Monday, May 23, 2011

to sleep with a bucket of water

Sometimes if we don't laugh we will cry. Sometimes you have to do something out of the ordinary to create laughter. I did that.


Sleep, who needs it? My body believes it does not need it right now. I am exhausted with stress, and lots of things ticking over in my head. I ran over the weekend to deal with it. Running puts my whole body into a relaxed state. It worked; for that moment. When it came to sleep my body would not shutdown. I tried to press the off button, but it stayed in overdrive. Well parts of my body shutdown. My eyes were heavy. I was tired enough to hop into bed. I crawled in there at 9:30. I was still awake at 10:30 texting a friend. She was telling me what she does to go to sleep.

"Think of going into your mind which looks like a small black tunnel, and as you move through it, all your thoughts come peeling off the walls, like books floating off a bookshelf, leaving a clean black tunnel with no thoughts worrying your head. It is all peaceful with nothing happening in there."

Another half an hour goes past. A new text, with a new relaxation solution.

"Imagine warm trickling water trickling through your brain from the top, flushing out all the gunk."

I crack up laughing and all I can think of is a bucket of water being poured over my head. My friend texts me to tell me she was more thinking of a slow trickle from a hose. My mind works overtime, and all I can think of is getting Keely to wet me with the hose in the morning.


That is what I did. Keely got me. She got me good. It was liberating. It made me laugh. It made her laugh. Laughter is the best medicine. {But the cold water from the hose will not help me sleep; it woke me up}.

I didn't sleep much. Actually I could quite possibly say I didn't sleep. Taj was up not long after my eyes closed, followed by Keely an hour later.

How do you turn off your switch? Any tips.... I need sleep.

I had a massage today. Then I had some more stress thrown at me, and my whole body is like a tensed up Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. Something tells me we are not in Kansas anymore Toto.

Follow that yellow brick road.

12 comments:

  1. at the moment all i can do is take 2 sleeping tablets, otherwise I am like you. Not always the best option, or the one I chose lightly, but as a last resort, it works well!

    I also try to do the meditation like the one with the black tunnel... but I use a conveyer belt and visually put all my thoughts on the conveyer belt and once it reaches the end, the thought should be gone. Doesn't always work, but sometimes helps with anxiety!

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  2. A few glasses of wine always seem to do the trick for me! If not i also do a meditation type thing, visualize each part of my body relaxing and falling asleep..
    I hope you get some good sleep tonight. x

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  3. I myself am actually at a panic stage at the moment.
    I've been quite stressed out myself lately and the word sleep is a cruel hoax of a word.
    Although, with baby number four coming in a minute - I need all the sleep I can get before I am thrown under that truck again.
    Generally a herbal spray (rescue remedy) on my tongue does the trick, but I tend not to use it when I'm pregant.
    I'll try your friend's advice tonight. May just do the trick...until I get woken up by my four yr old because she needs to go to the toilet.
    Great post. Great photos!! Your little one would have had a blast!
    Hope things smooth themselves out for you soon :-)

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  4. lavender oil on your pillow ....

    my mummy taught me that trick and it works so well for me

    lavender is such a relaxing scent.... the atmosphere needs to be relaxing before your body can go into relaxation mode

    x

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  5. Romina, I have used rescue remedy for when I had bad depression after loosing my mum. I used herbal medicine to get me out of a black space I was in, and it worked. My doctor gave me herbs to eat, I just might need to go back to get herbs to sleep! I do hope that you find your sleep mojo, and you are ready for baby number 4! Keely had a beautiful time... and Taj asked tonight if he could wet mummy tomorrow!! I will have to see if I sleep or not. If I don't I just might need another hose down. Thank you xx

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  6. My bestie is taking lots of Magnesium at the moment, said it relaxes her and has been taking away anxiety attacks. She takes it before bed too and it is working. I usually have a glass of red or else I listen to my breathing. Rach xox

    Love the pics! You are brave, it's too cold here in Melbourne to do that atm!

