What are you thinking as you drift off to sleep?
September 29, 2017 4:55 PM Subscribe
I'm wondering what are people thinking about as they fall asleep. Do they play any mental games? Or do they picture themselves painting a wall? This is primarily a question for those who don't have trouble falling asleep.
I used have an awful time falling asleep. That's over and done. I now drift off within 5 minutes but I do certain things. I'll read a bit and then as I drift off...I'll think about where the novel I'm reading can go next. Or I might play some game like I pretend I need to come up with questions for Family Feud with sample answers.
What do you think about for those 5 to 10 minutes before you fall asleep?
I used have an awful time falling asleep. That's over and done. I now drift off within 5 minutes but I do certain things. I'll read a bit and then as I drift off...I'll think about where the novel I'm reading can go next. Or I might play some game like I pretend I need to come up with questions for Family Feud with sample answers.
What do you think about for those 5 to 10 minutes before you fall asleep?
I choose a random category and play the alphabet game, running down A to Z. I have to switch it up a bit or it becomes too easy, but some examples are: bands I've seen live, last names of current/former players of my favorite baseball team, movies that came out in the 90s, one word movie titles, etc. It's enough to keep my brain from drifting down into bad anxiety zone, but not so much that it keeps me awake and actively thinking. I rarely get past the LMNOP cascade.
posted by Ufez Jones at 5:04 PM on September 29, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Ufez Jones at 5:04 PM on September 29, 2017 [8 favorites]
Usually what happens is that I fall asleep while reading, and my brain just kind of takes off with the story from whatever the last sentence was that I read. For a little while I'll think I'm still reading, and then it will become more like a proper dream with imagery and such. If I happen to wake back up during this process (to turn out the light, say) whatever story I had in my head usually turns out to be quite different from and also much less coherent than the one I was reading.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 5:04 PM on September 29, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 5:04 PM on September 29, 2017 [4 favorites]
I tell myself a story (I have a mental library of favorites) in hopes that I dream about it after falling asleep.
I am not ashamed to admit that half of these stories involve me being able to magic, and the other half are about me kissing someone (usually fictional #foreveralone)
posted by Hermione Granger at 5:05 PM on September 29, 2017 [36 favorites]
I am not ashamed to admit that half of these stories involve me being able to magic, and the other half are about me kissing someone (usually fictional #foreveralone)
posted by Hermione Granger at 5:05 PM on September 29, 2017 [36 favorites]
I used to be really bad at sleeping until I came across the count back from 100 meditation - clear your mind, start at 100, count back, if you think of anything start back at 100. Some nights I have to start it many times but if i'm doing it correctly I never remember past about 79. Often this process takes just a couple minutes.
posted by I'm Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today! at 5:06 PM on September 29, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by I'm Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today! at 5:06 PM on September 29, 2017 [11 favorites]
I try to think of nothing, because if I start thinking about things I encountered that day, a book or movie, etc - that's when I go off on a tangent and can't get to sleep. However, sometimes I daydream about my near-future life in a very ordinary way. For example, I think about being pregnant with another kid (we are thinking of trying next year). Or I think about the house we'd buy if we ever made a big move we've been talking about. Just really prosaic, day-to-day stuff. I don't know why this doesn't trigger me to overthink like other topics. I guess I find it comforting.
posted by cpatterson at 5:06 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by cpatterson at 5:06 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
I tell myself extremely self-indulgent fanfiction stories based on whatever fandom I happen to be currently focused on.
posted by darchildre at 5:08 PM on September 29, 2017 [32 favorites]
posted by darchildre at 5:08 PM on September 29, 2017 [32 favorites]
I usually think about my favorite characters from whatever TV show, movie or book I'm currently into and then imagine them falling asleep or relaxing or being comforted and that makes me relax and fall asleep. I've been doing this since I was a little kid but now I do much more consciously because it usually works very well.
posted by eeek at 5:12 PM on September 29, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by eeek at 5:12 PM on September 29, 2017 [12 favorites]
OMG I do the same thing as eeek! I started it as a child and just kept it because I find it comforting. Sometimes I imagine myself sleeping next to them but not in a sexual or romantic way. I've never admitted this to anyone.
posted by Ideal Impulse at 5:16 PM on September 29, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by Ideal Impulse at 5:16 PM on September 29, 2017 [13 favorites]
I plot novels.
posted by DarlingBri at 5:17 PM on September 29, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by DarlingBri at 5:17 PM on September 29, 2017 [4 favorites]
Similar to Ufez Jones above--I pick a category (cities, animals, foods, etc)and then name things within it in alphabetical order--but I kind of do it in rhythm with my breathing. It's actually very soothing and I usually don't make it to Z.
posted by bookmammal at 5:24 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by bookmammal at 5:24 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
I pick a podcast episode and I set the app to stop playing at the end of the episode. I'm usually asleep before my mind ever gets to wandering.
posted by emelenjr at 5:26 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by emelenjr at 5:26 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
If I don't drop off immediately, I count my breath up to five and then start over. I also start over any time I lose count, which, if you're not forcing your breath or actively trying to stay awake, happens a lot.
