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Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Inspired by @Former-Member and a recent post from @D1ng0, I've decided to kick start a master thread on that delightful activity we spend about a third of our lives doing: Sleep!!

😴 🐑 💭 🛌

Sleep is a biggie, it's vital to our ability to function! We all know just how impactful it is when we don't get enough of it, so this thread serves both as a source of information and insight, as well as a place for members to talk about their sleep troubles, swap ideas, and ask questions!

I believe @Former-Member you're quite knowledgeable in this area, so by all means drop your knowldge bombs whenever you're ready! 😍

I will also share below, my personal experiences with insomnia that I shared with @D1ng0 - and D1ng0 feel free to use this thread to continue chatting about your sleep challenges if you like - up to you 😉

I'm gonna tag a few people, but don't wanna go too wild with it so please do tag more folks who may wanna get in on this discussion!

@tyme @MedicinalGypsy @ArraDreaming @Bow @Captain24 @creative_writer @NatureLover @TAB @The-red-centaur @tonys @StuF @Meowmy

105 replies

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In response to: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

WAKING UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT - A BREATHWORK SOLUTION FROM A SLEEP DOCTOR

@Former-Member @Jynx @Meowmy @Bow @MedicinalGypsy @D1ng0

I came across this awhile back as I kept waking up in the middle of the night. I got it checked by my GP - it wasn't a UTI/Bladder/Kidney infection. It might be a good idea to rule those out first if you keep waking up for unexplained reasons

Anyway here is a video by a sleep doctor on how to use breathwork to lull your body back to sleep. The principle behind it makes sense. I thought I'd share for folks who are experiencing this annoying habit and want an easy approach that is proven to solve the problem effectively.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpdRKmLePaQ

In response to: Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Awwww thank you I'll definitely look into this @Former-Member

In response to: Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Hello @Former-Member 😁

With my kidney disease stage 4 I get up 4 times a night to go to the bathroom

I wake up feeling very tired

And my husband says I stop breathing for up to 10 seconds at a time

In response to: Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

@Jynx , @Former-Member

I find it easy to fall asleep

As my husband takes ages and hours to go to sleep

In response to: Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

@Pink flamingo thanks for video have watched 👀 😀

In response to: Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Thank you so much @Jynx what a fabulous post idea and helpful information!

I have had such a turbulent relationship with sleep over the years. In my younger years (late teens to early 20s), I was really good at it! and then I had children. Having 3 kids in 3.5 years sleep become a thing of the past, but then even as the kids started sleeping through the night, I didn't. I think I went a solid 3-4 years where I didn't get more than 2-3 hours of very broken sleep per night, it became my new normal. I had no idea how abnormal it actually was until I become really unwell from lack of sleep.

What you refer to @Jynx as powering down is something that was a gamechanger for me too! If i can't sleep I will just lay there and imitate sleep, I think it was my doctor who told me about it. It definitely relieved a lot of the anxiety about not sleeping, knowing I was still getting rest because previously I'd spend my time awake up doing stuff 😅

I'm a much better sleeper now but I still have my rough patches. Having better routines and sleep hygiene has gone a long way. Another thing that helps me is listening to a meditation or podcast in the dark, something light-hearted or relaxing and I'll eventually get tired or even fall asleep to it.

In response to: Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

@Former-Member oooh definitely one I want to watch - I don't so much wake up randomly, but if something wakes me up I really, really struggle to return to sleep, which leaves me feeling very cranky and dysregulated. Thanks for sharing!

Aww @Shaz51 big hugs, that would be very challenging. And yeah for Mr Shaz, I think it's pretty common with ADHD to struggle to nod off - the speedy stream of consciousness is never ending! Since I cannot seem to shut it off, like ever, something that I do is to try to focus on a story thread. So like, I have a fun little story I write in my mind whenever I am idle, so when I'm trying to sleep, if I notice myself thinking about day-to-day/life stuff or stuff I'm anxious (or even excited) about, I know it will keep me awake! So I try to refocus my thoughts onto story time, like my own little inner bedtime story, hehe.

Only issue with this method (though it does work 9/10 times) is if I get writer's block, OR if the story gets too exciting! That also keeps me up 😂

In response to: Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Aww you're welcome @MermaidHair glad it is helpful!!

And I think you've raised a very important part of this topic, which is how kidlets can impact our sleep! I don't have kids, just cats, so I can only partially relate (having a furball leap onto your head in the middle of the night is a pretty rude awakening, but I imagine it would be doubly so if it were a toddler! 🤣), but I have heard many stories of the massive changes to sleep that occur when tiny humans are brought into our lives!

I'm glad you realised that the lack of sleep was abnormal - sounds like you've been able to make some changes that have helped you get your slumbering patterns back on track! Big kudos 😁

Anyone else here struggled with sleep when little ones were added to the mix?

In response to: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Mr shaz sounds like you @Jynx

I am going to share this with my husband what you wrote

We usually get up amd have a cuppa and then go back to bed

In response to: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Re: Counting Sheep ~ The Importance of Sleep!

Thank you for the invite @Jynx . Could be the most important thread on here, and here's me,

an imposter passenger. I sleep better than a baby. Too much in fact, and no pattern to it. Too many

times I am halfway through a, dream transplant, logged into sane, and I just . . . nod off. Thank goodness for auto save.

I'm a bit like you @Jynx Imagination can take me anywhere, including the land of dreams.

I too have the blessing of brain injury so I still am, much of the time, lost in the world of play.

Have no filters, If its in my head. . . its out my mouth, or pen, and so . .. No baggage in the bed room.

I do have an underground sound proof room, but well you know, silence can be filled with "the' noise.

The harder I try to stay awake, the faster the curtains come down.

We have a sleep study technician

on this flight... @Former-Member .. That's very handy. and I see @Former-Member is on board. My go to when my sleep deprived doctor has dead candle eyes.

Well . . . hope everyone can close there eyes tonight and enjoy the 'inflight movies'.

@Shaz51 @MermaidHair @MedicinalGypsy you and smiling gecko must have a practice in

Dream Town.. @PeppiPatty and all the other folks in search of the mythical city of dreams..

Peaceful thoughts. tonys..

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