Live data from Hacker News

How to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes or Less

artofmanliness.com

131–140 of 195 posts

Re: How to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes or Less

#131
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…

When I’m really tired and falling asleep, it sometimes feels like my creative brain becomes uncorked. I can focus on any vague idea and then immediately summon an image or multiple images on the theme of that idea, clear as day. I’ve also sometimes been able to keep a mental guitar jam going almost indefinitely. Wish I had this superpower while awake — making art would be a million times easier. (Maybe it’s trainable?)

Re: How to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes or Less

#133
post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds very similair to Dali's process. Where he would meditate holding a kitchen utensil on top of a pan. And when he would fall asleep it would fall making a sound and wake him up with i inspration for his next painting. http://www.creativitypost.com/authors/profile/33/mmichalko

and Michel Houellebecq seems to use similar process: INTERVIEWER What is your writing schedule now? HOUELLEBECQ I wake up during the night around one a.m. I write half-awake in a semi-conscious state. Progressively, as I drink coffee, I become more conscious. And I write until I’m sick of it.

This explains a lot about Houellebecq's writing.

Re: How to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes or Less

#134

The relaxation method in the article requires physical comfort, which isn't always available. I used to lie awake for hours when I was younger; now I can fall asleep quickly in all places (bus seats, desk chair, etc). What changed? I ride a bicycle. That fixed my blood circulation, so I don't get cold feet. I also read the Bible and pray. It's very easy to fall asleep in church on a hard wooden pew. The same approach…

Bold move being honest about your religiousness here. I respect that.

Re: How to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes or Less

#135
post #87

Any steady stream of thoughts can stop me from falling asleep, even for hours. I have noticed that long hours of programming or programming late in the day causes this state of constant hard thinking that keeps me awake. It can be really exhausting and even end in nightmares. I think that the article is right that you need to stop this cycle before falling asleep. Meditation practice helps to stop your thought cycle…

What works for me is to just put on a documentary and something about the monotone narration voice just shuts my brain down. I don't even pay attention to the words. I'm generally asleep within minutes. I assume audio books might have the same effect. I guess it might be related to my young childhood as I had parents who would almost always read to my brother and me at bedtime. So possibly there's a part of my brain…

I have been using audiobooks frequently to help me fall asleep. For me it has to be the right tone of voice and not a high pitched voicy or jerky style enunciation.

Re: How to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes or Less

#137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What works for me is to just put on a documentary and something about the monotone narration voice just shuts my brain down. I don't even pay attention to the words. I'm generally asleep within minutes. I assume audio books might have the same effect. I guess it might be related to my young childhood as I had parents who would almost always read to my brother and me at bedtime. So possibly there's a part of my brain…

My girlfriend trained herself to sleep with movies. Now she can't watch movies without falling asleep.

It was imperative for an ex girlfriend of mine to have a movie on; or she was unable to sleep. I prefer total darkness so that my body gains the maximum recuperative benefit.

Re: How to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes or Less

#138

I'm one of those that can fall asleep anytime, anywhere. The technique I use is to work on my "novel". I guess my mind knows I've been "working" on it for over twenty years, it's not important. At this point it's just a fantasy environment in my head I can drop into where the stresses of the real world don't exist.

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…

> I have an appointment to get a CPAP tomorrow

Get it, the difference is huge. Be aware that it's one of those things that's like 10 good things and 8 bad things; but the good outweighs the bad.

Re: How to Fall Asleep in Two Minutes or Less

#139
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

What on earth... I've never heard of hypnogogia. I just looked that up to discover hypnopompic... auditory hallucinations as you transition from sleep to waking up. I haven't constantly suffered this, but at periods in the last 5 years, I have often woken with a jump and an impending sense of dread to either the sound of a doorbell, or my ex yelling my name. In both cases, I know these were hallucinatory, the doorbel…

There's a word in the Sami language (a culture indigenous to parts of Scandinavia) that describe the state between being awake and asleep: "Adjágas".

It's been somewhat impotently translated as "slumber" - but it's more akin to what gp describe. I'm sure many native American languages have similar concept.

Post reply on HN