I used to use a mantra to give my mind something to hang onto rather than spinning into anxiety or lively thoughts and I sometimes fall into it even now, probably 20 years since I used it regularly.
posted by janey47 at 5:29 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
I used to use a mantra to give my mind something to hang onto rather than spinning into anxiety or lively thoughts and I sometimes fall into it even now, probably 20 years since I used it regularly.
posted by janey47 at 5:29 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
I say (i.e. think) the alphabet backwards while picturing the letters, ditto with the greek alphabet. Sometimes I list the states in backwards alphabetical order or run through the map of Africa listing countries (I tend to start in the Northwest with Morocco). Or I breathe in for a count of 4-hold breath for 7 counts-breathe out for 8 counts (repeat). I sometimes pick a category and then list all the examples I can think of (flowers, vegetables) in alphabetical order.
I fall into the category of "has trouble sleeping," though. Even with a majorly heavy duty sleep medication, it takes me an hour or so to fall asleep.
posted by Stewriffic at 5:37 PM on September 29, 2017
I fall into the category of "has trouble sleeping," though. Even with a majorly heavy duty sleep medication, it takes me an hour or so to fall asleep.
posted by Stewriffic at 5:37 PM on September 29, 2017
I have a playlist that I put on every night (which includes a good chunk of the "Book of Mormon" Soundtrack). I'm usually asleep by 2 songs in.
posted by raccoon409 at 5:46 PM on September 29, 2017
posted by raccoon409 at 5:46 PM on September 29, 2017
Sometimes, when I had put out my candle, my eyes would close so quickly that I had not even time to say "I'm going to sleep." And half an hour later the thought that it was time to go to sleep would awaken me; I would try to put away the book which, I imagined, was still in my hands, and to blow out the light; I had been thinking all the time, while I was asleep, of what I had just been reading, but my thoughts had run into a channel of their own, until I myself seemed actually to have become the subject of my book: a church, a quartet, the rivalry between Francois I and Charles V.That's Marcel in Swann's Way.
I mostly tell myself stories.
posted by praemunire at 5:46 PM on September 29, 2017 [3 favorites]
I DM a lot of D&D so I'm often times running storyline ideas etc to myself as I drift off. My husband says I'm telling myself bedtime stories.
posted by wwax at 5:47 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by wwax at 5:47 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
usually i'm mentally fancasting popular movies without any men or white people
posted by poffin boffin at 5:52 PM on September 29, 2017 [21 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 5:52 PM on September 29, 2017 [21 favorites]
I listen to podcasts on non-stimulating topics (history, mostly) made by hosts with soothing, quiet voices.
posted by soren_lorensen at 5:58 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by soren_lorensen at 5:58 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
I think about how wonderfully soft the sheets are and how good it feels to sink into the mattress. I'm usually out within about three minutes.
posted by mochapickle at 5:59 PM on September 29, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by mochapickle at 5:59 PM on September 29, 2017 [4 favorites]
I recite the titles of the chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring, which I have read many times.
posted by ewok_academy at 6:02 PM on September 29, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by ewok_academy at 6:02 PM on September 29, 2017 [3 favorites]
Same as soren_lorensen. The British History Podcast works particularly well for me. I'm actually thinking about it, but it's not SO engaging that I can't pass out in about an episode or less.
posted by functionequalsform at 6:07 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by functionequalsform at 6:07 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'm similar to Hermione up above, sort of day dream adventure magic stories, sometimes ongoing plots.
More recently maybe deconstructing music that I've heard and liked that day.
Usually some measure of planning the future or pondering on the past, sometimes a few days or weeks, sometimes a few decades. But that's more prominent when I'm having trouble getting to sleeep.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:14 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
More recently maybe deconstructing music that I've heard and liked that day.
