5 ms·

I used to be really bad at falling asleep. I'm not talking 30 minutes or 45 minutes, but sometimes 3 whole hours without being able to get 1 second of sleep. I

by Pooge 3y ago

I used to be really bad at falling asleep. I'm not talking 30 minutes or 45 minutes, but sometimes 3 whole hours without being able to get 1 second of sleep. I didn't even touch my phone once while in bed. I also had a lot of trouble finding the right position in which to sleep to feel comfortable (not even talking about finding the right mattress/pillow combination). Somehow, I trained myself at sleeping on my back (I was a big stomach sleeper). It's actually easier than you think. Couple that with counting backwards from 200 to 0 - and starting over whenever I reach 0 or forget where I was because my mind wandered - and I now fall asleep well within 1h on average. Now I don't have any pain at all when I wake up, I don't need to spend hundreds on finding the right pillow/mattress combination and I have less trouble falling asleep. I don't actually think about it a lot, but I'm only in my 20s and I can't fathom the life problems I avoided solving this one early on. I'm really happy.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
sureglymop 3y ago
Will try this! Sounds like a good strategy to roll over to 200 once you reach 0. In the past when I tried the "endless counting" strategy that was still too much brain activity.
- Pooge 3y ago
  Counting backwards from 200 and starting over is easy enough to be done almost mindlessly, but at the same time hard enough to make you concentrate and thus keep your mind from wandering.
dloss 3y ago
For people sleeping alone, this counting technique might be a nerdy alternative: http://www.dirk-loss.de/calmyourmind/ http://www.dirk-loss.de/calmyourmind/ Moreover, I find Shinzen Young's reframing helpful: "Amazingly, it’s possible to get a good night’s rest without necessarily sleeping much or at all. Two things are required: (1) that the body get rest by lying very still and corpse-like. (2) that the consciousness get rest by engaging in a systematic focusing technique." https://www.shinzen.org/help-for-insomnia-yet-another-use-for-mindfulness/ https://www.shinzen.org/help-for-insomnia-yet-another-use-fo...
- _justinfunk 3y ago
  It’s called Kelno'reem
  - mmh0000 3y ago
    That only works if you have a snake in your belly though.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
    - Terr_ 3y ago
      "Way to go, Junior!"
- Llamamoe 3y ago
  There is no possibility of this anyhow working. Sleep is not "mind rest", it's a neurological process completely different from and incompatible with consciousness. You can relieve some fraction of cognitive fatigue by taking a mental break, but this compares to sleep in much the same way as duct taping a broken tool compares to mending it properly.
  - DougMerritt 3y ago
    You're absolutely right. On the other hand, really extensive meditation can have some very strange effects on sleeping and some other things, so I personally withhold judgement. If nothing else, take into account the studies that said that the placebo effect can actually help about 30% of people -- even if they know it's a placebo. So I don't know. Things get weird quickly.
  - ytoawwhra92 3y ago
    > There is no possibility of this anyhow working. I agree that this sort of rest is not equivalent to sleep. Nevertheless, this and similar techniques work well for reducing sleep anxiety. Less sleep anxiety tends to result in more and better quality sleep.
djsavvy 3y ago
How did you train yourself to start sleeping on your back? I've been trying to stop side sleeping for a while due to some pains and postural concerns.
- Zircom 3y ago
  Pillow under my knees and a thin one to hold on my chest and fold my arms on top of helped me get used to sleeping on my back.
  - joveian 3y ago
    But look out for signs of sleep apnea; I only get it sleeping on my back, which I rarely do. Possibly in some cases sleep apnea might be part of why it doesn't feel comfortable to sleep on your back. The other issue that is worse for me when I end up on my back is my mouth drying out (not good for teeth).
    - oarfish 3y ago
      This is quite common for people with obstructive sleep apnea (same here). More comfy for me, but i'm supposed to sleep sideways.
- Pooge 3y ago
  You can put pillows on the side to make it harder for you to roll on your side or stomach while asleep. It can also help alleviate some tension in the arms if you put them on top of it. Depending on the mattress, you might have to put a pillow under your knees. Sometimes I don't and my legs begin to feel uncomfortable, and sometimes I can sleep just fine without support for my legs.

by Pooge 3y ago

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

sureglymop 3y ago

Will try this! Sounds like a good strategy to roll over to 200 once you reach 0. In the past when I tried the "endless counting" strategy that was still too much brain activity.

Pooge 3y ago
Counting backwards from 200 and starting over is easy enough to be done almost mindlessly, but at the same time hard enough to make you concentrate and thus keep your mind from wandering.

dloss 3y ago

For people sleeping alone, this counting technique might be a nerdy alternative: http://www.dirk-loss.de/calmyourmind/ http://www.dirk-loss.de/calmyourmind/ Moreover, I find Shinzen Young's reframing helpful: "Amazingly, it’s possible to get a good night’s rest without necessarily sleeping much or at all. Two things are required: (1) that the body get rest by lying very still and corpse-like. (2) that the consciousness get rest by engaging in a systematic focusing technique." https://www.shinzen.org/help-for-insomnia-yet-another-use-for-mindfulness/ https://www.shinzen.org/help-for-insomnia-yet-another-use-fo...

_justinfunk 3y ago
It’s called Kelno'reem
- mmh0000 3y ago
  That only works if you have a snake in your belly though.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - Terr_ 3y ago
    "Way to go, Junior!"
Llamamoe 3y ago
There is no possibility of this anyhow working. Sleep is not "mind rest", it's a neurological process completely different from and incompatible with consciousness. You can relieve some fraction of cognitive fatigue by taking a mental break, but this compares to sleep in much the same way as duct taping a broken tool compares to mending it properly.
- DougMerritt 3y ago
  You're absolutely right. On the other hand, really extensive meditation can have some very strange effects on sleeping and some other things, so I personally withhold judgement. If nothing else, take into account the studies that said that the placebo effect can actually help about 30% of people -- even if they know it's a placebo. So I don't know. Things get weird quickly.
- ytoawwhra92 3y ago
  > There is no possibility of this anyhow working. I agree that this sort of rest is not equivalent to sleep. Nevertheless, this and similar techniques work well for reducing sleep anxiety. Less sleep anxiety tends to result in more and better quality sleep.

djsavvy 3y ago

How did you train yourself to start sleeping on your back? I've been trying to stop side sleeping for a while due to some pains and postural concerns.

Zircom 3y ago
Pillow under my knees and a thin one to hold on my chest and fold my arms on top of helped me get used to sleeping on my back.
- joveian 3y ago
  But look out for signs of sleep apnea; I only get it sleeping on my back, which I rarely do. Possibly in some cases sleep apnea might be part of why it doesn't feel comfortable to sleep on your back. The other issue that is worse for me when I end up on my back is my mouth drying out (not good for teeth).
  - oarfish 3y ago
    This is quite common for people with obstructive sleep apnea (same here). More comfy for me, but i'm supposed to sleep sideways.
Pooge 3y ago
You can put pillows on the side to make it harder for you to roll on your side or stomach while asleep. It can also help alleviate some tension in the arms if you put them on top of it. Depending on the mattress, you might have to put a pillow under your knees. Sometimes I don't and my legs begin to feel uncomfortable, and sometimes I can sleep just fine without support for my legs.