Tricks to fall asleep

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acctingman
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Tricks to fall asleep

Post by acctingman » Wed Feb 25, 2015 5:15 pm

I was wondering what everyone does to help fall asleep.

I take my mask off and I can fall asleep in minutes, however, when I'm laying there with it on, I get frustrated because I won't allow myself to fall asleep so I wind up taking it off 10-20 minutes later.

I've tried taking over the counter sleep aids and they don't help much. Everything is adjusted to my liking, but I KNOW this is a mental thing.

Maybe I just need to overrun my frustration and just lay there with the mask on until I fall asleep....I mean, I eventually will fall asleep. I just get so mental about it and let it beat me.

What did you do to overcome this hurdle?

Thanks

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zoocrewphoto
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Re: Tricks to fall asleep

Post by zoocrewphoto » Wed Feb 25, 2015 5:19 pm

acctingman wrote:I was wondering what everyone does to help fall asleep.

I take my mask off and I can fall asleep in minutes, however, when I'm laying there with it on, I get frustrated because I won't allow myself to fall asleep so I wind up taking it off 10-20 minutes later.

I've tried taking over the counter sleep aids and they don't help much. Everything is adjusted to my liking, but I KNOW this is a mental thing.

Maybe I just need to overrun my frustration and just lay there with the mask on until I fall asleep....I mean, I eventually will fall asleep. I just get so mental about it and let it beat me.

What did you do to overcome this hurdle?

Thanks

Even before cpap, I had trouble falling asleep. My mind just won't turn off easily. I had to create daydreams, a story that I was in, and eventually, I would fall asleep. That way takes me longer. The quick way is to sleep with the tv on. Just loud enough to hear without straining. It can be a tv program or the news, as long as it is not something that bothers me. I listen along and since I am following that, I am not thinking if my own normal stuff to keep my awake. I usually fall asleep within 10 minutes with the tv on. I just wish it had a time to turn off. I know I would sleep deeper with it off, but every time I try to sleep without it, it takes me at least half an hour, sometimes more than an hour to fall asleep.

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JimP
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Re: Tricks to fall asleep

Post by JimP » Wed Feb 25, 2015 5:22 pm

[/quote]


Even before cpap, I had trouble falling asleep. My mind just won't turn off easily. I had to create daydreams, a story that I was in, and eventually, I would fall asleep. That way takes me longer. The quick way is to sleep with the tv on. Just loud enough to hear without straining. It can be a tv program or the news, as long as it is not something that bothers me. I listen along and since I am following that, I am not thinking if my own normal stuff to keep my awake. I usually fall asleep within 10 minutes with the tv on. I just wish it had a time to turn off. I know I would sleep deeper with it off, but every time I try to sleep without it, it takes me at least half an hour, sometimes more than an hour to fall asleep.[/quote]

That's actually not a bad idea. Put the TV on the weather channel and set the TV sleep timer for 20 minutes.

I've always been able to fall asleep within a minute or two. Sometimes if I have difficulty, I'll count one, two, one, two..... What that does is force you to stop thinking about more complex thoughts that'll keep you awake.

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Krelvin
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Re: Tricks to fall asleep

Post by Krelvin » Wed Feb 25, 2015 5:41 pm

For me it is simple.

I go through the same process every time I sleep (even naps)
  • Close door to room (no pets in the room)
  • All noise off, Cell phone notifications, (calls are on but I rarely get cell calls)
  • Sit on edge of bed (cool down period, lower heart rate)
  • Make sure the Tank is full (humidity)
  • Put on my Mask and adjust if necessary.
  • Put on head phones (they have noise suppression) and are very light weight (cover whole ear)
  • Turn on a med vol, ASMR tracks (no talk, sounds about 35 mins long)
  • Lie down and adjust myself, mask if necessary
  • Close eyes, listen to sounds
  • I am out in 5-10 mins.
IF after 30 mins I am not sleeping, I don't just lie there, I get up. Go to the bathroom, sit in my recliner in the living room (not reclined) and check some info etc, wait 30-40 mins.. then then start through the same step at the top (don't bother filling the tank).

If I wake up during the night, sometimes common around 3am - 3:30am, I get up, go to the bathroom, check a few things and then just start all over. Typically I get another 1-1/2 to 3 hours sleep with my Mask on.