Usually some measure of planning the future or pondering on the past, sometimes a few days or weeks, sometimes a few decades. But that's more prominent when I'm having trouble getting to sleeep.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:14 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
I listen to Ambient Sleeping Pill and try to find patterns in the sounds.
posted by Napoleonic Terrier at 6:22 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Napoleonic Terrier at 6:22 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
I mentally cycle through all of the things I know I have to do but haven't done until I force myself to stop it and then usually drift off with the assistance of some white noise or a podcast.
posted by rachaelfaith at 6:26 PM on September 29, 2017
posted by rachaelfaith at 6:26 PM on September 29, 2017
I watch youtubes of people making tiny things without talking/music. Japanese candy, dollhouse furniture, tiny food, that sort of thing. I do this specifically so I can NOT think of anything. I need my brain to be shut off.
I have 29 years of pre-youtube-in-bed experience including some terrible insomnia during my teen years that proves I cannot fall asleep if I let myself start thinking. Before youtube I'd have to read to the point of exhaustion. Now I reliably fall asleep within 10 minutes, PLUS I get to see talented people make neat stuff.
posted by phunniemee at 6:30 PM on September 29, 2017 [4 favorites]
I have 29 years of pre-youtube-in-bed experience including some terrible insomnia during my teen years that proves I cannot fall asleep if I let myself start thinking. Before youtube I'd have to read to the point of exhaustion. Now I reliably fall asleep within 10 minutes, PLUS I get to see talented people make neat stuff.
posted by phunniemee at 6:30 PM on September 29, 2017 [4 favorites]
Another like Hermione Granger: I tell myself stories. A lot of the time, those stories are what-ifs or sequels to some book: what happened next? Simply saying someone 'lived happily ever after' doesn't cut it for me, so I'll make them a life.
posted by easily confused at 6:36 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by easily confused at 6:36 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
Me and my partner have a routine where we talk about our day for 5-10 minutes and then after that I'm typically out like a light.
Sometimes I start dreaming right before I fall asleep.
posted by aniola at 6:37 PM on September 29, 2017
Sometimes I start dreaming right before I fall asleep.
posted by aniola at 6:37 PM on September 29, 2017
I imagine myself in boring scifi stories with glacial plot movement. My late mother listed the Senators in alphabetical order. She watched a lot of C-Span.
posted by Botanizer at 6:38 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Botanizer at 6:38 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
When I don't have trouble sleeping: Ahh, it's nice to finally go to bed. It's so nice and comfy. What will I have for breakfast tomorrow? Gosh, it's so nice that I have this bed I can stretch and sprawl out in, so nice--zzzzzzzz.....
When I do have trouble sleeping: Elaborate self-insert OC fanfic.
posted by btfreek at 6:44 PM on September 29, 2017 [6 favorites]
When I do have trouble sleeping: Elaborate self-insert OC fanfic.
posted by btfreek at 6:44 PM on September 29, 2017 [6 favorites]
If it takes me more than a couple of minutes to fall asleep, I start talking through/visualizing the moves of one of my karate katas ("look to the left, turn, downward block in a forward stance"). I rarely make it through more than half of a kata before I'm out.
posted by mogget at 6:44 PM on September 29, 2017
posted by mogget at 6:44 PM on September 29, 2017
I try to think of what to wear the next day and end up mentally cycling through my wardrobe most nights....and never come up with a plan before drifting off. It's a very ineffective way of planning for me. Other nights I do duolingo and fall asleep in the middle of the nonsensical, disconnected sentences.
posted by Tandem Affinity at 6:47 PM on September 29, 2017
posted by Tandem Affinity at 6:47 PM on September 29, 2017
I usually fall asleep fairly quickly. I think something like "ahh, going to bed is nice" and then my mind wanders off without me really being aware of what I'm thinking.
As I'm falling asleep I often get what I call "mini-dreams." My mind will be sort of chattering to itself while I'm losing consciousness, and my train of thought will crystallize into something vivid, dreamlike, and short, like a two-second snippet of a larger dream. But the act of recognizing what my mind is doing wakes me up, so they're always very brief.
posted by Metroid Baby at 6:49 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
As I'm falling asleep I often get what I call "mini-dreams." My mind will be sort of chattering to itself while I'm losing consciousness, and my train of thought will crystallize into something vivid, dreamlike, and short, like a two-second snippet of a larger dream. But the act of recognizing what my mind is doing wakes me up, so they're always very brief.
posted by Metroid Baby at 6:49 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
Just before I try to sleep, I read a story from "The pursuit of sleep".
As soon as I finish, I imagine it.
Scroll down to where it says "Transition Trek — Coastal"
http://www.inpursuitofsleep.com/chapters/chapter-4-charging-the-gates-of-slumberland/
This is a newish thing for me, but so far it's working really well.
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 6:51 PM on September 29, 2017
As soon as I finish, I imagine it.
