Sleep the cousin of death?

[Flood]

Does anybody else fight going to sleep until they are totally exhausted and barely make it to the bed? I think part of the reason I do it is if I don't fall asleep right away I will be left to the mercy of my thoughts. This usually consists of an analysis of my life which can end up badly. So I surf the web, listen to music, and watch shows/movies until I can't hold my head up anymore and then stumble to bed.

Luckily I work 2nd shift hours so I can sleep in until the early afternoon everyday but I don't have time to do much else but go back to work.

 

[Lonesome Crow]

I can't sleep ususally when I'm stressed. Sometimes I'll stay up for 2-3 days.

I used to have sleeping problems...just becuase.
Then I figured out I was drinking too much caffine at night.lol

Yeap..I hate it when i can't sleep or I actaully don't get any rest if I try to sleep.
I came across and article about mindstorms...that help me.

I do alot of letting go or meditations...
I sleep like a baby now.

before that...I used those help you get to sleep CDs
Errr...what the fresia,..the **** CD playing was keeping me awake.

When I was in the service...my hours got rotated constantly.
I had major sleeping problems..especailly when I was wroking the swing shift.
Plus those **** pilots hitting the after burners doing touch and go all day and all night didn't help the matter.

Yeap..when my duaghter was a baby..I drag my ass into work with one eye open.
Sometimes my ex-wf would just knee me in the back to make me get up
to change and feed the baby..lmao
Just joking..she gets tired sometimes too. (the baby i mean...tired of my ex-wf's bitchen.lmao)

However there's onething I've notice throughout my life...I always wanna nod out at work..lmao

Oh yeah...my GFs whom ever they were at the time..say I sleep like a baby after sex too.

 

[Flood]

I've tried meditation but it's incredibly tough to concentrate and stay still even if I sit in a chair. Your mind just wants to go 100 mph and you realize how out of control your brain is.

lol, I never tried those cds but I figured they would keep me up too.
And if I had a girlfriend I wouldn't fight going to bed either.lol

About the meditation, did you go to a class first or just read about it? I'm alone alot so i figure meditation would be a great asset in general. I got plenty of time to kill and wouldn't mind some of the benefits.

mindstorms?

 

[Haven]

use to used to work third shift from 12:00a.m. to 8:00a.m. I would get home at 9a.m. and tried to sleep while the sky was blue it felt impossible the was awake car driving kids playing I would sit on my knees and would beg and pleed to any divine being to grant me unconsciousness so I would be ready for work again

 

[Lonesome Crow]

I've tried meditation but it's incredibly tough to concentrate and stay still even if I sit in a chair. Your mind just wants to go 100 mph and you realize how out of control your brain is.

lol, I never tried those cds but I figured they would keep me up too.
And if I had a girlfriend I wouldn't fight going to bed either.lol

About the meditation, did you go to a class first or just read about it? I'm alone alot so i figure meditation would be a great asset in general. I got plenty of time to kill and wouldn't mind some of the benefits.

mindstorms?

A mindstorm is bascailly when your mind won't stop thinking
no matter what..Bascailly an obession when it gets really bad.
You probably notice sometimes when you laided in bed that
your mind won't stop thinking or turn off....whatever the hell
subjects or thoughts..it just keeps on going..lol

It took me a couple of years to finally figure out meditations.
Just like you..had a hell of a time focusing or controling my thoughts.
Totally fustrating as fresia...it stressed me out more than anything.

I came across a book "the POWER of the NOW"
In this book the aurthor explains how he meditated..
theres not a right way or a wrong way to meditate.

How he wrote about it made sense to me...
So I followed his suggestions.
To my surprized it worked for me.

Bascailly it's about not controling your mind...Errr wtf???(at first)
Since our mind are so full at first with so many thoughts to
try to stop it was bascailly imposible or a struggle.
WHAT YOU RESIST PERSIST.
The more i tried to stopped my mind..the more thoughts i had..lmao

Bascailly it just ask me to sit still...anywhere
(not the usual ...find a quite place.lol)
I chose to go sit under a tree at park bench with a pond with ducks and a waterfall.lol
Focus on an object...as best you can.
It might take you sereval times at first to just be able to do that.

