Monday, January 29, 2007 2:37 PM
What do you do...
by Katie
What do you do when you can't fall asleep?
I don't know about you, but this can be one of the worst feelings in the world -- lying in bed, knowing you're tired, but just not being able to unwind -- to stop your brain from thinking. And watching the clock go from 10:45 to 11:45 to 12:30 to 2:00 a.m. I hate it. But it's what happened last night.
I tried reading, I tried deep breathing, I tried counting backwards, I tried a pillow over my head, I tried a sleep mask (yup, I have one!). But finally, when I saw 2 a.m., I had to try a sleeping pill. I hate to use them bc I'm afraid of getting addicted, but my dr prescribed them for nights like this -- which happen about every three months. Usually they are much worse -- almost like panic attacks -- all because I can't sleep (but probably mixed with work and life anxiety).
So what do you do when this happens? Do you wake up DH (mine always tells me to, but I feel bad)? Does the clock ticking away stress you out? How do you get your brain to stop thinking? That's my problem -- I just can't stop thinking some nights.
I pulled this tip from an article we did on 10 stress busters -- maybe I'll try it next time:
Visualize that you are on a beach, listening to the waves coming in and feeling the warm sun and gentle breezes on your back. Try to make the sounds and sensations as vivid as possible, and concentrate for a few minutes on the pleasure and peaceful reaction it induces.