Scroll down to where it says "Transition Trek — Coastal"
http://www.inpursuitofsleep.com/chapters/chapter-4-charging-the-gates-of-slumberland/
This is a newish thing for me, but so far it's working really well.
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 6:51 PM on September 29, 2017
I usually listen to podcasts, so whatever that is covering. But when I can't sleep sometimes, I think back to when I was a child and lived in my hometown. We had a couple of older department stores and a Walmart and Kmart (when they were smaller stores). I mentally walk through them, and take note of where the different sections were.
posted by bizzyb at 6:54 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by bizzyb at 6:54 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
Mostly I plan out what will happen next in whatever my current writing project is. If I'm having trouble falling asleep I do a body scan meditation.
posted by Stacey at 6:58 PM on September 29, 2017
posted by Stacey at 6:58 PM on September 29, 2017
Occasionally, lately, when I'm tempted to get up and attend to something or write down an idea or watch an instructional video or just look up something that occurred to me, I've been telling myself, "I've got to fall asleep like it's my job, because right now it is my job.". It's been helping.
posted by amtho at 7:01 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by amtho at 7:01 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
When sleeping is easy: I think about snuggling or sexing someone attractive. It is extremely relaxing!
When sleeping is difficult: I think of songs that start with all the letters of the alphabet. I usually use hymns from the United Methodist Hymnal, but children's nursery rhymes work well too. Pop/Rock music does not serve this purpose. Like Ufez Jones, I sometimes have to increase the difficulty and pick "Songs that are in Common Meter" or "Songs with one-syllable first words in their titles". Then I sing the song to myself in my head. I've never made it past O.
So basically, I am thinking of music or really relaxing things before I go to sleep!
posted by chainsofreedom at 7:11 PM on September 29, 2017
When sleeping is difficult: I think of songs that start with all the letters of the alphabet. I usually use hymns from the United Methodist Hymnal, but children's nursery rhymes work well too. Pop/Rock music does not serve this purpose. Like Ufez Jones, I sometimes have to increase the difficulty and pick "Songs that are in Common Meter" or "Songs with one-syllable first words in their titles". Then I sing the song to myself in my head. I've never made it past O.
So basically, I am thinking of music or really relaxing things before I go to sleep!
posted by chainsofreedom at 7:11 PM on September 29, 2017
Also I sometimes do progressive muscle relaxation but I also never make it past my hips.
posted by chainsofreedom at 7:12 PM on September 29, 2017
posted by chainsofreedom at 7:12 PM on September 29, 2017
I have a white noise app that lets me choose various sounds, so I pick a couple then imagine I'm "on a beach" or "in a tent listening to rain" or "by a waterfall, with birds singing", using my imagination to fill in the sights, smells, etc that the sounds are suggesting.
posted by The otter lady at 7:16 PM on September 29, 2017
posted by The otter lady at 7:16 PM on September 29, 2017
I do long division or other math, weirdly -- like the amount of money I could expect to earn next week if I include overtime or remove taxes. Sometimes very simple calculus (eg, the volume of my bathtub).
posted by steady-state strawberry at 7:24 PM on September 29, 2017
posted by steady-state strawberry at 7:24 PM on September 29, 2017
I Mary Sue myself into stories/tv series/royal families with amazing detail. By the time I’m finished imagining the designer, color, cut, material, sleeve length, etc of the gown I’m wearing at the charity gala, I’m asleep.
posted by kimberussell at 7:33 PM on September 29, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by kimberussell at 7:33 PM on September 29, 2017 [3 favorites]
A friend once told me they would imagine taking the ceiling and mentally cutting some segment out of it. Then she would take that segment and cut it into two pieces of some shape. Then take those pieces and cut them into 4 pieces. And so on like that. I always thought that was so cool.
posted by cashman at 7:40 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by cashman at 7:40 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
I have a few - I remodel or redecorate houses I've seen (friend's houses or open houses), or my own house. "What if I put a staircase there?" I vaguely plan a relaxing trip. I mentally go to somewhere I've been that has calming associations, and walk the path or go down the hall, sit at the table, etc., with as much recall-specific detail as I can.
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 7:41 PM on September 29, 2017
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 7:41 PM on September 29, 2017
I'm on stage IV of something that just kind of developed. I started out maybe five years ago mentally playing the lyrics and beat of rap songs I know by heart. The twist was that I can take whatever white noise is around and if I focus, I can 'hear' the song. Like it's no longer something I'm imagining, I've tricked my brain into thinking I'm actually hearing the faint traces of the audio in the room. And as I "listened" for the next round of lyrics, I'd fall asleep.
