Night Shift

Sorry about the beach weather. Getting out in the elements is so good for you (said she who hardly ever does it!)

That happens so often with dreams doesn't it? Still dreaming at all is meant to mean you've had good quality sleep. Was reading about sleep hygeine again when I couldn't sleep last night but it doesn't seem to be enough for me at times.

Glad you worked out that I had the nap from that vague last post (made when I just woke up). I try for the beach every day and do get out there a lot so it's not a big deal if I miss it here and there. I always feel better on the days I go though.

Reading about sleep hygiene when you can't sleep sounds like an interesting tactic though can't replace getting the sleep. What did your reading tell you about sleep hygiene?

Dreams do often dissolve on waking, yes. I've journalled dreams a lot in the past and been able to bring them back to memory. I have an idea it heightened anxiety to do this. These days I just go with the flow. If I remember them, great, if not, that's okay too.

I wasn't assuming you meant this afternoon, but did think it was possible. No judgment from me, I do it often.

I used the search bar in this forum for 'insomnia' and read a few posts then followed a link in one of them and found a thread on 'getting to sleep' which also had a link to an external blog. Saw essentially the same 10 tips in each one which I've seen before elsewhere, but it passed some time and slowed down my mind and distracted me from the sharing I'd done earlier. Hadn't talked about some of those parts of my life for quite some time.

Yes, this afternoon. Felt tired all day and finally succumbed. Like you I try not to nap for sleep hygiene reasons, but sometimes I lapse. I have read things about sleep hygiene before and remember a few tips, probably not quite 10.

Searching the back posts on the forums, haven't done that for a while. There seems to be a lot more going on here daily since Mental Health Week and I only get through some of the daily posts these days.

I understand how you might feel raw after talking about your life story. I have mixed feelings about going too much into my past these days, though I have done it fairly extensively on the forum over time. I do find myself thinking about the past, especially my childhood, fairly regularly. These days not as obsessive about it as I once was, now more peaceful about it I guess. I like your idea of getting over hurdles. Another counsellor I once had talked to me about icebergs. How sometimes it can be best to navigate around some things rather than go at them head on. I related to that.

I like the analogy about the iceberg.

The main tips I remember are :

Stay off the bed and try not to nap in the day time.

Keep screens, mobile phones and other electronic gadgets out of the bedroom.*

Have a regular time going to bed * and getting up.

Don't stay in bed awake for too long (more than half an hour). If you can't get to sleep get up and do something quiet and relaxing for a while then have another try (me last night!).*

Have a routine preparing for bed time.

Try not to watch the clock or get anxious about not sleeping.

________

But another one said to keep a sleep journal so you can talk to your doctor about it * (pretty hard to do without checking the time when you go to sleep and wake up!)

Some of these I'm better about than others (the ones I put the * next to), needless to say. What works for you?

The first thing that helped me with getting into a more regular sleeping pattern may have been just deciding clearly that I wanted to make more effort to do that. Then it was a project I could address myself to rather than just giving into the up-all-night impulses all the time. I also do things to prepare myself for bed (get into a nightie, have milo and meds). As we've discussed, trying not to nap or be on the bed during the day. I don't have any electronic devices in bedroom. Same with getting up again if I can't sleep after half an hour or so. We are following a similar roadmap it seems.

A few threads I've scanned today are:

porn and weed (posted your helpline number there from the other night)

When things get tough here on the forums (I think you have seen this one)

Crying

I'm sort of on and off the forum between trying to do things over most days. Sometimes I just scan, sometimes read, sometimes respond if I have anything to offer or express.

Hi @Mazarita and @eth,

I think @Mazarita has named the the active thread for today. It seems a bit quiet than how it usual is.

There's only one other thread on here that I can think of that's had some activity: The perfect patient. May I also suggest popping into the Carers Forums. There's a few active discussions in there that you might want to contribute to.

Thanks. Yes I had seen those threads earlier. I'm the same, often just read a thread without feeling the urge to get involved in the conversation. I enjoyed the 'Dialogue with other sane forumites' one but not much happening there today. I don't know how to do those page links you just did.

To make the links, try this:

• find the webpage you want to link to and copy the address
• go to the 'reply' box you want to post the link to and highlight the text you want the link to be on
• on the bar above the text box, click the icon on the right hand side of the smiley icon
• paste the link into the box that comes up
• give the link a title in that box
• that should be it

It's a little complicated but you can get used to doing it. Alternatively you can just post a full link straight into the text box.