The last few weeks I have not been able to sleep at all. It's not that I wasn't tired. It's because every time I hear some little noise within my house, I freak out. I've been getting really paranoid. I hear a noise, and instantly think "OMG home invader I'm gonna die."
I live in a safe community and have a couple dogs downstairs and lock the doors and windows and stuff, and know that someone breaking in is extremely unlikely, but I can't help it. I've totally convinced myself that I can't take the risk of assuming that the little noises are negligible.
Humans have houses so that they have a safe place to sleep at night. Yet I can't even relax in my own home. Does anyone have any tips to relax at night or just fall asleep more easily? It would be much appreciated.
I suggest watching very boring documentaries and/or news + read random news article and scholarly ones, they will be so boring you will doze off in your chair.
If not, for your particular problem to deal with, I suggest having earplugs or listen to music in background (classical since that makes you sleep better) plus open a textbook of most boring and/or worst subject... It'll bound to happen within an hour.
I know what you mean, i'm paranoid at night too, for me, what helps is that I keep my iPod or anything that can go on YouTube, like that new samsung galaxy thing w/e, but I keep it there, and I run a video of like a documentary or a stand up comedian, or just plain like.... casting of SC/SC2 videos, and then your brain gets all focused on that and distracted from the noise.
But, i'm serious when I say I know what you mean, once my sock fell to the floor from a chair, made a slight sound, I jumped up and looked around for like 10 minutes before getting back into bed ^^. Or, you can take that uhh... melatonin? I had a slight insomnia for a while, but after using it for like a week or two, I can sleep perfectly again. Helps, but don't rely on it regularly, I hear it's bad for the health.
On March 29 2011 13:53 Chairman Ray wrote: Have you tried sleeping with a stuffed animal? Nobody is ever too old to cuddle with a stuffed animal :3
I actually sleep with one every night, lol.
My fear is that I'm gonna develop schizophrenia or something. Or that I'll have a heart attack since my heart rate skyrockets every time I go through one of these fits.
I've also tried music, but when I do that, I freak out because random sounds within the songs sound like footsteps or something. I don't know how I got myself like this >.<
Edit @ TickTockBoom: Yeah, the other night, I heard a pounding sound on my door. I actually screamed. I got up and opened it, and the cat just wanted to come into my room to sleep on my bed : |
I try to recite build orders (honestly). It is repetitive and forces concentration, but does not require light or sound which prevent sleep, and I inevitably fall asleep.
History of drug use? In all honesty? I'm doing a paper for psychology on Drug use and its permanent effect on sleep patterns. Any history at all? Length of time since? Types used?
Feel free to PM if necessary. And... best of luck with your situation, my best advice is to try earplugs.
On March 29 2011 13:53 Chairman Ray wrote: Have you tried sleeping with a stuffed animal? Nobody is ever too old to cuddle with a stuffed animal :3
My solution is a real animal. I sleep soundly knowing my German shepherd will rip intruders apart at my whim. I also have a switch blade in my night stand that probably wouldn't help me at all in an emergency, but it gives me peace of mind. Baseball bats/golf clubs work well too.
I lesten to really relaxing music when I can't sleep. It drowns out the little noises that will keep you up and relaxes you a lot. Keep the music lowish, and set a timer if need be so it will shut off after a while.
I recommend some of the following artists, as they're very mellow.
Adele Jack Johnson James Morrison Elliot Smith Duffy Ray Lamontagne
As regarding some of the posters resulting in exercise, be wary. This may work for you, and I would hate to dissuade you, but for most people, exercising will make them more alert, kick start their metabolism, and thus keep them up longer.
I've had some experience with Sleep Therapy, a few basic points.
-Diet. Cut off your caffeine intake almost entirely, watch the amount of sugar which you are eating. Focus on protein and vegetables with a moderate amount of carbs. No enormous meals before bed.
-Exercise. A 30 minutes or so of Cardio 4-5 times a week will do wonders for your sleep and your overall wellbeing. Should be intense enough for you to sweat.
