Insomnia - Can't sleep!

check this topic :sleeping: :yawn:

(incidently, this post will be merged into it)

Try reading something that is really boring to you at the time. If you are not technical, look at the instruction manual to the microwave or something. If you hate spiritual stuff then try to read some boring scriptures that you do not want to understand. The logic here is it has to be uninteresting.

Have you ever tried sleeping with your eyes open? Works for me.

does RC

Can you sleep with your eyes open?

Yep, i always used to do it, my dream is just projected onto the ceiling, like a movie!

cool, i had that once, it was weird, i woke up with my eyes open once for some reason:P

Don’t know if this applies to most, but i’m a thinker and i can’t sleep for hours after going to bed because i constantly think. After getting certain strange stomach pains i realised i actually had an axiety disorder… Being a normal teenager, under lots of stress via girls, university and such, it’s not hard to blame one for developing anxiety… The doctor placed me on Temazepam to help me sleep (on nights where i became frustrated) and it helped a lot. However benzodiazapenes seemed to knock me so flat into sleep that i didn’t dream full stop.

Dont know why im writing this, maybe someone can get something useful from it!

Hmmm, I might give that a go at work. :tongue:

Though I’m no expert by any means I have done some research into insomnia treatments for a university assignment (see the link in my signature), and have applied some of the techniques which I found to be quite effective. Basically regular exercise, good diet (plenty of fruit and veg), regular sleep schedules, and even meditation can facilitate a good nights sleep. All of the above I personally practice with diligence every day, so I can tell you it works! On a side note, I haven’t had a headache in about a year either…
As somebody already said, spending too much time in bed if you can’t get to sleep is a bad idea, as you build up an association with stress/worry and wakefulness as opposed to sleep and relaxation. A better idea would be to get up and watch tv for half hour. In any case, for insomnia a multifaceted approach is most effective - don’t try just changing one variable in your life, change them all. If you’re committed you would see drastic improvements by adding 30 minutes of exercise, a bowl of vegetables, quitting caffeine, and practicing 20 minutes of meditation everday.

BTW Garlic, I’m in Sydney too!

i have headaches all the time. I only worry about my health when i haven’t had a minor headache for about an hour.

Insomnia, weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…

Man, I can’t sleep for anything. TV off, no comp, eyes closed, in my normal sleeping position, no games or books to distract me, and I still can’t go to Lala Land before 5am! :wallhit:

You probably all hate me for saying this, but I kind of miss my insomnia. I really like the feeling it gives me, it’s like a natural/free high and I’m a big pot smoker but have been completely broke for ages. But I’m also a really really lazy person and the only time I get any inspiration to do anything is in the middle of the night when I’m really tired.

I just wish it was easier to control. Sure I can make myself stay up all night without much problem, but that’s likely to spiral out of control and mess my sleeping patterns right up and may cause a relapse into the massive bouts of insomnia I’m prone to.

Also whenever I try WBTB, it is nearly impossible to go back to sleep and actually is impossible to go back to sleep if I’m intent on lucid dreaming.(or intent on anything for that matter) Usually the only way I can get back to sleep is to find a boring movie or tv program that isn’t so boring that i choose to ignore it completely. And this never seems to result in any lucid dreams.

From what I’ve read WBTB is supposed to be the most efficient lucidity inducer but if i can’t get back to sleep it’s not gonna help much. Anyone have any suggestions? Maybe try it earlier? How early is too early to be in REM sleep?

if you have trouble going back to sleep, it would probably be best to keep the period you are awake during WBTB as short as possible. Some just wake up with an alarm and then go back to sleep right away…

I find you have to experiment heavily with the # of hours you sleep, when trying WBTB. For me, four hours of sleep simply doesn’t work…I wake up too much and have difficulty going back to sleep. I am definitely one of those who does better in life on 4 hours than 6 hours of sleep, so, if I set my alarm for 5 hours, I wake up far groggier than 4…and stand a good chance of going lucid if I sit up in bed for 10 minutes, turn on the light, get a drink of water, and then fall back asleep. Which is easy to do because I’m so groggy.
Then I set the alarm for forty-five minutes later…almost never fails as far as producing an intense dream, if not lucid. However, I would add that this method has produced some of the most frustrating “dream interrupted” moments I’ve had. Don’t know why this would be.
Also I’ve had good results for LD with trying a 45 minute nap during the day, when I’m feeling just a little tired. If I’m exhausted, this doesn’t work. But 45 minutes of light sleep at about 2 or 3 pm has given me some of my most intense lucid experiences.
Also, timing music to go off about twenty minutes before your alarm in the morning can have some good results. The key is finding the volume, and the gentleness (ie. probably jazz or ambient) that will enter your mind but not wake you.
Last thing: when quite tired in the afternoon, drink a cup of coffee, then fall asleep. This can have some good results.

[size=75][color=darkorchid][b]I had a month long period of not being able to sleep at all.

masterofdementia I know what you mean. X3 It’s great.

It felt so horrible to not really be aware of anything when I needed to be…but when I just relaxed it was great, woozy, tripping out…natural acid. xD

My insomnia was cured by being completely destroyed and crying myself to sleep. o_o;

Not really a good thing…but damn did that sleep feel good. It was worth it.[/b][/color][/size]

You and me both…well the go to sleep before 5am part. :grin:

It is just me or LD and OBE improve the way of falling asleep more quickly.

At least with OBE , after I try to sleep normally , for me its more easy that before.

Relaxing helps to fall asleep. But we can’t say LD does, cause you can provoke insomnia by counting or having another mental exercice.

The only times I really havent been able to fall asleep has been after trying to do WILD :yes:

I dont know I think me I fall asleep more quickly…

At least for AP im sure because its proved that relaxing get better and better after time.

Hahaha, i can only feel asleep in my dreams!

If i try some techiniques told here, i can get a 3 hour sleep!
(I happened…)

The night seems to be most active part of the day for me, even if my body is exausted.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

hahaha, I think that noticing Im asleep may work as a RC for me!!