Once you focus on an object...BECOME an OBSERVER of your mind.
Do not try to stop the endless streams of thoughts....
Rather just watch them pass by as if you're watching a parade.
Eventaully the mind will run out of thoughts..it might take
5-10 mins at first....

Do not think or try to annalyze your thoughts...just let them go
as if you're transparent...Just be an OBSERVER.

Graually..you will started to notice your surroundings..
Such as a noise in the back ground, the sensations
from your skin, the taste in your mouth...a bird singing or flying
above...You become AWAKEN IN the NOW or more aware of the
presence and not in your MIND.
Your vision is cleaer....

Once you start doing that. You're actaully more productive at work or
in whatever task you're doing...becuase you're in the moment more aware
of whats going on.
KInd of like a formual 1 driver hauling ass doing 200mph. He's in the moment
and is more aware of his environment and not wondering what's for dinner..lmao

I also fly remote control models...The models fly at 75-150mph..
I have to watch or focus on the model flying across the sky.
Sometimes I found myself thinking about what i had for brekfest while I'm in the middle of an evasive manuver.lmao
However..by practicing flying alot. my reflex are really fast or I'll refocus on the model again.
It's $1000 if I crash...lmao

The samethings happens when I play my guitar..I'll be in a middle of song then all of a sudden
I'll get thoughts of whatever. By learning how to be an observer my abilty to play my guitar
improved alot...it's wierd..that's when i started to be able to ripped through scales with excellent speed.

I took 1 hour a day to practice that at first...

Bascailly by being able to do that...when I got home
and wanted to go to sleep, I apply the same process as my meditations.
When all the thoughts runs through my mind when I'm
laiding bed...I just LET THEM GO and just observe.
Then the next i know...the **** alarm clock is going OFF.lmao
I fell asleep...
Bascailly it's like i'm laiding bed watching a boring moving that my mind projects, so I nod out..lmao

That's pretty much how I fall asleep now...its more natural.
I don't think about it...lol

I also journal . I write whatever that happened or whats
bothering me...get out those thought out of my head onto
paper...that helps to.

Taking a walk can be a mediation.
Watching the sunset or sunrise can be a meditation.
To be in the moment...not in our minds.

 

[Flood]

Thanks Lonesome I will check that book out. One thing that really affects everything I do is my inability to focus. I'm always only half there. My mind is always worried about what just happened (sometimes what happened years ago) or what might happen in the future.

 

[Flood]

use to used to work third shift from 12:00a.m. to 8:00a.m. I would get home at 9a.m. and tried to sleep while the sky was blue it felt impossible the was awake car driving kids playing I would sit on my knees and would beg and pleed to any divine being to grant me unconsciousness so I would be ready for work again

I feel you. I'm gonna invest in some black out curtains and maybe some cheap sound proofing foam. Sometimes I give up trying to sleep and decide to try and stay up so that it's a guaranteed I sleep the next night.

 

[ScorpioIris]

I am the same way. I dread going to bed because I start to think about everything. My mind runs a million miles an hour and I can't keep up with it. As bad as this sounds, I usually wait until I am extremely exhausted and have 2 to 3 beers so I can knock myself out and not think. I also have panic attacks at night. The beer really helps that too.

 

[Flood]

Drinking several beers every night sounds good but I don't want to add alcoholism to the list of my problems. Sometimes when I really need to get some sleep I'll take half a dose of Simply Sleep though. It doesn't knock me out be it helps alot. The only problem is I tend to oversleep the next day.

 

[Lonesome Crow]

Flood,

Maybe try focusing on an object that is comfortiable to your vision...wheather you're near sided or far sided.
That might help.

I usually focus on a object around 50-100 feet away from me...this way I don't strain me eyes.

Take 10-20 deep breathe. This will help you relax