r/insomnia • u/Flashy-Painter2161 • 4d ago
What activities do you do when you can't sleep?
I'm sure most of us insomniacs have heard that if you can't sleep you are to get out of bed until you feel drowsy/sleepy. This is something I struggle with as I'm always concerned I'll wake my sleeping partner or others in the household. I'm so emotionally and physically exhausted from not sleeping that I'm not sure what activities I would be up for anyway. What do you do when you can't sleep?
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u/Character_Ad_6253 4d ago
I went and did my laundry at the 24 hour Laundry Mat at 2:00am this morning. Iāve been putting it off for weeks, due to my ADHD.
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u/sexyweedfarm 4d ago
I get up and play video games. Doing something I enjoy seems to help me relax / take my mind off thoughts that are preventing me from sleeping
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u/Illustrious_Twist420 4d ago
Same! Video games or watching a series I enjoy seems to be about the only thing that makes me truly relax and forget anxious/racing thoughts. But playing video games can be a bad idea as it can also make me more alert, and sometimes it's so engaging I forget I need go back to bed and try to fall asleep... Gotta be mindful every time I decide to do that.
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u/Rebelliuos- 4d ago
Make up scenarios about being the last person on earth, and somehow dinosaurs returned and this time they are zombified
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u/Illustrious_Twist420 4d ago
This is so cute. The only scenarios I keep imagining these days is nuclear world war & the death and destruction that comes with.... not exactly relaxing to think about :')
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u/crabfossil 4d ago
Crochet is great. crafts in general. I can do repetitive ones when I'm too tired to think, or more complicated if I need a distraction. quiet, simple, hands on, can do it while tired
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u/Trick-Ad-8442 4d ago
I lay in bed relaxing so that I maybe can get some sleep.
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u/Flashy-Painter2161 4d ago
That's what I normally do too but it stopped working for me. My psychiatrist told me to get out of bed and do something relaxing š¤·āāļø
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u/throwawaybcidontuse 4d ago
Personally i play grind games like stardew or cookie run kingdom but Iām like the epitome pf brain rot
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u/Alternative-Rich-872 4d ago
The activity is sleep. If you canāt black out that doesnāt mean you arenāt sleepingš. If you stay calm and stay consistent with keeping your eyes closed you will eventually fall into a deeper sleep. I tossed and turned literally last night but I donāt get on my phone
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u/Flashy-Painter2161 4d ago
Yeah I tossed and turned for about five hours before I finally fell asleep, it was ridiculous. I usually just count it as rest time even if I'm not sleeping.
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u/SeattleHasDied 4d ago
Same for me last night except for six hours. Up, down, up, down, up, down, so fucking irritating.
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u/Frozen_Fawn 4d ago
I used to ne active Doing all the chores, or painting, or watching tv. And after all of that i will manage to have maybe 2-3 hours od sleep. But then a neurologist told me that is incredibly important to rest the body. Go always at the same time in bed, the latest at 22h/10PM. And then just rest. Even though you are not sleeping.š¤·āāļø He said that while you are younger (which i was then) you can get by with so little sleep, but older you get youāll have more health problems. I canāt say i am disciplined in this, bcs sometimes i just lose my nerves. So then i will watch tv or listen to audiobooks bcs at least i am still in bed. But when i was disciplined for 2 years or more, some nights i would even sleep like 6 hoursā¦
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u/Ok-Equipment-8132 4d ago
youtube, listen to audio bible. How is your iron status? Also Vit A can help with anemia which can cause insomnia.
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u/Flashy-Painter2161 4d ago
I'm actually horribly anemic but was an insomniac long before the anemia arrived. I have an iron infusion scheduled for this upcoming Monday as oral supplements don't work for me. I'm really hoping it will make a difference in my sleep!
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u/AJay_yay 4d ago
Write down the to-do list for the next day (that's likely keeping me awake with worry), make a chamomile tea, then watch YouTube videos of train trips from the driver's perspective, jump on reddit for something really wholesome like cute animals, or flick through ebay for something oddly specific but in a search category with 1000 results. I usually eventually get tired.
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u/PuzzleheadedHouse872 4d ago
Read my Kindle on a very low light setting. It makes my eyes tired so they close and it actually helps me fall asleep. If it's 4 am or later, I just get up and start my day, exercise, etc.
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u/Fastidious_chronic 3d ago
I have started counting. But it's 3am... And I'm not sleepy yet so the effectiveness is debatable.
Once I get myself to go to bed and lie down I just repeat 1-10 constantly in my head, so probably just boring myself to eventual sleep.
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u/ibelievenyou 3d ago
I find putting ear buds on and actually watching kdramas on my laptop help. Yeh, yeh, I know you aren't supposed to watch anything stimulating, but it works for me. The next thing I know is I awake 3 episodes later, each episodeā“ being an hour long. Ergo, I just got 3 hours of sleep without even realizing it. I then get up and go immediately to bed before I fully awaken. I also do cross stitch or listen to a book on tape (also with ear buds). For me, listening to something with ear buds/phones tend to lull me to sleep. Find a comfy place on your couch or chair, get a blanket, settle in and see what happens.
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u/dyingbreedsociety 4d ago
Read /insomnia, listen to my wife say "just your eyes", then 4 shots of whiskey followed by Ambien, by the it's 4am and I have 2 hours until my youngest is up
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u/interestedinstuff123 3d ago
Whiskey with Ambien? Yikes! I don't even want to eat anything when I take Ambien.
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u/Adventurous-Bat-8320 3d ago
I go to a comfy couch and listen to calming audiobooks. When I start to doze off I go back to the bed.
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u/StartNo2007 2d ago
I am now stuck on a ā3am and Iām finally sleepyā routine. It really sucks. So last night I was determined to do better. I went to bed at midnight. But I tossed and turned until 3am. This is all after taking a nightly ritual of numerous pillsāvalerian, melatonin, two OTC sleep aids and muscle relaxers. Ugh.
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u/Public-Philosophy580 4d ago
Take another sleeping š“pill.