After my white noise started being consistently too erratic to trick my brain, I started imagining the lyrics to rap songs I knew. Like instead of just reciting the lyrics, I'd imagine each word, each line, on a wall. And if I stopped imagining the words and went to just recalling the song, I'd have to start the song over again. I remember the first couple of songs I did, It took me a good month to get through a whole song. I'd actually be fighting to stay awake to finish the song and could not do it.
In the past few years I started taking the beat of one song, but instead using the lyrics of another song that I know by heart. It's not hard either because a lot of rap songs are interchangeable in that way, even if you have to speed up the lyrical performance. It's taxing to play the beat in your head, while remembering the lyrics of the other song. Plus if it's a really good switch, you're also feeling comfortable by how good the imagined song would be.
In the last few weeks that has morphed into something else. I use the beat of one song, the lyrics of another, but I have the artists from the "beat" song perform some of the lyrics of the lyric song. So as of late I've been using a Mobb Deep beat, and Rakim lyrics, and having Rakim do a line, then Prodigy, then Havoc. So I have to mentally imagine the beat, the words, how Rakim says the words on the original song (that has a different beat), how Prodigy would say a specific line of Rakim's song on Mobb Deep's beat, and then how Havoc would sound saying the next line, all the way through 3 verses of the song. And I've been incorporating some parts of the background refrain parts from the "beat" song at times. At the moment I haven't even come close to finishing the song and I would guess I fall asleep in 5 minutes or so.
posted by cashman at 8:02 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
After my white noise started being consistently too erratic to trick my brain, I started imagining the lyrics to rap songs I knew. Like instead of just reciting the lyrics, I'd imagine each word, each line, on a wall. And if I stopped imagining the words and went to just recalling the song, I'd have to start the song over again. I remember the first couple of songs I did, It took me a good month to get through a whole song. I'd actually be fighting to stay awake to finish the song and could not do it.
In the past few years I started taking the beat of one song, but instead using the lyrics of another song that I know by heart. It's not hard either because a lot of rap songs are interchangeable in that way, even if you have to speed up the lyrical performance. It's taxing to play the beat in your head, while remembering the lyrics of the other song. Plus if it's a really good switch, you're also feeling comfortable by how good the imagined song would be.
In the last few weeks that has morphed into something else. I use the beat of one song, the lyrics of another, but I have the artists from the "beat" song perform some of the lyrics of the lyric song. So as of late I've been using a Mobb Deep beat, and Rakim lyrics, and having Rakim do a line, then Prodigy, then Havoc. So I have to mentally imagine the beat, the words, how Rakim says the words on the original song (that has a different beat), how Prodigy would say a specific line of Rakim's song on Mobb Deep's beat, and then how Havoc would sound saying the next line, all the way through 3 verses of the song. And I've been incorporating some parts of the background refrain parts from the "beat" song at times. At the moment I haven't even come close to finishing the song and I would guess I fall asleep in 5 minutes or so.
posted by cashman at 8:02 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
I fall asleep listening to podcasts. Usually it's Stuff You Should Know, and now when i hear Josh & Chuck's voices my brain automatically thinks 'sleep time!'. I set the sleep timer for 30 minutes and rarely make it that long. I distinctly remember listening to the episode on the Panama Canal for 2 weeks straight because i never lasted more than 10 minutes before falling asleep (not that it was a bad episode, just one i remember!)
posted by cgg at 8:13 PM on September 29, 2017
posted by cgg at 8:13 PM on September 29, 2017
I imagine waves crashing on the sand, horseback riding or doing an elaborate ice skating routine.
posted by queen_mob at 8:22 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by queen_mob at 8:22 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
What do you think about for those 5 to 10 minutes before you fall asleep?
Mostly how I would kill to fall asleep in anything like 5-10 minutes!
For me, I have to STOP thinking to be able to sleep but I can't actively think about not thinking, because that's thinking and awakemaking. I do a lot of meditative stuff, usually the thing that is the most effective is either counting my breaths (get to ten, start over at 1) or envisioning a blank piece of paper in the sort of middle distance and any time a thought or idea or something starts getting "written" on it, learning to push it aside, gently, and say "I'll think about that later" and trying to keep the page blank.
posted by jessamyn at 8:22 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
Mostly how I would kill to fall asleep in anything like 5-10 minutes!
For me, I have to STOP thinking to be able to sleep but I can't actively think about not thinking, because that's thinking and awakemaking. I do a lot of meditative stuff, usually the thing that is the most effective is either counting my breaths (get to ten, start over at 1) or envisioning a blank piece of paper in the sort of middle distance and any time a thought or idea or something starts getting "written" on it, learning to push it aside, gently, and say "I'll think about that later" and trying to keep the page blank.
posted by jessamyn at 8:22 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
Usually, it's one of three situations:
* I fall asleep reading.
