Insomnia Forum Posting

Posted by DJmaux on April 30, 2003 at 06:19:50:

One tip that helps me get to sleep is trying the following:

One of the main causes of not getting to sleep is wanting to sleep to much so you need to try to not want to sleep as much. OH! I hear you say. Thats obvious but because we are so upset and want sleep how can we kid our selves we dont really want to sleep that much?

When you get into bed, have a 15 min period at the beginning where you are not trying to sleep.
What I do is I get into bed but I leave a dim light on to suggest to my self im not trying to sleep. I lie on my back (im more comfy on the side) closing my eyes and just relax. I call this a 15 min relaxing period before try to go bed. Its very important this is what you try to do, not pretend to relax and secretly hope to sleep.
Then I aim after 15 mins (I guess in my head not look at clock) I open my eyes, turn off the dim light and then turn on my side and then try to sleep.
Its amasing the number of times I fall sleep before I get chance to turn the light off and go to my side because subconciously you heve the idea in you head that the light is still on and its not time to sleep just relax before bed. This thought then gets rid of the "Im trying to sleep so bad I cant thing".
Try it it works! You may want to increase the time to 20-25 mins if necessary but you must leave a dim light on to suggest its not yet bedtime.
Now my insomina isnt too bad so I guess for most of you that isnt enough. So you need do do something so that you really dont want to sleep as much.
What if someone rang you up said if you dont fall asleep tonight after 1hr you will win $100000!Lets just hypotheticly assume that you couldnt sleep due to excitement you could have the idea in your head I MUST NOT FALL ASLEEP! and guess what you would wouldnt you!
Ok so we cant expect someone to ring us up offereing money but we can try other things.
If you lock the doors INSIDE your house every night to stop burglars having free run of the house leave them all unlocked like your not going to bed yet! Dont put the double lock on the front doors!
If you hate (like me) not brushing your teeth before bed, dont brush them! If you dont like leaving lights on or apliences on downstairs because it wastes money, leave them on!
If you havnt slept after 20 mins you abviously then close all the doors, brush your teetch etc and the god to bed normally.
So when you go to bed for the 20 mins relaxing before sleep you dont want to sleep as much because you keep thinking "The house isnt locked up, its not bedtime I dont want to sleep as much"
You think "My teeth are dirty and decaying/rotting as I lie here from all acidic food BURNING them away! Think about how they are rotting and decaying and feel the urge to not want to sleep because of it. I want to brush them not fall asleep" you say.
You think "I have things on downstairs, the hot water is still on its costing my money I dont have, I dont want to sleep as much"
If it doesnt work try more things or more even more serious things!
I found this idea out by puting tasty food into oven (on a 30 min timer) or in the moicrowwave on slow ccok late at night before bed when I was hungry with the idea of, I really dont care if I sleep because I cant wait to eat that food in the over when its ready!
I would lie in bed thinking YUM only 30 mins till my favourite meal! And before you know it I woke up the next morning with wasted food in the oven time and time again!
It worked so well i ending up wasted food every night to get to sleep! When i dtoped I couldnt sleep as easily!
A waste of food but it worked because Part of me didnt want to sleep. Again you need find something that actually makes you not want to sleep as much. If you hate not brushing you teeth before bed give it a try!.. If you wake up to early in morning also go put some really tasty food in the oven for breakfast, go back to bed and think about how much you want the food. This reduces the need for sleep.
Obviously on one end of the scales is how much you want to sleep and on the other is factor that makes you not want to sleep. You just have to try to put as much weight on the other end of the scales os possible.
Ok so you end up with rotten teeth,azz loads of burnt pies etc,burgaled house and a huge hot water bill but at least you got some sleep huh!
There even more really extream methods to try if you want like putting $20 in the oven when you ccant sleep and set the over to come on after 20-30 mins. If you fall asleep your $20 crisps to bits! The more money is in there the less you want to sleep! Not too much money though or you wont sleep sue to not wanting to sleep too much!
Balance! start off with $5 and work up!
Put enough money in so that you really dont care if you dont sleep! Sure its costly but you get the idea! Get saving those $!
Who thought burning money could never actually achieve something?
Any other thoughts? :)

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