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How to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes or Less

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Re: How to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes or Less

#61

Post by Cerium »

jwdunne wrote: post #41
p0ints wrote: post #18

Regarding falling asleep - I've noticed an interesting phenomenon in myself. Usually it takes me around 30 minutes to fall asleep, during which period I seem to gradually mellow, my internal narrative becomes weaker until I finally fall asleep. During the final stages of that process, I sometimes imagine beautiful and quite complex music or art that I like a lot (unfortunately, I'm nowhere skilled enough to try to cr…

Same for me. Sometimes on bad nights it can be hours but I need that time to "unwind". The music is awesome. I sometimes get hypnogogia. I can imagine the music and then, as I get closer to sleep, I actually hear the music. If I don't imagine music and I get hypnogogia, I'll hear people chatting next to me. That was quite scary before I understood what was going on. If I don't get hypnogogia, I'll start imagining odd…

I used to hear the voices if I was very tired and in a silent room and just listened, not thinking. Since I got tinnitus I've never heard them. I think for me silence was essential, felt like my brain was trying to auto gain select, and if there was no signal crank up the gain until some feedback creeps in.

Re: How to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes or Less

#62

Post by rsyring »

odammit wrote: post #56

Bookmarked in case I ever have trouble sleeping. I have the opposite problem, I can just fall asleep pretty much anywhere and in any position. Just had a triple espresso or four cold brews, no problem. I frequently take “desk naps” throughout the day. I’ll set a timer for 15 minutes and lay my head down on my wrist rest. I fall asleep in less than a minute. Does anyone know if there is a name for that? I generally re…

My son has narcolepsy. When they tested him using a day time sleep study, it was his ability to fall asleep quickly, in just a couple minutes, that was the primary indicator of his condition. I believe the doctor said an ability to fall asleep and hit a certain deep stage of sleep in less than eight minutes is what they look for.

In movies and such narcolepsy is often portrayed as uncontrollably falling asleep mid-activity. Turns out that's not actually narcolepsy but a specific form of cataplexy. They are often present together, but are distinct. My son, for example, has very strong narcolepsy but relatively mild cataplexy.

Re: How to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes or Less

#63

Post by kaiwen1 »

Counting increasingly larger numbers as I'm trying to fall asleep will sometimes make me feel anxious as I become aware that the numbers are getting large and I'm still awake. So now I just count "one" repeatedly. Works much better.

The next thing I do is search for patterns in the blackness behind my closed eyes. Once I find myself following random images into whatever they become I know sleep is imminent.

Finally, I discovered that mimicking REM by moving my eyes back and forth usually makes sleep come on even faster.

Re: How to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes or Less

#65

Post by huffmsa »

odammit wrote: post #56

Bookmarked in case I ever have trouble sleeping. I have the opposite problem, I can just fall asleep pretty much anywhere and in any position. Just had a triple espresso or four cold brews, no problem. I frequently take “desk naps” throughout the day. I’ll set a timer for 15 minutes and lay my head down on my wrist rest. I fall asleep in less than a minute. Does anyone know if there is a name for that? I generally re…

Boredom. Your body is not engaged or interested in what it's doing, so it seems no reason to not sleep.

Re: How to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes or Less

#67

Post by robterrell »

bloopernova wrote: post #33
cuckcuckspruce wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can do this too! I was born with a superpower, one that ensures I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime - untreated obstructive sleep apnea! With obstructive sleep apnea, you too can fall asleep in those stressful situations like driving, in the middle of a fire drill at your desk, and while attending an important work presentation! (On the serious, I have an appointment to get a CPAP tomorrow and in the meantime I sle…

Good luck with your CPAP. When I got mine it was like my brain firing on 8 cylinders instead of 3. Do beware that it can take a couple of weeks of use, during which your body and brain may be a little "bewildered" at getting all this oxygen during sleep! Oh and your insurance (if you live in a country that has it) may require specific amounts of usage in the first month. Be very aware of that, it's easy to be "non-co…

I'm on month 3 of CPAP use and I didn't get the "firing on 8 cylinders instead of 3" effect -- I can't say I've noticed any change (aside from "my spouse is willing to share a room with me" which isn't unsubstantial). How long did it take before this feeling kicked in?

Re: How to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes or Less

#69

Post by mirceal »

bsaul wrote: post #13
tvanantwerp wrote: post #2

Sounds like meditation techniques. I often practice mindfulness meditation in a dark room for ~10 minutes in the mid-afternoon when I get tired. It usually gives me new energy and focus similar to if I'd napped.

After having one course of zen meditation, it seems to me meditation is pretty much the complete opposite of falling asleep. You want to stop thinking about anything, but only to feel perfectly aware of the current time and place. And your mind becomes completely focused and concentrated on.. nothing. In particular, the part in the OP where you "picture yourself being on lake, etc" looks to me as completely anti-medi…

Anecdotal evidence: meditating in the evening helps me fall asleep. Don’t know if it’s the breathing part or clearing my mind but it works really well 90% of the time.

The trick is that I do it laying down instead of a more conventional meditation position.

Re: How to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes or Less

#70

Post by libx »

drakonka wrote: post #36
TuringNYC wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me, this exact state is also an ideal one to truly enjoy great music. The music can become surreal and surround me. I've never used drugs, but this is how I imagine hallucinogens to be...

This reminds me of an experience I had once. I was lying in bed, it was about mid-day, listening to music. Suddenly I started to feel pins and needles all over my body and then felt my body disintegrate, as if I was just a "blob" of energy or something hovering in the air. Lastly, I could clearly hear every single instrument and note in the song I was listening to without trying, as if the different layers of the mus…

We and all the matter around us is only energy. Mass is energy in a very low frequency. Practice hypnotism or meditation and you'll change your life for the better.
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