John Bull

I've never understood how so e people are able to just put their head down on the pillow and... Go to sleep. Within minutes.

Even when I'm tired, trying to sleep normally involveds at least a half hour argument with my brain to persuade it to at least consider switching off.

Jan 6, 2023 at 1:07pmWeb
Show thread๐Ÿฆ‡ Jennie Rigg ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ (she/her)Jan 6, 2023
@garius saaaaaaaaaaame
Show threadBeeCycling has movedJan 6, 2023
@garius I pretty much have to have something like an old fave podcast or audiobook playing to distract my brain into shutting up letting me sleep.
Show thread June Jan 6, 2023
@garius it's so frustrating!
Show threadAlex is catching up on sleepJan 6, 2023

@garius Iโ€™ve been both at different times. I could attempt to answer your question if it wasnโ€™t just a hypothetical?

(Iโ€™m wide awake and sitting up in bed using my iPad when I should be sleeping, so thatโ€™s part of the answer, ahem.)

Show threadstevenheywoodJan 6, 2023
@garius
I can only get to sleep instantly in the depths of a serious bout of depression. I trained myself into it as the safest thing to do. Any other waking state it takes between one and six hours.
Show threadJim SpathJan 6, 2023
@garius I must have that Li'l Abner gene as I can drop off in seconds, apparently.
(Lil Abner being a comic strip character whose job is "mattress tester")
Show threadPhil HarrisonJan 6, 2023
@garius I don't have a problem getting to sleep when I go to bed, I just wake up around 3am and then can't get back to sleep.
Show threadJohn BullJan 6, 2023

@OldGitPhil oh once I'm awake again, I'm awake. Full stop. Doesn't matter if it's 2am or 10am.

These days I don't even bother fighting that. I just get up.

Show threadAi ์•„์ดJan 6, 2023

@garius @OldGitPhil I have come to accept that I am a polyphasic sleeper. I usually don't go to bed until I am really exhausted and I have a fairly standard routine which gets me "in the mood" for sleeping. I am asleep fairly quickly. When I wake in the middle of the night, I get up and do something and then don't try to go to bed until I get the signals that I am ready to sleep again.

I have structured my life/work to accommodate this. I know others aren't as lucky.

Show threadSusannaHJan 6, 2023
@garius one of life's mysteries. For me it takes somewhere between 15 minutes and 5 hours (though most of the time, it's 15-45 mins)
Show threadThomas Favre-Bulle ๐Ÿณโ€๐ŸŒˆJan 6, 2023
@garius Relax every muscle in your face, then of your body, and picture a white frozen lake, going as far as eye can see. It's what works for me.
Show threadJames Gleave๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿšฒ๐ŸšŒ๐Ÿš„๐ŸšŠ๐Ÿš‡๐Ÿค˜โšฝ๐ŸŽฎJan 6, 2023
@garius instant sleeper here. If it makes you feel better, if I'm not snoozing within 10 minutes, I will be up for at least the next 2 hours.
Show threadAlan (he/him)Jan 6, 2023
@garius Some of us do it by starting that argument half an hour before we put our heads on the pillow. I have insomnia and part of dealing with that is a mental wind-down routine that I do along with my physical routine of getting undressed, brushing teeth, etc. It's a learned habit, but it does work for me.
Show threadKateJan 6, 2023
@garius my partner just switches off immediately! It's as if his batteries stop when he is horizontal. I, on the other hand, lay awake for hours with my brain going in to overdrive.
Show threadMigrated to [email protected]Jan 6, 2023
@garius same.. And if it's _only_ 30 minutes of trying to sleep, then that's a good night!
Show threadSivationJan 6, 2023
@garius oh yes, this is very much me.
... with added help from Bella only wanting skritches when I go to sleep. So I spend the first 10-20 mins with a chonky cat on my chest demanding cuddles.
... with the added bonus of potential cat aggro if Sophie decides she wants to snuggle under the duvet with me.
Not really condusive to getting to sleep!
Show threadMichael W Lucas Jan 6, 2023

@garius

Oh, I see your problem. The pillow goes OVER your face.

Get a good friend to hold it there for a minute or two. No longer.

Show threadHenkPoleyJan 6, 2023
@mwl @garius ๐Ÿ˜’
Show thread Why Not Zoidberg? ๐Ÿฆ‘Jan 6, 2023
@garius Funny, I have still not mastered the skill of not nodding off in office meetings.
Show threadDave BulmerJan 6, 2023
@garius My wife had this problem, and the solution -- well, the treatment -- turned out to be one of those headbands with flat speakers in, so you can listen to podcasts and those voices cancel out yours. You can get ones that are eye masks as well if you want total darkness. We bought Sleepphones and it's been great
Show threadJami Jan 6, 2023

@garius I have recently learned that some people don't actually hear themselves in their heads. Can you imagine?! It must be so quiet and peaceful.

I can't get my brain to shut up long enough to go to sleep that quickly. ๐Ÿ˜ข

Show threadFireTowerJan 6, 2023
@garius Only in two situations can I do that - as a car passenger and in the first conference presentation after lunch.
Show threadDario LandazuriJan 6, 2023
@garius Have you tried taking melatonin? I take it for a different reason, but it does (usually) help me go to sleep quicker.
Show threadKatMJan 6, 2023
@garius my 6 year old, frustrated, asked me how one is supposed to actually fall asleep. I was like, man you're asking the wrong person.
Show threadMichael NolanJan 6, 2023
@garius I'm one of those people who can (usually!) fall asleep very quickly but on the flip side I wake up instantly at the slightest noise and often then struggle to get back to sleep or have fairly disturbed sleep.
Show threadMikki B ๐Ÿˆ๐Ÿˆโ€โฌ›๐Ÿท๐Ÿป๐ŸŽถ๐ŸŽท๐Ÿ“šJan 7, 2023
@garius falling asleep isn't the issue with me; it's STAYING asleep. Once I wake up during the night, that's when I have problems going back to sleep. ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ
Show threadPapaSierraJan 7, 2023
@garius I donโ€™t manage to switch my brain off. I try to redirect it; instead of working through something, I try to think about a story or a memory or a place I want to go to and how that would be. That seems to trick the brain into the dream world. Doesnโ€™t always work, though, sometimes it takes ages especially going back to sleep.
Show threadDamien (TIG BUSINESS)Jan 7, 2023
@garius 100% one of those people skewing the average to 7 minutes to go to sleep. Not every time, obviously, ut I am so tired most of the time that as soon as no one is looking at me I pass out.