Saturday, April 3, 2010

Insomnia: Please Help Me!

OK, so I know this isn't exactly wedding related, but I'm guessing a lot of you have trouble sleeping when you're stressed out over wedding stuff, and I'm desperate.

I've always had trouble getting to sleep, but this week has been ridiculous.  I have trouble getting to sleep, I wake up every few hours, and worst of all I've been waking up with the sun, leaving me with maybe 4-6 hours of sleep per night (and this majorly affects my ability to function).  I know stress over work is the main culprit, but I can't seem to stop thinking about the shit that I have to deal with there.  I also know that there are other things that will help me like eating dinner earlier, getting more exercise, drinking more water during the day so I don't wake up dehydrated, showering before bed instead of in the morning, and maybe turning the fan on in my room (it's hot this week which is most def a new experience for me in Chicago).  Unfortunately, one thing I know would really help is blocking out all the light in my room, but I already have blinds AND thick curtains in there, and still the sun gets through.  I don't know what to do.  I've already started doing most of the aforementioned things, and while I'll definitely make more of an effort this weekend, I don't think it's going to be enough.

How do you turn off the little voice inside your head that reminds you of everything you have to do or comes up with awesome wedding ideas while you're trying to go to sleep?  When you have trouble sleeping, what helps you?  How do you deal with stress?  How can I make it go away?  I would really appreciate any advice you can offer as I've failed to deal with stress-related sleeping problems for a really long time.

2 comments:

  1. Yah, I have that voice too. I usually do one of two things:

    1. A little meditation by saying a mantra over and over in my head to try and drown it out. If I can keep focus on the words, it usually cuts out the chatter and I can relax enough for sleep. Dosen't matter what you say.. "Cookie Monster" "Giant Roses".. Whatever helps you relax.

    2. Or I do a mental relaxtion technique. Starting with toes, mentally tense and then relax them, then arches, then heels.. etc. All the way up to the top of your head. Don't let anything else into your head but your focus on your body parts.. By about hips or or fingers, I'm usually asleep now.

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  2. so i just realized that almost all of the comments -- i'm pretty sure -- that i've posted on here never showed up. damn it.

    last time i commented on this post -- i suggested things like tea before bed, not being on a computer before bed (at least 30 minutes), and keep doing the things you've been doing. to clear thoughts out, sometimes i imagine a balloon in my head, expanding, and just leaving empty space ... i know it sounds weird, but it was the one way i could imagine my brain being EMPTY for once. and then i imagine it expanding and deflating with my breathing, to even out my breathing, and focus on that and only that. it doesn't always work, though.

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