Well…just to put in my two cents. Laying down still with your eyes closed does not really give you any benefits of sleeping at all…at least not from the brain’s perspective. People with sleep apnea usually get to stage II sleep, thus giving themselves the illusion that they have slept all night long due to not being conscious. However, the brain needs to go through all 4 stages of sleep + REM at least two, preferrably three, times per night. If not, your brain functions as though you’ve been up wide eyed all night. Chronic sleep deprivation is unhealthy and is a risk factor for vascular disease. Occasional insomnia is irritating but relatively harmless.
Non-pharmacologic sleep aids are definitely the right way to start. If you have trouble getting to sleep, sometimes sensory deprivation to avoid distractions can be helpful like counting, meditating, etc. as the nice people here have suggested. Some people can bore themselves to sleep by picking a topic and naming something for every letter of the alphabet for that topic - example: try Countries –> Argentina, Bolivia, China, Dominican Republic…you get the idea. Also, covering your eyes with a sleep mask and/or using ear plugs or background noise can help. Psychiatrists recommend avoiding using your bedroom for anything other than relaxation or sleep - no TV, no eating, no playing games, no computer, etc.
Difficulty staying asleep is a lot harder to treat without medication. Melatonin is definitely a good start. Antihistaimines such as benadryl or vistaril are okay for occasional insomnia, but don’t really give you good sleep (i.e. all four stages + REM) so aren’t a great long term alternative. If all else fails, consider seeing a doctor to make sure you don’t have a sleep disorder and to talk about possibly using a prescription sleep aid such as Lunesta or Rozerem.
I think there was an episode in STTNG where they went beyond warp 10. The visitor showed Wesley how to do it. Maybe Jason is just merging the two in his twisted little mind…
I used to be able to get the kids I baby sat to eat broccoli by pretending we were giants and they were little trees to be felled. We’d yell “TIMBER” at the top of our lungs and then stuff them in our mouths laughing. It worked!
Well…just to put in my two cents. Laying down still with your eyes closed does not really give you any benefits of sleeping at all…at least not from the brain’s perspective. People with sleep apnea usually get to stage II sleep, thus giving themselves the illusion that they have slept all night long due to not being conscious. However, the brain needs to go through all 4 stages of sleep + REM at least two, preferrably three, times per night. If not, your brain functions as though you’ve been up wide eyed all night. Chronic sleep deprivation is unhealthy and is a risk factor for vascular disease. Occasional insomnia is irritating but relatively harmless.
Non-pharmacologic sleep aids are definitely the right way to start. If you have trouble getting to sleep, sometimes sensory deprivation to avoid distractions can be helpful like counting, meditating, etc. as the nice people here have suggested. Some people can bore themselves to sleep by picking a topic and naming something for every letter of the alphabet for that topic - example: try Countries –> Argentina, Bolivia, China, Dominican Republic…you get the idea. Also, covering your eyes with a sleep mask and/or using ear plugs or background noise can help. Psychiatrists recommend avoiding using your bedroom for anything other than relaxation or sleep - no TV, no eating, no playing games, no computer, etc.
Difficulty staying asleep is a lot harder to treat without medication. Melatonin is definitely a good start. Antihistaimines such as benadryl or vistaril are okay for occasional insomnia, but don’t really give you good sleep (i.e. all four stages + REM) so aren’t a great long term alternative. If all else fails, consider seeing a doctor to make sure you don’t have a sleep disorder and to talk about possibly using a prescription sleep aid such as Lunesta or Rozerem.
How’s that for an over-wordy response?! :)