Little Mason Jars of Sleep

[jducoeur]

Insomnia is really fundamentally unfair. There I am for half the night, totally unable to sleep because I can't shut my brain down. ("Must write character sheets!" "Is the new oil tank okay?" "*Jeezus*, it's cold!") Then I get to the morning -- I can scarcely keep my eyes open, nor form a particularly coherent thought.

We don't need pills for sleeping. We need a canning process for fatigue...

Comments

[tashabear.livejournal.com]

I want a service to drive me around so I can sleep.

[cellio]

That's frustrating, yes. I usually don't have problems being kept awake by an active brain; my being-kept-awake problems stem from spousal snoring. Argh. At least if the brain were still going I could get something useful done. :-)

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

I'm a big fan of seperate bedrooms. Although I came upon it rather by accident (by starting as housemates before getting involved), I can't imagine doing without it any more. I doubt that my marriage could possibly have even happened, much less lasted, if we had had to make our sleeping habits completely compatible.

Mason jars

[metageek.livejournal.com]

Well, if you want a Mason jar of sleep, just take the Pratchett approach. Fill the jar with sand, hand it to your Igor, and ask him to hit you on the head with it. :-)

Re: Mason jars

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

That won't help, silly. Even if that fills the Mason jar with sleep, it would all fall out when the jar itself breaks after hitting him in the head. Although if it doesn't break, he might get a Mason Jar of Mason Sleep.

Re: Mason jars

[metageek.livejournal.com]

It doesn't fill the jar with sleep; it is a jar of sleep. Although, admittedly, it's also a jar of pain, bleeding, and trips to the emergency room. That's probably why the Sandman uses a Mason bag instead.

Re: Mason jars

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

Mason Jar of Mason Sleep

Is this somthing that can only help Freemasons sleep? Or if you use it to sleep, do you get Secret Insights Into the Architecture of the Universe?

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

My response to this problem, lately at any rate, has been to (if it goes on for more than an hour), just give up, get up, and do some of the stuff I'm obsessing over.

The jury is still out on whether this is a good idea, as it does play merry hell with my sleep "schedule".

[siderea]

My compromise is to use that fretful energy to make a list of what I have to do.

Doesn't always work, but sometimes the "must do now" fretfulness is more a function of being worried about forgetting to do one of a zillion little things that need doing. Making a list solves that problem for me.

Righto!

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

If it's just mental stuff keeping you up, we call it "hamstering." As in, running unproductively on a treadmill. Making a list is a great idea. Any sort of writing about the problem is useful.

But if it's just physical, yeah, do stuff. But there's one thing I try first: match breathing with your sweetie, if you share a bed, for 5-10 minutes. If that doesn't make you fall asleep, you're definitely awake for the long haul.

[jducoeur]

Actually, it one of the techniques that's often recommended for insomnia, so you're on a good track. Problem is, when I'm this sleep-dep'ped to begin with, it's very hard to motivate to get up in the middle of the night...