I have the luxury to not need to use an alarm. Forced wakeup's can make you feel groggy in the morning especially if you are in the middle of a sleep cycle. I can work from home in the morning if necessary and then go to work.

Oh and the head phones after the track is done, just are silent with noise suppression turned on. So minor noises like the cats messing around in the other room, loud car on the street, are not heard. I can hear my land line and my cell if called and that is about it. Nice and quiet and actually quite comfortable.

I NEVER sleep without my CPAP, EVER... Even for a short nap.
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chunkyfrog
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Re: Tricks to fall asleep

Post by chunkyfrog » Wed Feb 25, 2015 7:35 pm

I have a long list of things I need to do before I can sleep.
(Maybe I NEED an actual list)
By the time I take care of EVERYTHING, (egad!) I put on the mask, lie down,
and zonk out within about ten minutes.
If my mind is too active, I turn on the XM radio to Classic Radio.
Variety shows from the fifties are so soothing.

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ChicagoGranny
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Re: Tricks to fall asleep

Post by ChicagoGranny » Wed Feb 25, 2015 7:40 pm

acctingman wrote:Tricks to fall asleep
Trix are for kids. Try the real stuff,
- Practice good sleep hygiene (Google it and read several sources)
- Eat a good diet
- Have a regular, moderate exercise program
- Practice total abstinence of caffeine including sources like chocolate
- Review all medicines, vitamins and supplements you are taking to make sure none are interfering with sleep
- Optimize emotional stress in your life
- Use CPAP software to make sure your therapy is optimized
Good luck.

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Captain_Midnight
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Re: Tricks to fall asleep

Post by Captain_Midnight » Wed Feb 25, 2015 7:55 pm

I avoid coffee or tea after 4ish, and no major food after 7ish (or so).

Pre diagnosis, I would try to stay awake as long as possible, and I think this could have been a subliminal fear of what lay ahead.

After diagnosis and xpap threrapy start, it was much easier for me to hit the haystack at an earlier hour. I'll describe for you an interesting Pavlovian response. At night when I pick up my mask to put it on, I yawn. Every time. How's that for an association w sleep and xpappian therapy?

But to your question, I have an Ipad mini that (contrary to the expert advise) I use, in bed, every night. I go to USA Today and go to the crossword puzzle section. I try my darndest to finish a puzzle before sleepiness wins over. This is not what the sleep experts say to do, but it works so well for me that I would recommend doing the crosswords in USA Today as a soporific. Give it a try.

(Not a recommendation of USA Today, it's an awful paper with a severely leftward political tilt. The crosswords however? Priceless!)

Good luck.

.

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chunkyfrog
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Re: Tricks to fall asleep

Post by chunkyfrog » Wed Feb 25, 2015 8:04 pm

I make it a point to have a little bit of dark chocolate every day.
Anyone have a problem with that, don't even consider the possibility that frogs don't bite!

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Re: Tricks to fall asleep

Post by yaconsult » Wed Feb 25, 2015 8:25 pm

Everyone is different. What I found works for me is listening to talk radio as it is sufficiently distracting to keep from worrying about not being asleep yet . I am lucky to have KQED NPR as a local station and they have interesting talk programs on 24/7. I use the sleep timer on the radio so it turns off automatically after 15 or 30 minutes. This American Life, All Things Considered, Forum, Fresh Air, Commonwealth Club - these are what I fall asleep to. And if it takes a while, then I enjoyed listening to an interesting program. I always have the option of going the next day and listening to the rest of the program on the web site.

People who don't have a convenient station could download some interesting podcasts from http://www.npr.org/podcasts/ and play those.

For me, music wouldn't work as well but it might for some other people. But one thing you don't want to be doing is laying there thinking and worrying about why you are not asleep yet - that never helps.

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strigiformes
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Re: Tricks to fall asleep

Post by strigiformes » Wed Feb 25, 2015 9:39 pm

I listen to podcasts on a sleep timer - I like the Stuff You Should Know podcasts and offshoots from the same folks (Stuff You Missed in History Class, Stuff They Don't Want You to Know, etc). They're interesting, but not so interesting that my mind insists on staying awake to finish them. If the podcast really is something super-interesting, I remind myself that I can guesstimate when I fell asleep and thus how far I got into them by looking at my Sleepyhead data, so I can always pick it up the next night (and look forward to bed!).

