The Sleep Demon

Yeah, ever since I got sick as a little child I've had sleep problems. From the age of 4 to 10, I would refuse to sleep when ordered to, and lay awake and cry that I couldn't sleep. When I entered the preteens and the teens, I just stayed awake until I crashed, and sometimes my days/nights were flipped, sleeping during the day and awake during the night.
This got so bad one year, I dropped out my 10th grade year.

But now? I smoke weed to help me sleep and I've been semi-regular with it, just that I roll around and get uncomfortable for hours and wake up really early. AT LEAST I'VE BEEN SLEEPING MORE!

I hear you @Snuchu

The Sleep Police could be our parents - what kind of thought is that!!

I didn't sleep well when I was a child - I would be sent to bed - no TV in those days - my Gran and my mother would play the piano and after a while all the adults went to bed and I could hear my parents talking in the next room and then - well - ummm - I did wonder what they we doing - but then

Now - my days and nights get flipped too - and the Sleep Police tell us we should sleep at night - and for so many hours - but I have chronic pain and sometimes my nights are disturbed

In some states in the US - green smoke has been legalised for people with different disorders and a licence is needed to buy it - let's hope that now that Victoria has legalised the use of what they call MMJ can help people with sleep disorders - which I am sure would stop people getting sick with other health problems

Though - I must admit - although what other people do is not my concern - I am a bit scared of it myself

Still - whatever works for you - let it work for you

Decadian

You are so right @Silenus

I used to wonder why we enjoyed it so much when we were unconscious for the duration

But now I know our brain is working all night - filing our life and sorting our issues for us - and dreams -

If I am disturbed when I am asleep I know I was having the best dream ever.

And this great dream - I am sure other people have this happen - is something we cannot remember and we can never get back to

Nature's balm - do you think we could find a way of collecting it - and adding the extras of good dreams and no disturbances and sell it to those who could pay and donate it and the sleep and dreams to the needy.

All we get out of it for ourselves is the good feeling that those who need sleep can get it and we can help those sleeping in the cold weather - rough.

I think I had better stop at this point

Decadian

Hi @Ellie

Ah - the Sleep Police would have something to say I am sure - they take away our natural inclinations of doing something - but I don't think that sleeping pill is doing much

Have you told your doctor? It's a good thing to let them know when life is tipping our sleep habits

2-3 hours a night is not much - I know I break the rules by reading myself to sleep - or just listening to a movie on TV - I can actually put a movie on and go to bed - and I have slept through and woken up to Infomercials - awwww - terrible way to wake up

Tonight - I think - we have Dr Michael Mosley telling us that we know how to live healthy lives but the hard part is not doing it. I could use more exercise - my favourite time is after sunset but before it gets dark - but in the winter that time is too early, too short and too cold.

So Ellie - what do you do in the time your are awake? I hate the rules of sleep hygiene and like to fill up that time with something and do puzzles and refrain from playing the piano so as not to disturb my neighbours - but getting out of bed and finding something to do can help - even if you don't get back to sleep that night - tossing and turning is so horrible - I will do anything else rather than fight with the pillows all night

Let's know how you are going Ellie

Decadian

Hi @Silenus

Good ideas on dreams - I believe they are the unconcious mind of telling me things I am not prepared to see or maybe donn't want to

I have not heard of the Johari window and it's hidden right, lower pane. How interesting that it is the lower right pain - (ah - I am leaving that typo - it's a Freudian slip - obviously) - the lower right pane of the Johari window

Window pain - panes - themselves - are invisible - we can only see them because they have dimensions and their accumution of dust and their reflections - yes - what do we reflect on when we gaze into the uncounsious through the lower right pane -

I am intrigued - you just gave me a brilliant idea - because what will one window pane tell us that another will not - and refracting glass has always been interesting to me. And crystal - even better

Where can I learn more about the Johari window - and - maybe you would like to know about my six-sided rock crystal - which doesn't bend light - but can be so clear that I can read through it

How clear this is and how obscure - it really trains the mind when we can relax to that point that we are aware of the world around us and even the passage of time - but not lose ourselves in a deep sleep but rather have the time alone with our thoughts - thoughts that bring more ideas

I love ideas

Decadian

@Silenus - my friend

I don't think talking about suicidal ideation is really waffling - and you can't actually upset anyone yourself - they are already upset on that topic

So - I suppose we do have to watch our audience when talking about such sensitive and serious matters - but if the boy, teenager, young person - whoever - is upset - then they perhaps need to hear that they are not alone - and that it is okay to talk about it

Did your partner give you a hard time about it? If so - then ask if the kid might be troubled in some way - it is so much better to disambiguate the subject rather than bury it

SI didn't even have a title when I was growning up - and my mother was shocked when I heard about a friends of hers taking too many tablets and I used the S word. So bad was this word I could not mention my son was into "gestures" and I knew he was self-destructive. He even finsished himself off - but still - the S word was not allowed

I hated this - so maybe this is a chance - but let your partner do it unless the lad comes to you - and be open with your partner -

Let's end the silence

Decadian

@Silenus, I guess I dream lucidly all the time, I rarely dream as well. Once in a blue moon I would dream something great, but the more common dreams are the violent ones... Either I recall what happened in the past with me and my mom (either fighting or the incident that landed me in jail) or some random brutal dream. I get deja vu's all the time too, because I recall dreaming that even though I rarely dream.

SI topics are senstive among my family and friends as well... If I mention anything about it, my family thinks I need meds or need hospital. The same when I get mad, even normally. Jeez.

@Decadian, I'm really sorry to hear about your experience with the S word. Nobody deserves to go through that. 😞