This semester I’ve learned more about “unwinding”. Not how to do it, per se, but that it seems to be necessary to a healthy night’s sleep sometimes. I remember when I lived in Provo with Schmidy, I’d frequently find him sitting in front of the TV around midnight or so. You have to keep in mind that Schmidy was one of the hardest workers I ever knew– totally diligent at his school work, didn’t waste time, etc. So to see him sitting in front of the TV instead of crashing… well his response was that he was unwinding.
I guess back then I didn’t get wound up much, whereas I do now. I wonder why? Have I just become more of an uptight person? Do I just care more about the work that I’m doing that gets me wound up?
So last night I decided to work on my final project for a class at the office instead of at home– less distractions, etc. Then I needed to get up at 6am today, so I’m hurrying to get done to try to get to bed sometime around midnight or shortly thereafter. I get home just after 12, get ready for bed, and hop in bed.
And lie there awake.
Then I remember something in the project that I forgot to do. Rats, I’ll have to try to squeeze that in first thing in the morning before I go anywhere.
1am, still awake. Oh well, hope of getting anything near 6 hours of sleep is shot (anything below 6 and I really wish I weren’t alive the next day). Guess I’ll set my alarm a few minutes earlier to make that change, makes no difference now.
I am not really sure if I really ever got into a deep sleep because the same things were in my head all night and when I woke up at 5:45am (15 minutes before my alarm was set to go off). So in a couple of hours I will likely be dragging my sorry butt… and as I was driving to work today I wondered, what do other people do to wind down? Because often I want to just stop / finish what I was working on, hop in bed, and sleep, and it just doesn’t work like that. My mind is still far too active to be able to sleep. It needs to slow down first.
I don’t want to watch TV to wind down. I don’t want to surf the Internet, usually I’ll waste too much time doing that. Maybe I should start reading, that always seems to put me to sleep. Or make a playlist of really soft relaxing instrumental music.
Any other brilliant ideas out there? Now that I think about it, it seems really counter-productive to be *anxious* to get to sleep. I guess it would help to not procrastinate projects– I’m just annoyed that when I want to sleep sometimes I can’t. (this may sound especially strange to my siblings who think I’m somewhat narcoleptic).
Meh.
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12 responses to “Unwinding”
Dude, the number ONE way to get to sleep is to just read the book of mormon. That way, you get spiritually fed, and it zonks you out pretty fast too! But, if not, you’ll be a better person for it. You can’t lose!
Or, like, book on tape…don’t even have to keep your eyes open so the transition from unwinding to sleeping is seamless!
Book on tape! Genius! Except who listens to tapes anymore? I guess “book on mp3” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
So I combine the two suggestions and I have Book of Mormon on CD/mp3… nice. I knew I could count on your guys 😉
Try taking a hot shower. It’s hypnotizing! Just stand there in the warm water, and empty your head. Then wrap yourself in a blanket and lay down. You’ll be out like a light, I promise. 🙂
It’s like sitting in a hot tub – are you ever tired after sitting in a hot tub?
I wish I had a hot tub. Oh and according to Dan and his “Guy Q” book, taking a hot shower is the equivalent of 2 hours of sleep (as far as rejuvination goes I guess). Yeah, right!
I don’t buy that for a second! Taking a hot shower makes me feel tired… not rejuvinated!
Althought it might be worth the 2 hours I spend lying in bed trying to fall asleep at night, eh?
Serious, next time you have that problem, get up and get in the shower – see if it helps!
In the past I have used hypnosis cd’s to fall asleep. You’ll be amazed at how well it works. It winds you down very quickly and then helps you sleep. Good Luck 🙂 If you need an idea on what to try here’s a link.
http://www.head-cleaners.com/
PS- yes I know it’s late. I’m not having trouble sleeping. I just don’t have to work tomorrow! Ha!
Hope you enjoyed your day off 😉 Hypnosis eh? I could think of lots of things to use hypnosis for. Like to help me stop putting 2 spaces after periods, exclamation points, question marks, etc.
ha. my trainer tried to hypnotize me on the mission. i actually remember what he did, and have developed some variations on it. i combine that with some zen meditation techniqes i learned in college. a lot of counting and focusing. i start be inhaling deeply and counting each inhalation. you must focus hard on the breathing. “in” “out” things like that. around number 7, i usually feel a major muscle group like my shoulder go limp. if you lose count, start over. i stop at 10. then i start my hypnosis. i imagine myself in an elevator on the 20th floor. it’s a glass elevator, so i can see out. i begin moving down.. counting the floors. as i move down, i start to feel like i’m on codiene or something. when i reach the bottom, the door opens and i’m at the beach. i walk into the ocean and the water gets deeper. eventually, it covers my head, but i keep walking (i can somehow breathe under water). as i imagine the pressure of the water building, everything gets darker and darker. then, it’s like i hit a drain at the bottom and i fall through and i’m falling. the sensation is fairly dramatic. if i’m still awake, i just repeat the word “relax” like a mantra.. though sometimes i get distracted by images of ben stiller killing the prime minister of malaysia.
Are you sure you weren’t on some codiene when you wrote that? Hehe… yeah i don’t think the falling part would help me get to sleep.