[bruss01]

I ponder mechanical things when going to sleep at night, designing the parts, how they fit and work together. Usually it's someting moderately complex like an engine or a firearm. Puts me right out.

Usually it's not the going to sleep that I have trouble with - it's the staying asleep sometimes. Occasonally I wake up early and just can't get back to sawing logs. At that point, actively thinking about anything keeps me awake. I've found it's best to focus on some physical sensation - the warmth of the blanket, the feel of my wife up next to me, the patterns in the dark behind my eyelids... if a thought occurs push it away gently and just focus on the warmth... ahhhh.

[threadbear]

I haven't tried this for insomnia, but for the most soothing hypnotic effect that should put you to sleep, Bob Ross-the Joy of Painting. The man was a very schlocky artist, but his voice and even the way he painted had the effect of mainlining narcotics. He could have been a threat to national security had his talents been honed for negative effect.

If that doesn't work, motion sickness medication. Gravol, in Canada. Dramamine in the US. Works better than valium.

[crapattack]

RacerJace, don't feel bad about your wife. She was going to have to make these realizations anyway - just a matter of time. The good news is you have some advance knowlege, and yes, this is a bummer for everybody except the ones in denial who just think wishing for the best makes it happen.

I don't have kids but I think it's worse for folks who do, you look at their little faces and wonder what kind of world they are going to have. But you can do things, and you are, and what we found is this grieving for the life you wanted passes too. We've known for a few months now and it's getting easier to focus on plans -- they seem to make us feel best.

If you keep focussing on where you want to be and your best situation its possible you will be able to create this for yourself, or part of it anyhow. One thing for sure, and I have to remind myself of this too is if you wallow in depression and do nothing you'll definitely be hooped. Take heart, there are others preparing all over. If you can get a small community together it will help focus you on real things you need to do instead of endlessly spinning your wheels all night.

[threadbear]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('FossilFool', 'I') have been having a hard time too lately. I think about it in my dreams. Even on the weekend if I go to bed late, I wake up early because I keep thinking about it. This is really hard for me to deal with.

[Aimrehtopyh]

Counting my ammo and canned goods always shrinks my PO anxiety.

Breath control also really helps. "Breathing like a baby" they call it. As you inhale, your belly should expand while your chest hardly moves at all. Slow, even and deep (without forcing it) pretty much fools your body and mind into thinking it's already asleep. Just as faking a big grin can improve your mood.

[crapattack]

Aimrehtopyh, I can't say counting my ammo would make me sleep (most likely it would make me more paranoid) but I do agree with the idea of using breath control as a way to deal with stress and insomnia. Having done a fair amount of meditation I can attest to the positive benefits of using breathing techniques to calm yourself and quiet the mind.

[rostov]

You may want to lay out your milestones for "planning for the future" in your own life first. Achieving each milestone one at a time could ease your mind a little bit more to relax a little easier to sleep.

Learning how to grow food, firearms and ammo, hidden storage and stock up food, trade skills to accumulate, laying out a curriculum for the kids for post-po, etc.

Guess what? Tomorrow my carrots seeds go in. Next week I can look forward to getting my 1st <choice of firearm>. In a fortnight the class for pottery starts. Next month I would've completed stocking up for 2 months of food and water going for 3. Any small contribution to preperation, really, could add to sleeping easier.

On a side note : do folks who know that they will die (e.g. those with terminal illness) face the same problems? Are the ways they use to sleep better at night applicable to those of us here? If we take on the same mentality of accepting death of the civilization as a definitive, we could probably learn something from these folks.

[BlisteredWhippet]

hmm, all you guys are doing when you watch TV, drink or eat, or even wank is condition your mind to require certain conditions to self-hypnotise into sleep.

Believe me, if you eat right- and get physical exercise you will sleep like a baby every night. Some practice of 'letting go' and quieting the mind a la yoga, meditiation, or diaphramatic breathing will help too.

The active mind is like a nervous monkey. The idea of meditation is to seperate yourself from the monkey. Sit back and quietly observe the monkey until he wears himself out.