I also like various talk radio programs, either via my podcast app or *gasp* on the actual radio. Our old radio doesn't have a sleep timer, though...need to get a new one!

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Re: Tricks to fall asleep

Post by yaconsult » Wed Feb 25, 2015 10:40 pm

That's exactly it! Interesting enough to distract, but not so interesting as to keep you awake! LOL What kind of timer do you use? I use a clock radio that has a sleep timer and an mp3 input.

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strigiformes
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Re: Tricks to fall asleep

Post by strigiformes » Wed Feb 25, 2015 10:56 pm

yaconsult wrote:That's exactly it! Interesting enough to distract, but not so interesting as to keep you awake! LOL What kind of timer do you use? I use a clock radio that has a sleep timer and an mp3 input.
I use the BeyondPod podcast app on my phone, which has an adjustable sleep timer built in. I load up my playlist with likely-looking episodes from my favorite feeds every weekend, so I don't have to spend much time before bed picking something to listen to.

Definitely gonna have to get a newer radio with a timer like yours, though. When we use the radio, my husband usually functions as the sleep timer when he makes his nightly trip to the bathroom.

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Jimmycrackhorn
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Re: Tricks to fall asleep

Post by Jimmycrackhorn » Wed Feb 25, 2015 11:45 pm

I wrote this in another thread (2 now actually) for someone who seemed to be having similar issues. This should DEFINITELY help you deal with the stress of your brain playing games with you about falling asleep.
Jimmycrackhorn wrote:You know, there are a lot of people that have way more experience than me about the technical side of this, but I would say to maybe chill a little when it comes to the mask, do what I do, Meditate yourself to bed.

Some great stuff is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vgKzXd ... vgKzXdwtRE - A Playlist with a lot of mindfulness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJjc4XreJSQ - Honest guys 1 hour guided sleep meditation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMl_T7QIZdY - Suffering is Okay by Thich Nhat Hanh

There are a lot more. The idea is that Mindfulness will make Physical changes. Plus on those days when I am REALLY tired, I use this stuff to relax myself, fall asleep for a little bit and get a huge recharge. Over time, the more do this the more effective it will become. I remember days where I felt like complete panic, deprivation and so on, and this stuff really helps calm the mind and body and even alleviate some of the bad feelings both emotionally and physically.

Adding to this, I discovered a point where I can feel absolutely tired and zombie like, and if I can literally take a "meditation nap" and become so relaxed that I catch myself (meditating on my back) snoring even a tiny bit, and that can be after anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending - I can have a burst of "wake up" that will carry me through the day. (oh wait, I guess I sort of said this already in the Quote - oh well, probably better to hear it twice. I'd be curious to find out if it works for other people too.)

I really hope you incorporate this meditation into your daily/nightly routine. I was doing it usually Mid-day and then to fall asleep every day for a while. Now I do it every time I fall asleep, but on days where I'm tired I will still fall out mid-day for a short med-nap. The key to really help sometimes is to eat something right before and sometimes that will kick in a little "itis" to help with the falling out.

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ChicagoGranny
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Re: Tricks to fall asleep

Post by ChicagoGranny » Thu Feb 26, 2015 6:37 am

strigiformes wrote:Our old radio doesn't have a sleep timer, though...need to get a new one!
strigiformes wrote:Definitely gonna have to get a newer radio with a timer like yours, though.
Does anyone still buy radios? Check out their VCRs while you are in the store.

http://iphone.appstorm.net/how-to/enter ... ur-iphone/

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Re: Tricks to fall asleep

Post by ChicagoGranny » Thu Feb 26, 2015 6:38 am

Jimmycrackhorn wrote:Some great stuff is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vgKzXd ... vgKzXdwtRE - A Playlist with a lot of mindfulness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJjc4XreJSQ - Honest guys 1 hour guided sleep meditation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMl_T7QIZdY - Suffering is Okay by Thich Nhat Hanh
I am going to try some of those. Thanks.