![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Beating Insomnia part Trois
1. This next tip turned out to be surprisingly effective. No clock in the bedroom.
Don't have a clock where you can see it when you're in bed. I tried this after seeing it mentioned on an insomnia website, and it made a real difference.
I suspect the reason it works is that previously when I woke up in the night, I'd glance at the clock and think "Oh, my God, it's 4am". I'd then lie awake for ages worrying about it being 4am. Also, I'd wake up a 7am, think "It's too early to get up" and try to sleep for another hour.
Now, I have the clock turned away from the bed. My mental rule (and I seem to be able to stick to it - if you can't stick to it, then remove the clock totally) is that I'm not allowed to look at the time unless I'm actually out of bed.
If I wake up in the night (which doesn't seem to happen much now), I roll over and go back to sleep.
If I wake up early in the morning and I can see daylight through the curtains, then I get up (don't yet know how this will work in winter, but it's fine at present.)
The main gain here is that I seem to be getting up around an hour earlier (which suggests that is what actually works for my body when I'm not imposing man-made time constraints on it), but not needing to go to bed any earlier. I've effectively gained an hour every morning and I find it's a productive hour as I'm waking when my body wants to, rather than when I thought it wanted to.
2. Relaxation exercises. Like meditation in many ways, but to do when you're actually in bed. I find the meditation before bed to be more effective, but if I skip that for some reason, then trying to relax each set of muscles in turn, starting with the scalp and working down to the feet, can often help.
3. Keep your feet at a comfortable temperature. Don't ask my why the feet are the most important, it just seems to be that way. Wear bed socks if they're too cold. Stick them out from under the duvet if they're too hot.
Lifestyle bits tomorrow.
Don't have a clock where you can see it when you're in bed. I tried this after seeing it mentioned on an insomnia website, and it made a real difference.
I suspect the reason it works is that previously when I woke up in the night, I'd glance at the clock and think "Oh, my God, it's 4am". I'd then lie awake for ages worrying about it being 4am. Also, I'd wake up a 7am, think "It's too early to get up" and try to sleep for another hour.
Now, I have the clock turned away from the bed. My mental rule (and I seem to be able to stick to it - if you can't stick to it, then remove the clock totally) is that I'm not allowed to look at the time unless I'm actually out of bed.
If I wake up in the night (which doesn't seem to happen much now), I roll over and go back to sleep.
If I wake up early in the morning and I can see daylight through the curtains, then I get up (don't yet know how this will work in winter, but it's fine at present.)
The main gain here is that I seem to be getting up around an hour earlier (which suggests that is what actually works for my body when I'm not imposing man-made time constraints on it), but not needing to go to bed any earlier. I've effectively gained an hour every morning and I find it's a productive hour as I'm waking when my body wants to, rather than when I thought it wanted to.
2. Relaxation exercises. Like meditation in many ways, but to do when you're actually in bed. I find the meditation before bed to be more effective, but if I skip that for some reason, then trying to relax each set of muscles in turn, starting with the scalp and working down to the feet, can often help.
3. Keep your feet at a comfortable temperature. Don't ask my why the feet are the most important, it just seems to be that way. Wear bed socks if they're too cold. Stick them out from under the duvet if they're too hot.
Lifestyle bits tomorrow.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
Point 1 isn't appropriate for everybody -- I need to be able to assess whether it's time to give up and go find something to eat/drink. But I have insomnia derived from yer actual faulty neurochemistry, and have learnt to accept that there are nights when I will wake up at four and not get back to sleep without said food intake, so I don't fret about it. Most people aren't in this position. (Being short-sighted helps, since I have to make some effort to read the clock.)
no subject
Rosie came up with a very helpful manoeuvre last night, whereby she sat on the end of the bed until I got into it and switched off the light, whereupon she headed up the bed in search of strokes, leaving a nice warm spot where my feet were about to go.