pscyhologists/doctors : Do nOt uSe yOuR PhOnE 2 YeArS BeFoRe yOu gO To sLeEp
That is true though, not illuminating your eyes with blue light makes slerp easier. It's not their fault you cant be alone with your thoughts.
I get the impression a big part is also just engagement, in a sense - social media is built to provide a constant stream of engaging content, keeping you hooked and anticipating the next thing.
Slowing down and doing something that isn't so endlessly exciting might help, like watching a bit of a documentary, or reading a book (one that doesn't however captivate you too much) seems like a decent idea, much better than doomscrolling or watching short form videos one after another.
Tip for anyone dealing with this: it's not just a sleep hygiene thing. You're thinking about all those things because you didn't give yourself space to think about any of it during the day. Try to just sit without looking at your phone all the time. Try to have silence when you'd normally listen to music or a podcast.
Basically, try being bored again. You'll find your mind will fill in with these thoughts and you'll have an easier time processing them when you don't have the pressure of needing to sleep.
Shit, is this what meditation is all about?
Regardless, appreciate the tip. I definitely struggle to sit still and do nothing. Maybe I'll extend my daily walk to be longer and reserve half of it to be phone free.
I don't know, I've never done meditation. I don't think you have to overdo or overthink this. It's more about letting your brain have some moments of rest from stimulation. We're currently stimulated all the time. It's not healthy.
A lot of the normal sleep hygiene stuff usually results in worse sleep for me.
I need to be reading something not especially interesting and keep going until I feel like I'm about to fall asleep, then put my phone on the side table and try to catch that wave.
TV on whilst I'm trying to fall asleep is even better (I don't have the step where I need to put my phone down) but it keeps my partner awake so I don't get to use that option very often.
If I don't have anything to occupy my mind, it freewheels at high speed and ultimately ends up keeping me awake.
This right here
was my drug-free go to sleep solution for a few months. Just barely interesting enough to want to read it, but also tedious enough that I'd get maybe a page or two in before I'd be nodding off.
I don't care for Horror, so in turn it is the perfect medium for going to sleep.
https://rustyquill.com/show/the-magnus-archives/
https://youtube.com/@theexploringseries
Beats that AI drivel these days. Further recommendations welcome...
That's an interesting idea. What do you read in general?
I usually read sci-fi / fantasy, but I've come to recognize that certain authors are dense, and Tolkien is one of them. Trying to read too much of Tolkien at once is like trying to eat too much rich food; you've got to take a break from time to time. All the annotations in the above book make the text even more dense, but it's still interesting stuff, like the mythological origins of Gandalf, or the tiny changes Tolkien made from early editions of the book. So I want to read this, it's not like I'm forcing myself to read some godawful textbook, but I think when I'm reading it at night, my brain gets to a point where it just goes "Ah fuck it," and I start to nod off.
Also pretty good for this: Isaac Asimov, or Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August.
Smoke weed and listen to D&D podcasts on headband headphones. I sleep better than I ever have before.
You and the meditation guy are the two wolves inside me
Looks like someone may need some help learning how to manage unhelpful thoughts
🙋🏼♂️
Absolutely none of the therapy techniques were truly effective for me until I was on the right medication. I’m not saying this is the case for you, but if you have honestly been struggling with everything you’ve tried, that’s not you not being good enough or trying hard enough. It’s just a sign you might need meds on top of it.
Joke answer: don't have them then.
Serious answer: cognitive behavior therapy has helped me with unwanted thoughts, but a lot of people seem to do well with mindfulness/meditation.
From CBT and what I can gather from meditation, it's not about stopping the thoughts but addressing them and then moving on, not ruminating on them.
Unironically I've been feeling quite a bit better after putting my phone in another room as I sleep. I think it now makes the bedroom a place where my brain feels it can take a break from the horrors of the world.
Meditation is how you learn to break this cycle
For me it's mostly the never ending creep of time. My kids growing older, my career opportunities waning, my body degrading, my hair greying. I never used to lie awake at night, but now I do.
The artist forgot the constant BEEEEEEEEEEP in your ears. Or multiple beeps.
Shit, man. WHY did you have to bring this up...
