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I tried to hack my insomnia

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Re: I tried to hack my insomnia

#91

What about marijuana? An indica strain should put you on your back in no time.

just because it lays you out...doesn't mean it provides proper (read: good) sleep.

It has the opposite effect on me whatever the strain. It gets me energized and personally I would totally avoid id before sleep. However, seems to do wonders for some.

Re: I tried to hack my insomnia

#92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with that idea is that it completely misses the fact that most of us have to get up at a specific time in order to get to work or school or whatever else we have to do. I tried the no-trigger approach for a while, when I was between jobs and didn't have anything to do otherwise. What I found out is that my natural schedule, without manual intervention, has me going to bed at approximately 2am and waking u…

Wild idea: maybe some people's sleep cycles are just inherently incompatible with society and the arbitrary schedules and obligations that a particular society and context has landed on. And I don't say that with any joy...

Yeah i sometimes wonder about this in the context of our evolutionary history. Having some people around who naturally stay up late to tend the fire and keep a look out seems advantageous. I suppose teenagers can fill this role, but their numbers fluctuate.

Re: I tried to hack my insomnia

#93

My insomnia is a little different than the author's; I fall asleep easily but wake up three or four hours later. And when I'm up, I'm wide awake. I tried just about everything discussed here....meditation, podcasts, watching television, reading before bed but nothing really helped me consistently. I even bought a treadmill and started running every day which does help, but the thing that actually did the trick best w…

If it can be compatible with your schedule, try splitting your sleep into two 4 hour chunks. They dont have to be 12 hours apart. The mosy productive and energetic ive ever felt was while doing this. That being said it sounds like you already have a good system figured out. Aything that doesnt involve a prescription sleep aid is a big win

Re: I tried to hack my insomnia

#94

2 new tricks to add here (that work magic for me at least) - child pose for about 10 minutes with the head/forehead resting on a pillow - forced yawning, but without needing to actually make a sound, (and without needing to open the mouth wide). Hard to explain, there's some oral/neck musculature that is not triggered voluntarily that I've been experimenting on which becomes somewhat easier to control with exercise.…

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Re: I tried to hack my insomnia

#95
I find that I have always have trouble sleeping, but then when I took up a practice of strong-determination-sitting (meditation+) I would fall asleep during the meditation! and I would also notice that my mind-activity was several noticeable clicks lower after a 20 minute sit.

It has to be tried to be believed (IMO)

Re: I tried to hack my insomnia

#96
post #30

During a stressful part of my life recently I struggled with getting to sleep. I just couldn't stop thinking about shit that was going on. until one night I fell asleep on the couch in front of the TV, and it occurred to me that I could just modify this behaviour to bed. So I put a handful of old Star Trek episodes on my phone. Each night I put me earphones on (so as not to disturb my wife), turn on an episode of Sta…

Yes, audiobooks/podcasts at night are great. Lack of sleep ages you, makes you overweight, and susceptible to many health issues. Here's what I did to get enough sleep: * Make sure every monitor/portable device is using Redshift / Night Light blue light filter. * Set a "sleep alarm" After which no work on a screen. Only reading books/audiobooks * 0.5mg of Melatonin helps sleep naturally (more gives trippy dreams) * A…

What sort of podcasts/books?

Not properly tried this before, but I'd imagine if it was interesting I'd want to stay awake and listen to it or find out more information... if it's boring I'd just be annoyed by the noise. Maybe bore myself to sleep?

Re: I tried to hack my insomnia

#97
post #39

During a stressful part of my life recently I struggled with getting to sleep. I just couldn't stop thinking about shit that was going on. until one night I fell asleep on the couch in front of the TV, and it occurred to me that I could just modify this behaviour to bed. So I put a handful of old Star Trek episodes on my phone. Each night I put me earphones on (so as not to disturb my wife), turn on an episode of Sta…

I used to do this but with chess videos. Most commentators don’t vary their tone much which probably helps. Since then I have been: - Trying to exercise every day - No screens after 10:30. Seems to be making a big difference for me.

No screens was integral for me, as well as changing the type of lighting I use. I generally try to shut down my screens when f.lux starts up on my computer, as I know it's better for my brain to start getting tired them. I'll also use a redder light instead of a right LED one, which I've found helps too.

Re: I tried to hack my insomnia

#99
post #64

I picked up very serious sleep problems (and seemingly permanent bags under my eyes) right around puberty and lived with it for about twenty years. Tried most of the "hacks" on this page (yes, including exercise) to no avail. It all unexpectedly went away when I moved into my current apartment. I have huge, unblocked, east-facing windows, and every morning I’m bathed in sunlight. No more sleeping in; I’m wide awake,…

I unscientifically believe that we shouldn't use an alarm clock or any kind of trigger to wake up. My rational is: if your body has enough sleep, it'll wake up on its own. On the flip side: it's actually very hard to sleep when your body doesn't need sleep. On another flip side: it's easy to stay awake even though your body needs sleep. With this, we should all sleep in a completely dark (blocked) room with no sound…

I share your beliefs. I once experimented with a completely rules-free schedule, under the belief that my circadian rhythm was slightly longer than an earth day, and thus my "day" would slowly shift forwards until my day was everyone's night, and then back again. It didn't feel good and I stopped it after one rotation.

As far as the sun as a waking trigger, I believe that as well. With an alarm, it's nothing... nothing... nothing... and then BAM! Time to wake up! The sun rises gradually, and light is entering your eyes before you regain consciousness, so even though it seems like you suddenly wake due to the light, I think it's a more gradual process. That, and I fall back on a naturalistic idea that since that's how humans have woken since time immemorial, that our brains are wired for it in a way.

Re: I tried to hack my insomnia

#100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not sure where you live and if you are open to trying it, but weed helps ( specifically an indica heavy blend).

Indicas give me hangovers. I've found sativas work better in the long run, but you have to wait for the euphoria and energy to wear off and that can sometimes take a while.

Definitely try CBD oil if you want to avoid the psychological effects of THC. There are also CBD-heavy strains if you do like to smoke.
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