Ship of Fools: Oft in the stilly night...

Thread: Oft in the stilly night... Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

...ere slumber's chain has bound me. Well, bully for you T Moore, that slumber turns up. What if it doesn't? What if you woke at about 10 to 2 this morning and here it is 5 o'clock and you haven't heard so much as a distant clank?

So, insomniacs of The Ship, how do you either a) get to/get back to sleep or b) pass the small hours?

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

Well, let's see. There's the BBC World Service, there's an app of rain sounds, there's another of delta waves, there's mindfulness and relaxation exercises. There's getting cold and then turning the electric blanket back on.

They don't always work and sometimes my day starts at around 2.30 am but I've learned to live with that. If it's taken calmly rather than struggling with it it's less tiring, and it's been going on for so long that I've got used to it and just carry on with the day as normal.

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :

I had a sleepless bit last night then fell into a dream of really nasty nightmares, the sort that make you [made me!] fearful of going back to sleep lest they recur. I have just been googling about cheese and nightmares as I had some wonderful Stilton for supper last night.

Normally my solution is reading a bit as there are always at least several books by my bedside - I even have an abbreviated Indian Railways Timetable which is great for planning trips. Like Ariel I normally just go with the flow but then I have the luxury of being able to nap during the day if I so wish and I know most people don't have this.

Posted by M. (# 3291) on :

For years, I had the sort of sleep pattern that woud see me fall asleep easily, then wake up around 2 and lie there until some time after around 4.30, when I would drift off again.

As night time exaggerates all ills, and reading/radio etc would be unfair on Macarius, I made sure I only thought of positive things - so I would plan a dinner party, redecorate the house, analyse a film, completely change my wardrobe etc.

Mind you, apparently, Macarius learned to dread that as soon as he opened his eyes, I would say, 'I've been thinking...'

M.

Posted by Beenster (# 242) on :

For me, it's menopause related. I just wake up and i'm awake.

Or, I go to bed and I'm so awake.

I've stopped fighting it. If I'm awake, I go with the flow. As Ariel says, it's a lot less tiring.

Few things that have helped - a couple of homepathic remedies. Passiflora or Buddlea. Then there are some "this sleep works" products, if it is psychosomatic, so be it.

I know make a point of getting up early and having a quiet sit and starting the day real slow. For some reason, that seems to help. Or my hormones are in a different space.

I know a girl who did a lot of online dating in the small hours. For me, I haven't had the energy to get excited (or exciting) at 2am. I should rephrase that perhaps?!!

Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :

I'm usually so knackered that falling asleep is not a problem. But if I can't get to sleep, or alternatively do wake up around 4.00 a.m.I just read. Or empty the dishwasher. Or watch another episode of my Downton DVD. In extremis I do the ironing.

Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :

I too fall asleep easily to wake at2:00am. At a particularly stressful time the doctor gave me tablets about twelve years ago. More trouble than they were worth as they made me depressed and weepy the next day.

He offered a different type another time but I refused.

I often re-arrange bedding and pillows. Praying occasionally sends me back to sleep. I have not done this for a couple of years but a slice of toast with peanut butter used to help.

Nowadays I usually just lie there and if lucky I will doze. Like WW, i can have a daytime snooze if desperate.

[ 02. December 2015, 06:40: Message edited by: Lothlorien ]

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :

quote:
Originally posted by jacobsen:
...In extremis I do the ironing.

I have never yet been that desperate!

Posted by The Intrepid Mrs S (# 17002) on :

For years now I've woken at 5.30, for no apparent reason - or earlier [Eek!]

My solution - 1) an iPod, 2) a subscription to audiobooks. Find one you know well (so you aren't staying awake to find out what's next!) and like, then stick one ear-bud in and lie on the other ear.

If you go to sleep, result! If you don't, at least you have something to listen to, and having a story read to you is such a treat if you can get a reader with a nice voice [Yipee]

If I ever have trouble getting to sleep, which is not often, I find that describing my day in minute detail (as in a statement to the police...) is so soporific that I rarely make it past breakfast time [Snore]

Mrs. S, insomniac of this parish

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

My equivalent of that would be taking a mental walk round somewhere I know. It's surprising how much detail you don't actually notice, even somewhere you think you know well (the name of that shop, a few things in the window display, what sort of car is usually parked there other than "red"). The effort involved can be quite helpful in getting you to drift off.

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

Having a bed time routine, which is consistent and lasts about an hour with NO screens involved either TV, phone or computer.

No coffee after 5pm.

Early wake = get up.

It takes a week or two to work, but it does work [Smile]

Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :

I'm a night-owl - if I'm in bed by 1 a.m. that counts as an early night. If I were to go to bed much earlier, I'd probably struggle to get to sleep.

