4 ms·

why view sleep as an unconcious act? sure if you force yourself to stop breathing eventually your body will shut down and force you to breathe but you are als

why view sleep as an unconcious act? sure if you force yourself to stop breathing eventually your body will shut down and force you to breathe but you are also capable of taking control of your breaths, determine their length, frequency, potency sleep is the same learn to control it if those 2-4 hours are undesired, while waiting for your body to wrestle control back from you, then they are wasted, or worse, time.. unless you argue those 2-4 hours are actually meditation time for you

byuu 11y ago
When I do lie down, it's because I'm too mentally fatigued to continue working. It's usually 13-16 hours after having woken up (or as little as 6-8 hours if I am working intensely the entire time), so this is normal. The 2-4 hours are just wasted time where my mind goes over having a million fake "conversations" in my head, recalling past traumatic events and regretting my actions then, and if I'm lucky, thinking about a problem I've been trying to solve during the day. Can't really count it as meditation because my mind is racing at 100 miles an hour the entire time. I can always tell when I'm getting close to falling asleep because my thoughts become more and more erratic, almost dream-like in their absurdity. Sometimes I'll snap out of that state and realize what was happening. I'd love to learn how to control it, though. That'd be super.
- justifier 11y ago
  I'd love to learn how to control it, though. That'd be super. i'm going to interpret this as you asking for suggested techniques for controlling your sleep i'm happy to offer some methods i use: slow down, create a sleep space you can trust, breathe, visualise, learn i'm writing up a fuller explanation that i will post as a reply to this comment either later today or maybe midday tomorrow for you, or posterity
- mercer 11y ago
  Have you tried actual meditation? I also have sleep problems because my mind just won't quiet down. Few things have helped as well as meditation before bedtime. I've also read that the frequent habit of meditation (which sadly I've not mastered yet) in general has the long-term effect of being able to control this 'inner monologue' permanently. It also really helps just throughout the day. Quite regularly my brain just goes into overdrive and by late afternoon it's all over the place. Every single time that I force myself to sit and meditate (I use the Headspace app, usually 20 min sessions), my mind is significantly calmer and I feel a sudden boost in energy. Kind of like pressing a reset button. The same goes for mornings. I often can't really get started until 11:00 or 12:00, but those few times where I manage to meditate first thing, I'm able to snap out of the 'coffee/internet' ritual with very little effort. Perhaps it's extra effective for me because I get overstimulated and/or over-obsessed much quicker than most people, but I'm still amazed at how effective something as simple as sitting and observing my thoughts as they pass actually is. In my opinion, if it's even half as effective for the rest of the population as it is for me, it should be as normal as brushing your teeth twice a day (and it often has been compared to brushing).

byuu 11y ago

When I do lie down, it's because I'm too mentally fatigued to continue working. It's usually 13-16 hours after having woken up (or as little as 6-8 hours if I am working intensely the entire time), so this is normal. The 2-4 hours are just wasted time where my mind goes over having a million fake "conversations" in my head, recalling past traumatic events and regretting my actions then, and if I'm lucky, thinking about a problem I've been trying to solve during the day. Can't really count it as meditation because my mind is racing at 100 miles an hour the entire time. I can always tell when I'm getting close to falling asleep because my thoughts become more and more erratic, almost dream-like in their absurdity. Sometimes I'll snap out of that state and realize what was happening. I'd love to learn how to control it, though. That'd be super.

justifier 11y ago
I'd love to learn how to control it, though. That'd be super. i'm going to interpret this as you asking for suggested techniques for controlling your sleep i'm happy to offer some methods i use: slow down, create a sleep space you can trust, breathe, visualise, learn i'm writing up a fuller explanation that i will post as a reply to this comment either later today or maybe midday tomorrow for you, or posterity
mercer 11y ago
Have you tried actual meditation? I also have sleep problems because my mind just won't quiet down. Few things have helped as well as meditation before bedtime. I've also read that the frequent habit of meditation (which sadly I've not mastered yet) in general has the long-term effect of being able to control this 'inner monologue' permanently. It also really helps just throughout the day. Quite regularly my brain just goes into overdrive and by late afternoon it's all over the place. Every single time that I force myself to sit and meditate (I use the Headspace app, usually 20 min sessions), my mind is significantly calmer and I feel a sudden boost in energy. Kind of like pressing a reset button. The same goes for mornings. I often can't really get started until 11:00 or 12:00, but those few times where I manage to meditate first thing, I'm able to snap out of the 'coffee/internet' ritual with very little effort. Perhaps it's extra effective for me because I get overstimulated and/or over-obsessed much quicker than most people, but I'm still amazed at how effective something as simple as sitting and observing my thoughts as they pass actually is. In my opinion, if it's even half as effective for the rest of the population as it is for me, it should be as normal as brushing your teeth twice a day (and it often has been compared to brushing).