* I fall asleep computing.
* I just close my eyes.
I usually go to sleep to fast to think of anything at all.
posted by maurreen at 8:23 PM on September 29, 2017
* I fall asleep reading.
* I fall asleep computing.
* I just close my eyes.
I usually go to sleep to fast to think of anything at all.
posted by maurreen at 8:23 PM on September 29, 2017
I watch or listen to something familiar enough to me that it distracts me from all the crap I’m thinking about. For the last few years it’s been episodes of South Park. Before that it was episodes of Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The important thing is that it’s not so new that it keeps me awake, but intrusive enough that I don’t think of anything else. Once my mind is semi-clear I can sleep.
posted by bendy at 8:40 PM on September 29, 2017
posted by bendy at 8:40 PM on September 29, 2017
If it's an easy sleeping night, I usually don't think of anything. I do rub my face in the blanket (I don't like sleeping without something over my mouth / lower face), pet it a little, but there's no deliberate thought. I do use earplugs most nights but sometimes try not to; on those nights, the last thought is "nah, I should really put in earplugs" in response to a firetruck passing by.
If I'm not falling asleep easily, I try to count backwards from 100 by intervals. This used to work better before I got really good at most numbers under 20, starting from numbers between 90 and 110.
I do usually have to remember to (really) exhale before falling asleep. Otherwise I never relax my muscles and feel oddly cold.
posted by batter_my_heart at 8:51 PM on September 29, 2017
If I'm not falling asleep easily, I try to count backwards from 100 by intervals. This used to work better before I got really good at most numbers under 20, starting from numbers between 90 and 110.
I do usually have to remember to (really) exhale before falling asleep. Otherwise I never relax my muscles and feel oddly cold.
posted by batter_my_heart at 8:51 PM on September 29, 2017
It takes me an hour or two to get to sleep, but when I'm about to go to sleep I either notice I'm not listening to the podcast and it's just noise, or (if I'm not listening to a podcast) I'm either thinking nonsense sentences or "listening" to music that doesn't exist. I've had success in getting myself to sleep by imagining music.
Never never never does counting down from 1000 work for me.
posted by sacchan at 8:59 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
Never never never does counting down from 1000 work for me.
posted by sacchan at 8:59 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
First I have to get into position: on my back, pillow under my knees, pillow on each side, and a firm pillow at the foot of the bed to keep my feet flexed. Then I say a short prayer. I'm not at all religious, but it helps me to review what went well that day and what I want to work on. It goes something like this: "Dear god, thank you for the good day. I felt very productive at work, but I wish I hadn't eaten that donut. Tomorrow I'll try to eat healthier and maybe go for a walk." Sometimes I'm asleep before I say Amen. If I'm not or if start to think about what I'll actually do the next day, I force myself to think about something boring. My current favorite is an old boyfriend who was nice, but kind of dull. I'll imagine that we're sitting on the sofa talking then he leans in to kiss me, and next thing I know it's morning. He never gets to second base.
posted by kbar1 at 9:16 PM on September 29, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by kbar1 at 9:16 PM on September 29, 2017 [4 favorites]
I fall asleep pretty quickly. I generally read until I feel very sleepy, and then I turn off the light and fall asleep almost immediately. On the rare occasions I don't immediately fall asleep, I have a panicked couple of minutes worrying that I've forgotten how to fall asleep... and then I still fall asleep pretty quickly. (I have issues with waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep, but I'm good at falling asleep at first.)
posted by lazuli at 9:26 PM on September 29, 2017
posted by lazuli at 9:26 PM on September 29, 2017
I think, Is the room dark enough? Am I completely comfortable? Is the air conditioner remote by my bed? Then I make up names for imaginary girl babies that I don't want and will never have. Then either awful images come into my head for a few seconds which I quickly try to forget, or a recollection of something worthwhile that happened that day that I had not given sufficient attention to at the time appears, and I am grateful that I am recalling this thing that I would otherwise have completely forgotten. Once one of those two things happen I know I'm about to fall asleep.