-Behaviour. Don't spend any time in bed aside from sleeping. No reading in bed, computer use in bed, eating in bed or any other similar activities. Beds are for two things, sex and sleeping. When you treat your bed as a couch your body starts to disassociate being in bed with sleeping.
-When you can't sleep. Don't just sit in bed not sleeping for long periods of time. Get out and sit on a couch or chair and read. Don't do anything involving computer screens or tv screens however (No TL!)
Your house actually isn't safe. Serial killers will get in anyway.
I used to smoke weed before bed almost every night. Since I quit, I like to drink a lot of black tea instead... it takes like 3-4 cups but it's really worth it for me because it gives me a similar feeling. Earl Grey is the shit! You could also try meditating. Just turn off your lights and go to some guided meditation video on youtube. Wait for it to buffer enough if you have to, and then press play and turn off your monitor and just sit in your computer chair and listen to it. Some of them are really good at getting you into a meditative state. After that you can just move to your bed and chill.
oh man. this really sounds like what i was when i was thirteen. i would hear some sounds in my room and i would get so scared. i dont know but somehow i just grew out of it.
On March 29 2011 14:13 wonderwall wrote: -When you can't sleep. Don't just sit in bed not sleeping for long periods of time. Get out and sit on a couch or chair and read. Don't do anything involving computer screens or tv screens however (No TL!)
That's what I'm doing right now D:
That is interesting about the behavior though. I've never thought of that.
At least browsing TL has been a nice distraction though. :D
The way I think about the noises is if a killer is seriously trying to get at you, then you would already be dead. I mean there is no reason being stressed out AND dead.
Typically just take about 30 minutes to cool down after you've been using your brain (ex: Starcraft, reading, watching television, etc..) Perhaps just listening to music or talking with a friend could work wonders.
On March 29 2011 13:51 Ferrose wrote: The last few weeks I have not been able to sleep at all. It's not that I wasn't tired. It's because every time I hear some little noise within my house, I freak out. I've been getting really paranoid. I hear a noise, and instantly think "OMG home invader I'm gonna die."
I live in a safe community and have a couple dogs downstairs and lock the doors and windows and stuff, and know that someone breaking in is extremely unlikely, but I can't help it. I've totally convinced myself that I can't take the risk of assuming that the little noises are negligible.
Humans have houses so that they have a safe place to sleep at night. Yet I can't even relax in my own home. Does anyone have any tips to relax at night or just fall asleep more easily? It would be much appreciated.
btw if you use headphones to listen to relaxing music, that will be the time a killer comes into your home and kills your family and you wont hear it.
but srsly you sound like you have anxiety. i used to have it too, i thought every noise in the house was a ghost or demon trying to kill me. i was younger but i didnt grow outta it until i was like 16.
I don't know abot the paranoia never had to deal with anyhting like that. It may sound stupid but its easyiest to sleep when your tired make sure you've done something either taxing mentally or physically each day and it shoudlnt be as much of a problem.
I really struggle on Sundays because I normall stay up playing video games or talking with my friends back in the U.K saturday night and wake up really late Sunday afternoon but still have to get up early for school monday. I tend to just go to bed late Sunday and be tired all monday and then can sleep easyily again on tuesday because I'm tried again. Its not ideal been tired all monday though.
edit - not editing anything just wondering why on earth I capatilise Sundays but no other days of the week.
Are you using the computer right before you go to bed, or perhaps a laptop in bed? Both of these things can disrupt sleep because of the light generated by the monitor. There's this great program called Flux that you can install to change the light of your monitor at night so it is better for your eyes: http://stereopsis.com/flux/. You can read the website which explains why regular monitor light is bad for sleep.
It also sounds like you definitely need a source of white noise to help you sleep. This is a non-disruptive source of sound that will prevent you from noticing all the little sounds that seem to keep you up. It can be something as simple as a running fan or computer. You can also download some MP3s or get a clock that does it for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_noise_machine.
Good luck and please post back with how things are going?
