Part 17: things that help Melissa sleep
Laying awake at night counting my breaths has become more of a habit than I'd like believe but there are a slew of little tricks I've learned that seem to help. One of them might include pretending I'm Meg Ryan. But I've recently learned that her forehead is really tall and flat compared to mine, so now I don't know.
Today, when I logged into my work computer and my MSN started up, one of the articles that came up was about weird sleeping tricks to try. Here are the things they recommend:1- Sing yourself a lullaby. I do this! I always sing I Know that My Redeemer Lives for some reason. I think because it's one of the more boring hymns to me. But, if I'm going for boring then I should definitely try The Spirit of God.
2- Rock yourself to sleep. I don't necessarily rock myself but I do two things that are similar: A) I rub my feet together. B) I also play guitar and that almost always makes me sleepy.
3- Curl your toes. I do this too! I had heard that flexing your feet, toes and other extremities and then relaxing them can improve blood flow and relax you.
4- Tidy your bed before jumping in. I don't usually make my bed too nicely in the morning. Just throw the covers closed so no spiders jump in. But, before bed I have to actually pull the covers tight and make the bed. Then I fold the covers back diagonally and climb into the cool, crisp, tidiness.
5- Write in your journal. I find that when my mind won't stop working at night, if I pull my journal out and write about something completely different then it helps me relax and stop thinking about what I was stressing about. Recently, I have been writing about each member of my family. The basics of their life and my favorite things about them. I just finished Rob's family. Now I will move on to Ken, Jen and their family. This way I kill two birds with one stone (family history, and sleeplessness)
6- Melatonin. According to the article, cherries have melatonin in them. I didn't know that. But for years I have had a bottle of melatonin supplements that I will take every so often to help me sleep.
7- Place a light weight on top of you. I now understand why I love to sleep with a rice bag. I use it in the winter to warm up my feet, but I have gotten into the habit of moving the rice bag to by sternum once my feet are warm. The weight on my sternum is just comforting and helps me fall asleep. I've also noticed that when I have a headache and I lay in bed on my back with the hot rice bag on my forehead, that it tends to put me to sleep. It has to be the weight!
I was shocked to realize that I do all of their weird tricks from time to time. (though not every single trick every night... good gracious). I also have some weird tricks that they don't mention. But, what do you do? Or are you one of those lucky individuals that never has a problem falling asleep.
Dale Carnegie said that no one dies from lack of sleep, but I swear my ability to sleep keeps me alive.
11 comments:
Oh my gosh I can't stop laughing at that movie cover - that is so funny!
I love sleeping with my rice bag in the winter and you are totally right - the weight totally helps. I think I sleep better in the winter because I have much heavier blankets on me pushing me into my comfy 3" memory foam mattress topper (my new saving grace for getting to sleep)
That movie cover is the greatest thing ever.
I've struggled with insomnia my whole life. I've discovered a few tricks.
If I can't sleep, I get up. I never lay in bed sleepless. It's a psychological trick so that my subconscious knows that bed is a place for sleeping not being sleepless.
I also try to have a strict routine, I go to bed at the same time every night and I do the same things before bed every night. Again, it's a psychological thing to help tell my body to go to sleep.
Lastly, I always read before bed. Reading tires my eyes out and so I read until my eyes feel tired and then put the book down and go to sleep.
Try having four kids, by the end of the day you can't keep me awake!
My secret remedy is Nyquil or Tylenol PM! Don't take the whole amount because you'll have a hangover the next day...it takes practice to find the right amount that works for you. =) And I promise I'm not addicted!!!
Um, you could try texting rhymes back and forth to someone all night. That might bore you to sleep. :) Or you could just lay there annoyed all night, like I do.
I just wonder what Tom Hanks is doing in your bedroom...!
I have no trouble falling asleep, but I wake up in the middle of the night sometimes and worry. So what helps me is to count backwards from 100 to 1, if you make it that far. That finally got too easy for me so now I start at 299 and count down. I'll find myself wandering away from the numbers, but I pull myself back to counting. It seems to work! That way I keep the worries from getting to me.
Maybe you should add something about pounding on the ceiling when your roommate is making too much noise!
I used to have trouble falling asleep because I would think about everything I did that day. I think it's because I used to read and talk on the phone on my bed. I, like Jeff, have made my bed a place for only sleeping. Now I just tell myself to clear my mind and I fall right asleep. I just picture a blank space or one color and don't let myself think about anything else. Good luck. Oh, and you look like Sarah Jessica Parker.
You do look like Sarah Jessica Parker. You now know your celebrity look-alike. I have found that exhausting myself helps me fall asleep. If that doesn't work, watching an episode of some TV show usually helps. Reading, for me, is dangerous. It tends to keep me up because I want to finish the book!
Melissa, I just have two words for you: THANK YOU!! For making me cackle while I laid upon a rough hotel bed in a pile of Cancun sweat at the end of a long day. THANK YOU for making me laugh out loud!!
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