I used to imagine Ferris wheels spinning on the wall, and rocking-type amusement park rides. Lulls you right off, not sure why I stopped.
posted by serena15221 at 9:29 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
I used to imagine Ferris wheels spinning on the wall, and rocking-type amusement park rides. Lulls you right off, not sure why I stopped.
posted by serena15221 at 9:29 PM on September 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
@phunnieme where do you find those videos ?!
posted by bookworm4125 at 10:03 PM on September 29, 2017
posted by bookworm4125 at 10:03 PM on September 29, 2017
There was a similar question here once where an answer talked about being sent off in a space ship. I have built on this idea for years, and now my space podding includes: general floating, staring out space windows at giant expanses of nothingness, imagining myself being put into cryosleep and feeling my body slowly shut down, drifting lazily around beautiful planets with amazing volcanic activity or weather phenomena, sleeping tucked into the arms of another spacepodder, and figuring out how to have zero g sex with said other spacepodder (this happens a lot, like, a lot a lot). Space is nice and quiet and full of possibilities. 🚀🚀🚀
posted by oomny at 10:09 PM on September 29, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by oomny at 10:09 PM on September 29, 2017 [4 favorites]
I put my brain on a small railroad track I seem to have devised as a little kid. As I pass by the most mundane, non-emotion provoking incidents, scenes, and tasks from my past or coming day, I start to dream. Before I know it, my brain is going off to whatever's over that weird hill between semi-awake and fully out. I'm all the way asleep.
posted by Temeraria at 10:21 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Temeraria at 10:21 PM on September 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
Huh. I've never given this much thought before; generally, if I'm thinking about something, it's enough to keep me awake. As soon as I stop thinking about anything in particular, I'll tend to fall asleep. My usual nightly routine is to put on white noise and/or music and/or a podcast that isn't particularly interesting but the people talking have relaxing voices, so generally my attention goes to that. Instead of thinking, I'm merely listening, and my own thoughts tend to drift away and consciousness follows soon after.
Making any sort of conscious effort towards sleep nearly always backfires for me. Some relaxation techniques work for me, but they almost always work better if it's a guided thing where I'm listening to the instructions on a recording rather than me going through the steps mentally (and worrying that I'm somehow doing them wrong, generally). Even then, it's mostly the effect I describe above; just listening without even following the instructions is often enough.
posted by Aleyn at 1:36 AM on September 30, 2017
Making any sort of conscious effort towards sleep nearly always backfires for me. Some relaxation techniques work for me, but they almost always work better if it's a guided thing where I'm listening to the instructions on a recording rather than me going through the steps mentally (and worrying that I'm somehow doing them wrong, generally). Even then, it's mostly the effect I describe above; just listening without even following the instructions is often enough.
posted by Aleyn at 1:36 AM on September 30, 2017
Generally, when I am having trouble sleeping I visualize myself in the control room or the engine room of a spaceship, where I am methodically shutting down each system, removing energy crystals, opening circuit breakers, and other things in the "powering down" vein.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 2:06 AM on September 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 2:06 AM on September 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
+1 for listening to imaginary music with the inner ear before going to sleep. Or I run through the plot of stuff I've been watching.
posted by yoHighness at 3:53 AM on September 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by yoHighness at 3:53 AM on September 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
I imagine abstract patterns, sort of a mental kaleidoscope. Either that, or I mentally do drills of scales, chord voicings, progressions, etc. (I'm a musician and use real or visualized practice to zen out).
posted by threecheesetrees at 4:42 AM on September 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by threecheesetrees at 4:42 AM on September 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Generally, nothing. And I'm not sure when I made the switch - as a child and teenager I had trouble falling asleep and letting go and my mind would drift to think about EVERYTHING, as a mid-30s adult I'm rarely/barely aware of the falling asleep process. (I have some insomnia but it's the early-waking kind.)
Any thoughts are likely to keep me up. When I close my eyes it's usually when I'm ready to let go.
posted by needs more cowbell at 5:38 AM on September 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Any thoughts are likely to keep me up. When I close my eyes it's usually when I'm ready to let go.
posted by needs more cowbell at 5:38 AM on September 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
I read until I can't keep my eyes open, I turn off the light, and I'm usually out within seconds.
If it's a hard to get to sleep night, I "play" Eine Kleine Nachtmusik in my head and intentionally slow down my breathing. If that doesn't work, I imagine lazy waves on a beach. If that doesn't work, I count very slowly down from 100, with each count on the drawing or exhaling of a slow breath.
If none of those things work, I know I'm not sleeping that night.
posted by cooker girl at 6:58 AM on September 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
If it's a hard to get to sleep night, I "play" Eine Kleine Nachtmusik in my head and intentionally slow down my breathing. If that doesn't work, I imagine lazy waves on a beach. If that doesn't work, I count very slowly down from 100, with each count on the drawing or exhaling of a slow breath.