I actually have this problem RIGHT now. I don't really want to talk about it since I feel like it'll worsen but what usually helped me through it was to sleep at a friends/close family member's place for 1 night and roam around the house (kitchen, restroom, living room) and then sleep. The next day I'd sleep comfortably in my own home ^^
I recommend staying awake and not wanting to go to sleep. Find something really exciting to do, and do it until you literally can't stay awake. That's what I do every night. I wouldn't ever sleep if I didn't have to!
Dude, do not worry. Any noise can be explained by ghosts and they are friendly. Just relax it is not a thief, it's always ghosts. I myself heard weird noises many times, end up walking around the place to check what's up. Now i just go, meh..silly ghosts
I can really recommend radio plays, however I do not know how big the market in English language is. In Germany it is really popular because of the "Kassettenkinder"-generation (cassette children) that listened to radio plays when they were kids and recently recovered that tradition due to the constantly rising popularity of some franchises (even filling whole stadiums in live lectures).
But I just mean radio plays (dialogues and ambient noise), not audio books, as those are boring. I recommend the adult ones for driving in the car and the children ones for sleeping. ;-) By far the easiest way to stop thinking about troubles and to fall into sleep with a picture of a happy world.
On March 29 2011 14:30 tryummm wrote: Typically just take about 30 minutes to cool down after you've been using your brain (ex: Starcraft, reading, watching television, etc..) Perhaps just listening to music or talking with a friend could work wonders.
This. Helped me a lot with getting to sleep
Or if that still does not help....
Plan B: do not ever watch a horror movie ever again
Plan C: watch shitloads of boring youtube videos (lecturers of subjects that do not interest you at all) or read a really boring book
.. and also arm yourself with a baseball bat if that helps ^^
yeah i think the biggest problem for gamers is the tendency to play until you want to crash. you need to turn it off at least half an hour before to get yourself ready for rest
My current apartment is right next to a train track, and its water heater is literally in my closet. The combination of hissing and rumbling makes me fantasize about steampunk environments, which is somehow relaxing. The noises that usually bother me are people opening/closing doors, walking down stairs, or my roommate raging about League of Legends at 4 am in the morning. Still, white noise really, really helps me get to sleep. So do boring pursuits in general. I had to read Sasameyuki for class last week and boy did it help me sleep.
On paranoia... if you're actually paranoid try to focus on the fact that the condition is rooted in delusions. The key is regaining your rationality and grasp on reality. With rationality, there is no paranoia, just intense fear. Just play chaos;head and laugh at how incredibly absurd and comical the hero's paranoia is. Despite how farcical it is, his paranoia likely has far more justification than yours. You haven't revealed any reason for armed violence to possibly happen to you more than anyone else.
I have a dream to build my own house, and literally zombie proof it. I don't know how that will effect my sleep...
Also my cat opens and closes inside doors, it really weirded me out for a while: Didn't I have this door almost closed? If you're in a sleep haze, and you see your bedroom door slowly swing open by itself, it's god damn scary.
I use it almost every night (just click the button on my laptop when I am getting into bed) and it tells me intervals which I should wake up.
You can also tell it when you need to get up (for work, school, etc.) and it will tell you when you need to go to sleep.
It really has helped me and I could tell a difference almost immediately. Sorry if this seems like a plug or something, but this has really helped me sleep better so I want others to discover it too
Listening to day9, his mellow sexy voice will carry you into a peaceful and deep sleep. If you haven't heard his casts, then having an orgasm the first time you hear him is completely normal.
I do a few things, I need to have my mouth clean. I neeeed to have my pillow cold, I neeed to have my bed made, so its comfortable, no crappy materials. I drink a glass of milk and need to be in complete darkness. I have a small sleeping problem, but after many nights of restlessness I tried to find ways that made me sleep easier.
Many, of many times at night I will tell myself to stop thinking, and force myself a blank mind. Sometimes it can take awhile. I'm a over active thinker so I have a harder time sleeping at night then most people.
I had a couple bad boughts with this too I just ended up starting to watch GSL sence I was up for it anyway. One day I just decided to forgo sleep completely and go the whole night without trying. I was so tired when I got back from school I went almost irremediably to sleep and Its been fairly normal ever sence.
EPT
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and youll sleep like a rock and have some pretty funky dreams too
