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Why Can’t I Sleep?

ucsf.edu

251–260 of 288 posts

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#251
post #149

Ironically, I fixed my moderate chronic insomnia succesfully by going to a doctor with a completely unrelated( citation needed ) set of symptoms. My CBT therapist wanted me to fall asleep during the appointment to perform another technique, but obviously I could not. He said to not worry and explained a routine which I’m happy to share to those who didn’t try yet: - lay, relax, comfort^ - do not move further - do not…

Alternative to body scan - place your attention at the top of your head (the crown area). It creates a kind of dissociation that leads to sleep.

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might want to read this: http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/science/variatio... It is scientifically recognized that people have different circadian rhythms (thus sleep cycles). And here’s some research about teenage delayed circadian rhythm: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2820578/ You know, sometimes people are not snowflakes that require bullying or discipline to do things “the right way”…

Your comment is about as insightful as someone pointing at rotten teeth from a person that doesn't brush their teeth as an example why brushing them doesn't work. There are people that suffer from this self afflicted syndrome and it's not easy to change your lifestyle into a healthy one. Hiding behind words like night owl doesn't help you if you want to change yourself however. And if you don't want to change yoursel…

> There are people that suffer from this self afflicted syndrome and it's not easy to change your lifestyle into a healthy one. Hiding behind words like night owl doesn't help you if you want to change yourself however.

Not sure why you are attacking me, and I never said I was a night owl or that I wanted to change myself.

Anyway, if you consider genetic predispositions or adolescence to be “self afflicted syndromes”, then either there’s a language barrier or you just will never accept something that it’s not your own opinion, even if there’s scientific research showing you otherwise (maybe you didn’t read it? If so, then I suggest you do).

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#253
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Multi vitamins are generally a complete waste of money. Check how much magnesium and what type yours has. Magnesium oxide for instance practically does not absorb into the body.

> Multi vitamins are generally a complete waste of money. I think we should be more careful about saying this. I've heard both professors and doctors say this, and then I've personally read the (reputable, mainstream) research papers showing that double digit percentages of people have various vitamin deficiencies. I'll just Google real quick to see if I can find some examples of common vitamin deficiencies, but thes…

Multivitamins are a waste because they are generally low quality. Vitamin d and magnesium are both very common deficiencies and like the OP demonstrated, they give people a false sense of security.

Unless we are talking about some high quality stuff like athletic greens.

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#254

While we’re sharing anecdotes of what helps us sleep: I like to read ancient philosophy on an ebook reader at the lowest backlight setting. Usually within 15m I’m dropping the ebook reader on my face and wondering what I read. I do find that I get a lot out of the reading despite having to back track constantly. It’s just interesting enough for me to open it up, and just dry enough to put me to sleep. Last night was…

I read until the words are blurry, then I put the ebook down. I specifically choose books that are slow, mildly interesting, and unlikely to inspire bad dreams.

Yeah, good point! I tried scifi for a while and realized it was way too engaging and stimulating, and I ended up dreaming quite a bit.

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your comment is about as insightful as someone pointing at rotten teeth from a person that doesn't brush their teeth as an example why brushing them doesn't work. There are people that suffer from this self afflicted syndrome and it's not easy to change your lifestyle into a healthy one. Hiding behind words like night owl doesn't help you if you want to change yourself however. And if you don't want to change yoursel…

> There are people that suffer from this self afflicted syndrome and it's not easy to change your lifestyle into a healthy one. Hiding behind words like night owl doesn't help you if you want to change yourself however. Not sure why you are attacking me, and I never said I was a night owl or that I wanted to change myself. Anyway, if you consider genetic predispositions or adolescence to be “self afflicted syndromes”…

The research shows that the syndrome exists. I never denied that.

Obesity exists as well and is usually caused by the lifestyle of the afflicted. The same applies here.

I'm sorry for my phrasing however, there is a language barrier as you've correctly pointed out and I was using the "you" as a generic term for people identify with that.

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#256
I've read about this pattern often attributed to the military. For example, The Independent describes it[1] as,

    1. Relax the muscles in your face, including tongue, jaw and the muscles around the eyes
    2. Drop your shoulders as far down as they’ll go, followed by your upper and lower arm, one side at a time
    3. Breathe out, relaxing your chest followed by your legs, starting from the thighs and working down
    4. You should then spend 10 seconds trying to clear your mind before thinking about one of the three following images:

    - You’re lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing but a clear blue sky above you
    - You’re lying in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room
    - You say “don’t think, don’t think, don’t think” to yourself over and over for about 10 seconds.
Is there anyone who can confirm this as been part of training, or have tried it? What were your results?

[1]: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fall-asleep-fast-sl...

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#257
post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Check your iron levels (or just check your diet). Restless leg syndrome can be caused by iron deficiency.

outuled the iron thing already, had a blood panel and levels were very good.

Including ferritin, not just hemoglobin levels?

Best of luck sorting it out.

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#258

For the past couple months I've had success with this "one weird trick" to help get to sleep: I go through the alphabet and for every letter I think of 3 unrelated words that start with each letter. When I'm tired by my mind is running, this helps me slip into sleep. My wife and daughter have also had success with it. I also have had success with listening to audio books or podcasts, but don't like doing that if my w…

Along the same lines of the alphabet trick you can also count backwards from 100 to 0. I rarely make it through more than once. It’s a trick that keeps your mind from wondering, but isn’t stressful.

>It’s a trick that keeps your mind from wondering

you underestimate me

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#259
post #149

Ironically, I fixed my moderate chronic insomnia succesfully by going to a doctor with a completely unrelated( citation needed ) set of symptoms. My CBT therapist wanted me to fall asleep during the appointment to perform another technique, but obviously I could not. He said to not worry and explained a routine which I’m happy to share to those who didn’t try yet: - lay, relax, comfort^ - do not move further - do not…

This is basically meditation and I find it very helpful. A cool trick I like is visualizing my thoughts as clouds that spontaneously emerge and pass, letting them disappear forever without remembering what they were, to give place to the blue sky that is the calm mind behind. That is, while you are counting, if a thought emerges, turn it into a cloud and let it evaporate.

I found guided meditation apps like (headspace in particular) nice to get the setup.

Re: Why Can’t I Sleep?

#260

While we’re sharing anecdotes of what helps us sleep: I like to read ancient philosophy on an ebook reader at the lowest backlight setting. Usually within 15m I’m dropping the ebook reader on my face and wondering what I read. I do find that I get a lot out of the reading despite having to back track constantly. It’s just interesting enough for me to open it up, and just dry enough to put me to sleep. Last night was…

What eBook reader do you use if I may ask?
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