If none of those things work, I know I'm not sleeping that night.
posted by cooker girl at 6:58 AM on September 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
@phunnieme where do you find those videos ?!
Some channels I really like:
HMS2 | japanesestuffchanel | decocookie | Miniature Space | Yolanda Meow | Moso Gourmet | bonobos25 | Petit Palm | RRcherrypie
posted by phunniemee at 9:10 AM on September 30, 2017 [8 favorites]
Some channels I really like:
HMS2 | japanesestuffchanel | decocookie | Miniature Space | Yolanda Meow | Moso Gourmet | bonobos25 | Petit Palm | RRcherrypie
posted by phunniemee at 9:10 AM on September 30, 2017 [8 favorites]
I, also, like to focus on the physical sensation of being in bed, the softness of the mattress, the tired-ness of my limbs, etc. But if I need a little extra relaxation I'll visualize abstract animations -- shapes morphing into each other, waves expanding and changing shape, screensaver-type stuff. This will often put me out like a light in just a few minutes.
posted by LeeLanded at 9:25 AM on September 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by LeeLanded at 9:25 AM on September 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
I love the podcast Sleep with Me. The host's weird thoughts are in the perfect gray area where they're interesting enough to keep me from thinking about work but not interesting enough to keep me awake. Before I discovered Sleep with Me, I'd often try the sorts of mental tricks in this thread, but they'd inevitably lead me back to thinking about my own anxieties.
posted by roll truck roll at 2:12 PM on September 30, 2017
posted by roll truck roll at 2:12 PM on September 30, 2017
I'm loving this question!
Three topics:
- worry about work or my kid
- think about grass, from all the parks I've ever been to in my life.
- recite memorized religious texts (eg Buddhist heart sutra) (this one works the best)
posted by St. Peepsburg at 2:48 PM on September 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
Three topics:
- worry about work or my kid
- think about grass, from all the parks I've ever been to in my life.
- recite memorized religious texts (eg Buddhist heart sutra) (this one works the best)
posted by St. Peepsburg at 2:48 PM on September 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
Usually I fall asleep reading, but if I'm having trouble falling asleep I start reciting memorized bits of information in my mind. I rarely get past the second bit.
posted by raspberrE at 3:25 PM on September 30, 2017
posted by raspberrE at 3:25 PM on September 30, 2017
1. Usually, I only have enough time to think happy thoughts about my pillows and then I'm out.
2. If I'm having trouble, imagining the physical sensations of rocking in a hammock does the trick.
3. If work/life administration thoughts won't slow down, or - yikes - wake me up, I just get up and do the work/life administration so I can start back at 1.
posted by this-apoptosis at 3:40 PM on September 30, 2017
2. If I'm having trouble, imagining the physical sensations of rocking in a hammock does the trick.
3. If work/life administration thoughts won't slow down, or - yikes - wake me up, I just get up and do the work/life administration so I can start back at 1.
posted by this-apoptosis at 3:40 PM on September 30, 2017
I imagine a beach, and there's a white balloon that is softly bouncing down the beach, rolling rolling, then flying up in the air because of a gust of wind, then rolling rolling....and I'm out.
posted by seawallrunner at 4:21 PM on September 30, 2017
posted by seawallrunner at 4:21 PM on September 30, 2017
Elaborate sexual fantasies. I'm usually out before anything beyond kissing happens.
This might be part of why I'm single.
posted by Fuego at 6:19 PM on October 1, 2017
This might be part of why I'm single.
posted by Fuego at 6:19 PM on October 1, 2017
Coming in late to this fun thread: I tell myself fanfic... about my own fictional characters. I find it super relaxing. But the fanfic probably isn't that gripping because I am out for the count within a few minutes, most nights.
posted by Ziggy500 at 8:13 AM on October 2, 2017
posted by Ziggy500 at 8:13 AM on October 2, 2017
I usually think about ideas for craft projects -- how I might make a new quilt, a new knitting design, etc. If I can remember a design through several nights, it is usually a keeper.
posted by freezer cake at 9:47 AM on October 2, 2017
posted by freezer cake at 9:47 AM on October 2, 2017
I'm a good sleeper. I count from 1 to 100 by ones, then by twos, threes, etc. Most of the time I am asleep before I get to twelves. If not, I just start over. I usually get to feel that drifting away feeling where I think, oh, this is nice, I'm falling aslee-- zzz zzz zzz.
This is a great question and it's so interesting to see what others do.
posted by fiercecupcake at 11:52 AM on October 2, 2017
This is a great question and it's so interesting to see what others do.
posted by fiercecupcake at 11:52 AM on October 2, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 4:58 PM on September 29, 2017