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  7. Ha ha ha I love this post!!! What a wise old friend you have there Hayley! Or one with a crazy and vivid imagination! ;) What a laugh you had this morning with Keely! She would have loved wetting down her mum. Absolutely hilarious! I have used that rescue remedy spray too, on my wedding day to calm my nerves and relax me. Sleep well tonight. Xxx

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  8. magnesium is meant to be good
    Massage great too
    Exercise I think is meant to be at least 6 hrs before sleep time as it actually gets you too overheated or something
    A warm bath - as then as your body cools it sets off the sleep triggers
    Notebook beside the bed for worries - write them down. Leave them there.
    Reduce screen time - the light of computer and tv not good at night
    Open curtains to bright daylight in am and darken house at night mimicking nature for your brain so melatonin works best
    Can get a script for melatonin and then get from a compounding chemist. Mimics your natural production of in brain. Doesnt work like a sleeping tablet no drowsiness the next day just gets you drowsy at night google it or ask GP.
    Good sleep hygiene - eg going to bed at same time and waking at same time all that sort of stuff google good sleep hygeine it will have a big list of things to adhere too
    Meant to get up after 20 mins if you arent sleeping/sleepy and do a boring mindless task not computer or tv etc and then retn to bed when eyelids get heavy
    Umm what else - progressive muscle relaxtion (google it) but basically tensing and releasing each muscle group slowly from head to toe as well as breathing
    lay with one hand on chest and one on stomach - meant to be calming. Focus on breathing
    Can get some great visualisation cds or download onto iPod some have specific topics like sleep or healing etc.
    Sounds crazy but this can really work - Set a time during the day (not near bedtime) to schedule your worrying thinking pro at night tell yourself you have that time tmrw to think about it then (and only then)
    Start a gratitude list/journal and write them down before bedtime routine or as part of bedtime routine
    try and avoid alcohol as actually counter-productive - doesnt help sleep in the long run
    Thats about all i can think of just now. Hope you sleep well tonight and here on in.

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  9. When you're really stressed, your body depletes of magnesium and it is a really important mineral for sleep, I think you should try taking a supplement - powder form is the easiest to absorb and taking it at night is best. Not being able to sleep sucks, hope you catch some tonight. Kellie xx

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  10. Yep been there!

    When I talked to people about it most of them had too.

    Don't worry it does pass. But you have to have the tools.

    I still have nights that are wakeful but mostly I love my sleep and drift off.

    Magnesium yes yes yes. My naturopath gives me a product from Metagenics called Myoplex which is fantastic. It has Magnesium, passion flower and Valerian, great for the muscular and nervous system.

    I found meditation with a group helped and I read a LOT of books on Buddhism, which really helps you live in the moment, not the what ifs.

    I was a real "Ziffer" (a what if person) and mostly catastrophised.

    It's really easy to get frustrated with yourself but try and speak to yourself as if you are helping Taj or Keely fall asleep. lovingly and gentle.

    You'll be just fine, just be kind to yourself and take one minute at a time.

    x

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  11. hallo
    in germany we drink a glas of warm milk wit a teaspon of honey befor sleep to relax and have sweet dreams... but that might be not enough ;)

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  12. another great technique is 100s or Alphabet breathing
    a simple but effective form of meditation/relaxation - Basically slowing down and focusing on your breathing

    100s - start at 100 and count down to 0 (if you get that far but most likely wont). You breathe IN then say 100 (calmly and silently in your head) then breathe out fully stomach rising on the in breath and falling on the out breath impt to not breath shallow from top of chest. then breathe in (stomach expands) and say 99 and breathe out (stomach falls). Seems a lot to remember but really it is simple. Practice makes easier. Yes thoughts will pop into your head but you just let them float past, and go back to numbers. Initially you will lose place of where up to - it doesnt matter the no is jus something to focus on (liek counting sheep). Just start at 100 again or continue from last no you can recall no biggie. If thoughts are really intrusive can do things like spend 5 mins writing on paper then do exercise or Can do things like visualise a big box or suitcase or steamer trunk or whatever, then visualise each issue thats getting in the way of relaxing like work (maybe your computer), housework (maybe the vaccum etc) and "lock" each of these items/symbols in the case and mentally put out of sight (in a cupboard with door shut etc). Alphabet - same technique just simpler - working through alphabet breath in (stomach rises) say A to self silently breathe out (stomach falls), Breathe in (stomach rises) say B and breathe out stomach falls. Continue and cycle thru the alphabet if need be. These really work and easy to learn. All the best. Sleep dep is the pits x

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