On the (mercifully rare) occasions when I find myself being really wide-awake when I don't want to be, a cup of milky hot chocolate will sometimes do the trick.

A rather odd solution that was suggested to me years ago was to have a bowl of cereal with milk about half an hour before you go to bed; it sounds unlikely, but it does work.

Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Piglet:
On the (mercifully rare) occasions when I find myself being really wide-awake when I don't want to be, a cup of milky hot chocolate will sometimes do the trick.

Presumably drunk rather than applied externally ...?

Posted by St. Gwladys (# 14504) on :

Take a paracetamol. I suffer leg cramps, and this usually works.

Posted by Chorister (# 473) on :

Read. My brain is at its most clear in the middle of the night, so I prefer to read non-fiction, to give it something to get stuck into and wrestle over.

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

All my life I have had periods of wakefulness during the night. I fretted about it until I noticed that my second baby was the same way. Then I remembered that my grandmother also woke often during the night.

I realized that this is a genetic tendency, and I stopped worrying. I had two small children at the time, which meant that I was likely to be interrupted frequently. When I decided that being awake was not a problem, I began saying to myself, "I have a chunk of time that's all mine, and no one is going to interrupt me." I began to enjoy my wakeful periods.

Nowadays, I lie there and think of pleasant things I plan to do or remember pleasant things I have done. I also do a fair amount of intercessory praying.

Moo

Posted by Twilight (# 2832) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Piglet:

A rather odd solution that was suggested to me years ago was to have a bowl of cereal with milk about half an hour before you go to bed; it sounds unlikely, but it does work.

I, and my father and my son, have always done this. Milky food is how we put the baby down and it works pretty well for grown-ups, too.

My dog gets me up every night at 2 to go out and check on the cat, pee, bark, come back in. I usually get back to sleep, but sometimes it takes hours. I recently heard a sleep specialist say not to turn on any bright lights if you can help it, so I put a softer light in the garage for the dog trip.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

Yes, the bright light messes with your melatonin levels. I've become adept at finding my way to either the bathroom or kitchen relying just on ambient light coming through the windows.

In the kitchen - which is to the back and much darker - I can manage to programme the microwave to heat the wheatbag I use to ease neckache.

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Moo:
All my life I have had periods of wakefulness during the night. I fretted about it until I noticed that my second baby was the same way. Then I remembered that my grandmother also woke often during the night.

Scientists have discovered that this is normal.

"The dominant pattern of sleep, arguably since time immemorial, was biphasic," Roger Ekirch, a sleep historian at Virginia Tech University and author of "At Day's Close: Night in Times Past" (Norton 2005), told Life's Little Mysteries, a sister site to LiveScience. "Humans slept in two four-hour blocks, which were separated by a period of wakefulness in the middle of the night lasting an hour or more. During this time some might stay in bed, pray, think about their dreams, or talk with their spouses. Others might get up and do tasks or even visit neighbors before going back to sleep."

Posted by Ferijen (# 4719) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Moo:
All my life I have had periods of wakefulness during the night. I fretted about it until I noticed that my second baby was the same way.

My son is like this. He's 3 1/2 and spent two hours just awake - not playing up, just not very sleepy - last night. I have always - bar a few pre-puberty years - slept really well, but am currently suffering with pregnancy related insomnia (as well as very very vivid dreams). Unfortunately, my periods of wakefulness and his do not collide and its an unholy tired alliance of grumpiness in the morning...

I'm finding this thread really interesting for tips though, so thank you! Usually I turn to reading but the 'virtual walk down the street' helped last night...

[ 03. December 2015, 12:45: Message edited by: Ferijen ]

Posted by Uncle Pete (# 10422) on :

My sleep patterns have always been erratic - those who follow the times I post here already know this. But I am very pleased with the black out blinds I have recently pouchased for my bedroom. Peanut butter and toast - or a small glass of milk- are helpful when I want, or need, to sleep work well too.

Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :

[dons frivolous trousers]

As some of you know, D. and I are rather keen arctophiles, and we find that snuggling up to something soft, warm and furry is very conducive to sleep, and not necessarily at night. The sofa in our "den" is inhabited by three generously-proportioned teddy-bears, and sometimes just sitting down beside them will set off our snooze reflexes.

Actually, D. doesn't usually even need a bear; his snooze reflex works so efficiently that our former curate's wife used to call him the Dormouse. [Big Grin]

[ 03. December 2015, 15:10: Message edited by: Piglet ]

Posted by Twilight (# 2832) on :

Yes, Piglet, fur! My dachshund always sleeps with me, their cold blooded, go under the covers nature is one reason I'm stuck on this breed. Sometimes, if I'm having trouble getting to sleep, I pull her up from her usual position, behind my knees and bury my nose in her fur. Just thinking about it is making me sleepy right now.

Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :

I use my husband for that -- he is furry.

Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
I use my husband for that -- he is furry.

Too much information ... [Eek!]

Posted by Twilight (# 2832) on :

[Killing me]

I'm going to wake mine up and make him talk to me now that I know, "talk with spouses," is an option.

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :

Getting a response may well be something else!

Posted by Dormouse (# 5954) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Piglet:

Actually, D. doesn't usually even need a bear; his snooze reflex works so efficiently that our former curate's wife used to call him the Dormouse.

Welcome to my world!

Except sometimes now I do find it difficult to get off to sleep. I lie there, think random thoughts, pray sporadically and remind myself that I once functioned extremeley well after 36 hours of no sleep at all, so if I only get 6 hours (or less) that will be fine for one day. I just get a bit bored listening to Mr D snoring gently....

Posted by rolyn (# 16840) on :

Me too for the pray thing, even though I'm not great with prayer. I remind myself of the Psalms, where I think the Psalmist is clearly referring to sleeplessness when talking of Praising God in the night times.

Sometimes peace will come just on the point of day break, which is a bit of a larf when you know you've got to get up in half an hour.
Having said I seem to suffer less from daytime drowsiness now than in the past when I used to sleep more soundly.

Posted by Arabella Purity Winterbottom (# 3434) on :

I've used the mental walk technique for yonks. Even if I don't get to sleep, its relaxing. I usually walk myself around gardens, and imagine what I could do with them.

I'm a non-sleeper all my life, so was my mum. I've also had vivid nightmares all my life, so I think there may be a bit of aversive conditioning in regard to getting to sleep. Nothing has helped consistently, but at least these days I can relax while lying sleepless.

Posted by Bene Gesserit (# 14718) on :

I have to admnit that at 2 a.m. today I was making a Nice Cup Of Tea and seeing what delights were on television... And that's not all that unusual.

Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on :

Thanks to my new job I'm going to bed straight after dinner and waking up around 6 - but I've had long bouts of insomnia. I used to watch The Sign Zone on BBC 1 a lot, and consequently learnt a lot about the Deaf community. Very interesting.

I find it hard to get to sleep in unfamiliar surroundings, unless I'm camping - rain sound/natural white noise (eg waves, wind etc) playlists on Spotify are great. Some people like 'household' white noise like soft hoover and microwave noises - I wonder if it's linked to sleeping during the day when ill and all the household noises going on around you. I wonder if that's why lavender is soothing too - it has a whiff of the infirmary and laundry about it.

Posted by mark_in_manchester (# 15978) on :

My missus snores me out of bed 9 nights /10, and if it's after 3-ish I can struggle to get back off again.

I've gone through periods of saving up 'quiet' jobs to get on with in the shed - sanding is boring and tiring and sometimes necessary at 4 am.

I pray, too.

Posted by TonyK (# 35) on :

Thanks for the suggestion above about no bright lights if you have to get up in the night.

I normally wake between 3 and 4am and have to go to the bathroom. Since following the suggestion, I've had no trouble getting back to sleep, whereas before it would take me an hour or more to drop off again.

So my grateful thanks!

Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :

I recently had a couple of three-hour wakeful periods, and spent the time hand quilting the bed cover. More of them, and it will be done by New Year!

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

quote:
Originally posted by mark_in_manchester:
My missus snores me out of bed 9 nights /10.

Ear plugs. Particularly the wax ones. A bit of a faff, but less so than a term of imprisonment for spousal murder.

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :

I have found that the wax ear plugs, while effective, tend to break off in the ear canal, thus requiring a trip to the doctor to clean out the broken bits.

Foam earplugs are just as effective and do not break off. Plus they can be washed clean if ear wax accumulates on them.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

I am sat here, in the still-dark morning, because the foam ones are not that effective.

Last night was a doozie. I overshot the getting to sleep window (never try thinking of a third rhyme for Niagara/Viagra at one in the morning. Don't ask.). Thereafter it was sleep in half hourly installments interspersed with rather longer periods awake. The latest dream was a rather tense affair about the establishment of an Earth-Mars shuttle service.

Of course, 10 years ago, I would already been in work for half an hour, with an 8 am deadline to meet before I could even think of getting breakfast. So there is that.

Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :

Silicone earplugs are sterilizable.

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :

I find the sound of my husband snoring quite restful. Mind you, his bed is against the east wall of our house and mine is against the west wall. There are two closed bedroom doors and a section of hallway between us.

The North East loon's landlord announced a forthcoming flat inspection yesterday. He decided to pull an all-nighter cleaning frenzy, and 5am this morning saw him in the 24 hour Tesco, buying bleach.

Next time I'm awake at 5am I'm going to console myself that at least I'm not up and scrubbing to try to avert eviction.

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