Thread: Life expectancy
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Old Dec 12, 2012, 06:06 PM
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gabmux gabmux is offline
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Member Since: Dec 2012
Location: Among the void..
Posts: 134
Quote:
Originally Posted by bpd2 View Post
My advice is to go to a sleep center site on the web and look at their advice. When I was in the psych unit the last time, a doc from the sleep center came with a handout for us about just this issue--because lots of psych disorders have this symptom. I remember these: Don't exercise for at least 2 hours before bed because it revs your metabolism even as it tires your muscles; if you are awake more than 15 minutes, get up and go do something for an hour, then go back to bed and let yourself sleep; count --really, like counting sheep--but do it with your eyes closed, and when you lose count, start over at one, don't stress about losing count; start turning down your lighting as the sun sets, so that you are giving your body clues, instead of creating artificial daylight that throws off your body's rhythms; keep the bedroom very, very dark and quiet--buy an eye mask and ear plugs if you have to; never do anything in bed (eat, read) except sleep and sex; drink warm milk before bed (there's an enzyme in it that is calming); take any meds with anxiety side-effects in the morning, not at night--and try to get time-release meds, in any case; meditate on a calming word for 15 or 20 minutes before bed--or any other meditation techniques--like imagining yourself at the ocean with the waves lapping in and out on a calm, empty beach.
So, sometimes I remember these solutions, sometimes I don't. Writing them down here makes me think I'd better write them on a card and put it on my nightstand so that I remember them when it's bad . . .
Thank you much. I'm thinking you all have given me everything I need. Now it's up to me to do the work.