I like to listen to some relaxing music as I lay in bed to help me drift off into a comfortable and happy sleep. I was wondering what you lads would have to recommend in this area?
At the moment I'm wrapped up in my duvet with a nice mug of hot chocolate listening to La Notte. I know that lyrically its more of a song for longing but I find her voice incredibly peaceful.
Yes I sleep with my laptop next to me. Its a constant companion and I feel uneasy when I walk to the shops without that reassuring feeling of the weight of my laptop strap on my shoulder.
>>9916 Listening to it now. I feel like this would make a great album to get rid of a stress headache so I will have to use it for my commute home - I'm loving The Orb vibe to it.
I suppose its worth asking what you lads do to prepare for bed? I've always found that taking my socks off is how my body knows its time for bed and I've heard similar things of people who wear glasses all day.
Is it just me who finds these songs somewhat depressing? I couldn't fall asleep to these. They'd make me think/reflect too much, they all sound so sad..
* Dim the lights, ensure F.lux is running at its darkest.
* Pajamas on, hot water bottle in bed.
* Cup of Clipper Sleep Easy tea.
* Meds.
* Read a chapter or so of my book/listen to the Archers with my eyes closed.
* Guided meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVzTnS_IONU (the only one I've ever found tolerable because it's not an American, and he's not doing that poncy hypnotherapist voice, and there's no fucking whalesong in the background, etc. etc.)
I've now been diagnosed with chronic insomnia as of last year so this might seem like overkill. I do recommend the meditation though, with or without a guide.
>>9925 I suck at sleeping. Mostly I'll drink until I'm tired enough to pass out in bed listening to some music on my mp3 player. Or I'll stay up sober until I'm tired enough to get into bed, then have an episode of something playing in the background. This happens at any and all hours. The only time my sleep is good is if it's on a nocturnal schedule, which my body clock seems to naturally revert too, and I'd be fine with that if I could do everything I do during the day, at night, but I can't.
>>9929 I'm pretty much the same.
Weed is great for it, if you're not getting drug tested.
Getting my first 9-5 soon so I'm planning on taking my sleep diary into the GP so they don't just fob me off with anti-ds and a list of things I've already tried numerous times.
>>9930 Personal experience but last year I had pretty bad sleep problems for a while and I think weed may have been partially to blame. It's the same with any drug really, it might make me relaxed in the short term but a day or two later I'd bounce back and become more anxious (racing heart-rate when I was just laying in bed) unless I smoked more, getting further into a cycle.
In fairness, I was pretty stressed at the time about finding work, and I would take regular naps which made falling asleep at night more of a bitch, so weed wasn't the only contributory factor. But if you are having sleep problems, I'd definitely recommend giving up weed and reducing/giving up alcohol as they both definitely have some effect on your sleep pattern.
Caffeine is also a fucker, even if you don't have any before bed it has a half-life of 5 hours in your body, so if you have multiple cups of strong coffee throughout the day you'll still have a high blood-content by bed-time. Plus it just generally messes up your circadian rhythm if you have a lot of coffee at certain times of day (including first thing when you wake up).
>>9931 >>9928 here, echoing the advice to stay away from alcohol and caffeine. I now stick as close as possible to observing good sleep hygiene around alcohol and caffeine consumption, and I believe it's helped - and I can definitely feel the effects when I do allow myself a few drinks, with a guaranteed night of absolutely no REM-stage sleep and two days of suicidal ideation after.
Token link as I do recognise this thread is in /beat/: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCsfUXFmBDQ This track has seen me through many a night terror/panic attack/whoops-I-took-a-bit-too-much-base moment.
>>9934>>9931 Gave up weed a while ago because I'm due a hair test for a job at some point but it really did do wonders for my sleep; - trouble sleeping/not sleeping is something that has been going on for as long as I can remember - experimented smoking it on the reg through a chunk of uni and despite sinking more time into it than I should have got offered a masters and destroyed all my exams. The problem with it all is it puts me in an awful mood, destroys my memory worse than weed ever could have and makes my stomach feel raped.
In the past I've stopped drinking after people have raised concerns over it and cut out caffeine almost completely. None of this helped.
At this stage caffeine is pretty much what keeps me going through the day but don't worry, I never drink it past 4pm.
I don't want to turn this into an /emo/ thread and start rattling off the list of things I've tried, but maybe one day I'll seek the guidance of the almighty .gs.
I thought this would be a good time to pick up this thread again. I must admit I forgot about it as I've been sleeping unusually well lately mostly because I've been doing a bit of walking before getting home for bed -cliché advice but it works.
>>9926 I think this is true for allot of the music I listen to but I don't think I could drift off to something with upbeat lyrics.
At least the fantasies I have as I get to sleep are more upbeat. Anyone else ever think about going on one of those expeditions to one of our uninhabited islands to hang out with millions of penguins with nothing but the noise of the wind and waves in the background?
>>9930 >>9931 >>9935 I'll add to the consensus that weed does help with sleep. The problem is eventually for whatever reason you can't at which point you've become restless without it.
>>10012 >Anyone else ever think about going on one of those expeditions to one of our uninhabited islands to hang out with millions of penguins with nothing but the noise of the wind and waves in the background?
God yes. I've slept on remote beaches before and while it can be somewhat lonely, it's quite nice. Same with just hanging out for days in the middle of nowhere. If only I could get a job exploring/keeping an eye on remote places.
>>10013 Aye its a shame there are always more applicants than places for Antarctic expeditions and the like. I guess the Orkneys are the best you can get for some peace and quiet.
Maybe city life is getting to me. The cars going by a few metres away is driving me mad.
I guess I'm having an early night tonight but I thought I would bump this thread again with what I'm listening to as I've found it perfect for relaxing me before bedtime.
It might seem a little energetic at first but the album image and the way the tracks blend together gives an atmosphere of sitting by a riverbank on a summers day watching the ships sail on by as you start to sail off to sleep yourself under a tree. Maybe I will throw out a fishing line and reel in some supper if it bites or just conveniently forget.
