. Hugs <3

 

[disgugly]

I like to listen some of the guided meditations where you are offered to imagine a journey with asound effects and all that. For example, "Guided sleep meditation | train journey to sleep hypnosis" on youtube. Works well for me.

 

[Lost in a Dream]

I just get high when I can't sleep. Doing so will either help me sleep eventually, or I'll just lay there enjoying the feeling of being stoned. Better than getting pissed off because I can't sleep, which is what always happens if I don't have the means to get high like I want to.

 

[Kush-Chronic]

i am hanging on my phone. and thats very contraproductive

 

[UntilTheLast]

I don't know if it's like this for everyone, but for me trying to make myself fall asleep just makes it much, much less likely that I'm going to fall asleep. So I just remind myself that I can't do shit to make myself fall asleep, then either lay there thinking, if I feel up for being in my head, or I say fuck it and just get up and do something.

 

[PurpleBlack]

ive had insomnia for as long as i can remember and ive done loads of research on it. I'd suggest the Huberman lan podcast episode about sleep, he's a stanford professor neurobiology so he goes deep into the theory.
If it's just for a night itself (i.e. you usually sleep well) try to get up instead of being in bed and going crazy for not being able to sleep. Get some movement, avoid any lights but walk a lap around the house. and try it again. Huberman has non-sleep deep rest protocol tha thelps you relax your body through some mental exercises that may help. For me personally it sometimes helps if i tell myself ' not now'. So if im worrying for something for the next day i tell myself i will grant some time to think about it - but not now! i will think about it tomorrow. I pretend i grab the idea out of my brain, crumble it with my hands and throw it to the other side of the room so it's ' physically' out of my head. sounds a bit ridiculous but it has worked before

If you have chronic insomnia i'd highly suggest listeneing to the podcast, but the short version is
- get sunlight in your eyes for 5 mins as soon as you wake up to jumpstart your circadian rhyrhm clock (not thorugh a window)
- take a cold shower right after
- do some exercise, doesn't need to be in the gym. just dancing around your room for 5 minutes works. just get your heartrate up for some time
- no blue lights after dark - you can download red light filters for phone and computer
- write down whats bothering you right before bed so it's 'out' of your head
- no coffee after 12/13h as coffee can stay in your body for very long. Me personally i have switched to matcha tea and have said goodbye to coffee altogether. it gave me massive anxiety anyways

Good luck!

 

[eatantz]

I talk to people that i would usually ignore, i read posts on here and listen to music. Sometimes ill read a book or read some manwha

 

[Shadowpriest]

Chainsmoke

 

[SuicidalOrganism]

awooooo

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

I jack off and play video games until either of them makes me tired.

 

[sukiduki]

try to play music and hope i'll fall asleep. when i was young i would fall asleep late at night with the tv on, so i try to recreate that but without the tv.

now that i am grown up, i sometimes will take anti-anxiety meds to try and fall asleep

 

[3/4Dead]

Come on here usually.

No, but really I browse reddit and listen to music until I get tired enough to knock out. Trying makes it harder to sleep. My laptop will eventually exhaust me enough to sleep.

 

[Forveleth]

I have terminal insomnia which means once I wake up I have trouble getting back to sleep. Knowing this, if I feel even remotely awake in the middle of the night there's a 75% chance I'm not going back to sleep so I generally just start my day. I work out, have breakfast (which means I get a second breakfast at the normal time, yay!), and then either go to work early or putz around at home working on a side project until the time I would normally get up.

I jack off

Honestly legit way to tire yourself out.

 

[falling_snow]

Benzos ;3

Or ill write in my diary and music helps.

 

[HarryCobean]

It sounds like a flippant joke response, but actually, truly: gin.

 

[HereTomorrow]

I play videogames until I am too mentally tired. But if that doesn't work, I listen to a podcast alongside some hibiscus tea and melatonin supplements. Doesn't always work, but helps significantly when it does.

 

[Valky]

Dealing might be a bit exaggerated, more suffering through it because I have no other choice.

I usually end up doom scrolling and try to find comforting things while rolling around in bed while my whole body hurts from having laid down for so long.

 

[ijustwishtodie]

I just browse this site miserably until I hopefully just get tired enough to sleep. That's what I'm doing right now actually