
Insomnia: To Pursue Sleep So Hard You Become Invigorated by the Chase - axiomdata316
https://longreads.com/2018/11/15/insomnia-to-pursue-sleep-so-hard-you-become-invigorated-by-the-chase/
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mingyeow
I had signs of insomnia in the last couple of years. Tried all the usual
techniques, and I realized those just do not work for one simple reason - that
the moment i do not fall asleep, i become frustrated. And that frustration in
turn makes sleeping much harder.

So, I tried doing the exact opposite, and my sleep has been tremendously
better since.

Essentially, i force myself to keep my eyes open. When I catch myself falling
asleep, I actually force myself to keep them often again. Before i know it, it
is morning.

It sounds counter-intuitive, but all my insomnia problems are over, including
on a plane. Would love to know if it works for others, or if it is just a
silly thing that works for only me.

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r32a_
This is how some people overcome a creative block, they get frustrated when
they don't get good ideas and that stops them from getting good ideas.

~~~
PavlovsCat
Regarding sleep, I also learned to "take it easy", so to speak. Instead of
thinking "I have to get up soon, _fall asleep already!!_ ", I simply think "oh
well, I might not sleep but at least I can rest my body a bit and think about
stuff". I find that inventing things, be their stories, or imaginary programs,
helps with drifting over from that into sleep.

As for creativity, I don't know if it's good for overall output volume, but I
love to have a lot of things in the oven, on the backburner, and in the
pantry, and switching occasionally. Sometimes I find that something I was
burned out on excites me again, and other times I realize that something I was
totally obsessed with for a short while after coming up with it isn't really
that good, which is just as important.

~~~
rgoodwintx
Interestingly enough, I've recently found a couple of similar triggers.
(Lifelong sleep issues, getting and staying asleep.)

\- Thinking about a conversation (real or otherwise) between two OTHER people
(I can't be involved), or \- counting down backward and visualizing the
numbers, but I have to visualize them floating above and behind my head (i.e.
not floating in space, or looking directly at them (figuratively speaking)

Both scenarios, when they engage, seem like they trigger an almost physical
sensation of the brain shifting modes. I'm sure someone has a reasoned
explanation for this, but, crazy as it sounds, when I notice the thoughts seem
to be "behind my head" I know it's working and I'll drop off to sleep shortly
after. (This is imperfect, and I still don't have restful sleep, but anything
that aids is still helpful.)

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emersonrsantos
I think I saw this approach for the first time on Viktor Frankl books which
formed the basis for logotherapy:

"Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more
you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it
must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's
personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of
one's surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the
same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I
want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to
carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in
the long-run—in the long-run, I say!—success will follow you precisely because
you had forgotten to think about it”

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mortenjorck
_> When I am up at night the world takes on a different hue. It is quieter and
closer and there are textures of the dark I have begun paying attention to. I
register the thickening, sense-dulling darkness that hangs velvety as a pall
over deep night, and the green-black tincture you get when moisture charges
the atmosphere with static._

It’s all too rare that I get to read text that activates the same
neurotransmitters as does listening to a piece of music.

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arikr
Semi related note: reading the book "The Sleep Book" which details an insomnia
solution that basically involves a method to stop needing to pursue/chase/long
for sleep, was the thing that cured my insomnia.

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mercer
Could you tell us more about that solution?

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ajkjk
I haven't read the book, but have heard of such solutions.

Basically: given that anxiety about sleeping prevents sleeping, the solution
is necessarily to remove anxiety about sleeping. How? By realizing that
peaceful rest, while awake, is also restful, and will suffice. So spend the
time in bed peacefully resting and if that happens all night, it'll do.

Anecdotally, I have had extreme insomnia, not sleeping for days in a row, at
the times in my life when I had the most extreme anxiety, and when the anxiety
was removed it went away instantly.

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joveian
Note that this is just one type of insomnia; it is not the case that all
insomnia necessarily involves the persuit of sleep.

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albanberg
A simple 15 to 20 minute Viniyoga practice customized for the individual will
often correct sleep issues.

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albanberg
Yikes, a downvote for something very positive. Some people just have closed
minds. Do you downvote everything that is positive?

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umanwizard
FWIW I didn't downvote. People aren't not downvoting it because it's positive,
but (1) because it is just a random claim that contains no argumentation or
useful details, and (2) because it sounds like implausible pseudoscience.

People on this site are quite skeptical of anything that sounds like
"alternative medicine" (probably for good reason).

~~~
albanberg
Thanks for a more thoughtful reply. It's personal experience, not random and
certainly not pseudoscience. I purposely made it short to see if anyone would
be curious. A yoga practice from a qualified teacher is a powerful thing.

Try going to this page and doing a search for sleep:
[https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/krishnamacharya-s-
legac...](https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/krishnamacharya-s-legacy)