Diet- Throw away vegetable oils, cook with fully unrefined coconut or red palm oil. Get plenty of protein and fat. Eat lots of organic vegetables grown as close to your location as possible. Steam them, but don't make them too mushy. Get omega-3 from flax oil or even better, walnuts. Eat uncooked nuts daily. Yams and sweet potatoes. Reduce intake of other kinds of potatoes. Fish is great- get wild caught, again as close to your location as possible. Reduce or eliminate all processed foods. Throw away anything with hydrogenated oils. Reduce or eliminate milk, juice, and soft drinks. Substitute water. Supplements- I suggest Zinc and "Emergen-C". Iron from cast iron cookware. Vitamin D from sunlight.


Exercise- Pilates, walking, cycling (I don't recommend jogging. Do 30 minutes of resistance training a week- lifting weights 30 mins. a week. Take your muscles to the point of exhaustion will do wonders for your health. Your metabolism will change to burn fat instead of maintain fat. Learn to make Yoga (stretching and meditation) a daily habit. Learn to 'live-in' your body. Really know what is going on from the feelings that it produces from the inside out. Assume there is a lot to discover. Assume there are parts of your physiology that you do not know that you can consciously control.


Then you won't have any problems sleeping.

[Bleep]

750 mg of SourceNaturals brand GABA and 2.5 mg of SourceNaturals brand sublingual melatonin is what gives me ideal sleep. But you have to experiment for yourself to determine what's best.

[crapattack]

Great post Blisteredwhippet, I agree wholeheartedly. Although it sounds daunting to integrate all this at once into your life, you can begin my making small steps, like learning to just sit quietly for a few minutes everyday and taking out vegetable oils. As you gain a comfort with that you can keep it up by doing a bit more every week.

[BlisteredWhippet]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('crapattack', 'G')reat post Blisteredwhippet, I agree wholeheartedly. Although it sounds daunting to integrate all this at once into your life, you can begin my making small steps, like learning to just sit quietly for a few minutes everyday and taking out vegetable oils. As you gain a comfort with that you can keep it up by doing a bit more every week.

[crapattack]

I hear you, I'm still on the coffee but down from 3 per day to 1 and there are a few foods that are hard to let go of. Sugar is a big one at it is in so many foods.

[Vexed]

I have suffered from brutal insomnia for all of my life. As a matter of fact, I have only had two hours sleep in the last two nights.

I think my problem, since early childhood, is that I am afraid I will miss something.

I have tried (and am still trying) most everything that has been mentioned in this thread to battle it, as well as many other ideas. Doctors are clueless. Drugs make it worse. I make it worse the more I think about it.

I can't wait until my inner Tyler Durden comes out and I start a Fight Club.

Maybe I'll find peace then.

I'm only half kidding.

[crapattack]

One of my favourite movies is Fight Club. I've always thought I was going to miss something too, but left to my own rhythms I always stay up til 4:00 and wake up at noon. I love the quiet stillness that comes at night - it is a very creative time. I think some people are wired differently than others and find it harder to adapt to a day routine. If I didn't have to meet clients and talk to them during the day I'd definitely move completely to a night schedule and funny enough I never have insomnia when I follow my own schedule.

[turmoil]

Thanks all for your help. Out of all the suggestions I have to say that wanking helps the most.

Seriously tho, I've started exercising again (push ups, pull ups, free weights). That and a few yoga positions in the morning before I hit the shower are helping a lot I think. I had a great yoga class in high school but had been neglecting my skills (like my guitar ). Also, my job has helped me schedule my time better. Too much empty time can have an affect on your ability to plan and manage it.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('crapattack', '.')..but left to my own rhythms I always stay up til 4:00 and wake up at noon.

[Vexed]

Dude, Turmoil.

Coincidence or the 1,969,564,987th sign of the coming apocalypse.

Two wankers both joined PO at 4am on Aug 13th 2004.

[turmoil]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Vexed', 'D')ude, Turmoil.

Coincidence or the 1,969,564,987th sign of the coming apocalypse.

Two wankers both joined PO at 4am on Aug 13th 2004.

[Antimatter]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('turmoil', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Vexed', 'D')ude, Turmoil.

Coincidence or the 1,969,564,987th sign of the coming apocalypse.

Two wankers both joined PO at 4am on Aug 13th 2004.