How do you "turn off" your mind?

I think I posted this somewhere else in the forum ...... it might help some people.
A friend sent to me but must admit I haven't tried it seriously

'It's far from conclusive, but the research demonstrates that we do enter some sort of altered mental state when we blink—we're not just doing it to lubricate our eyes. A blink could provide a momentary island of introspective calm in the ocean of visual stimuli that defines our lives.'
blink..jpg
 
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I've just discovered that audio books read by a narrator with a soothing voice help me turn off my mind to fall asleep. I'm down to setting the timer for 15 minutes and usually fall asleep by then as opposed to lying awake for hours in the past.

The narrator's voice is key. Also, I've had the best success with much loved books that I've read many times so I'm not lying there trying to follow the plot of a new book.

So far my favorite reader is British actress Juliet Stevenson.
 
AnnieA said:
I've just discovered that audio books read by a narrator with a soothing voice help me turn off my mind to fall asleep. I'm down to setting the timer for 15 minutes and usually fall asleep by then as opposed to lying awake for hours in the past.

The narrator's voice is key. Also, I've had the best success with much loved books that I've read many times so I'm not lying there trying to follow the plot of a new book.

So far my favorite reader is British actress Juliet Stevenson.
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This method works well also for Huzz's sister-in-law; it didn't work for me but she swears by it.
 
hollydolly said:
For me it's not so much the getting to sleep...as the staying asleep. Within a short time, 2 or 3 hours
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Yeah, my lady and I have done a string of nights like that

Kinda look forward to it now

Because

The 2nd sleep becomes something we tend to savor.

Wrote a little something about it;



no set time
whenever

then

I have what I call 'the 2nd sleep'

It rocks so hard, I seldom miss it

Whenever I get up, (of which is usually abnormally early)
I make coffee
Get on the web (here alot)
Fuss a bit with the budget
Do some writing (I'm a word butcher)

get re-sleepy

then

stumble back to bed.....sweet beddy bye

It's the only sleep that comes calling with complete consciousness
softly drifting...drifting into sweet sweet slumber
snort myself awake.....open one eye.....turn the pillow
drift back....waaaay back

......drooling a river

I highly recommend it

Wait.....

here it comes again

lay-Z-boy is tilted back

I've been fed

lights are off

TV is on (who cares)
 
dseag2 said:
My mind is constantly racing - How do you "turn off" your mind?
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Guess I don't have that problem, it seems to do it on its own. My problem is keeping it awake!
fuzzybuddy said:
If we're taking billions of barrels of oil out of the ground, isn't it going to sink?
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Very intuitive!

It does and that is a problem in coastal Louisiana where there's lots of oil extraction but very little elevation above sea level. https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2003/of03-337/extraction.html
 
Most that complain so are complaining about sleeping. The first thing to do is normalize one's circadian rhythm as much as is reasonable by repeating daily awake/sleep periods. Instead many on m-f 8-5 schedules are constantly all over the place, especially between workweeks and weekends.

Few adults today have normalized homeostatic chemical balances in their bodies because they are endlessly consuming combinations of prescription medicines, over the counter medicines, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, cbd, or recreational drugs. Their bodies warped into unnatural balances. Some, especially seniors with health issues, may not have a choice, but the majority of others do. Caffeine in coffee, tea, cola, or energy drinks are obviously the dominant item so and for many that is daily. And not a few are so clueless that they will drink such during evenings. None of those things is inherently negative if consumed occasionally.
 
David777 said:
Most that complain so are complaining about sleeping. The first thing to do is normalize one's circadian rhythm as much as is reasonable by repeating daily awake/sleep periods. Instead many on m-f 8-5 schedules are constantly all over the place, especially between workweeks and weekends.

Few adults today have normalized homeostatic chemical balances in their bodies because they are endlessly consuming combinations of prescription medicines, over the counter medicines, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, cbd, or recreational drugs. Their bodies warped into unnatural balances. Some, especially seniors with health issues, may not have a choice, but the majority of others do. Caffeine in coffee, tea, cola, or energy drinks are obviously the dominant item so and for many that is daily. And not a few are so clueless that they will drink such during evenings. None of those things is inherently negative if consumed occasionally.
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caffeine is not the problem for me, I'm careful not to eat or drink anything caffeinated for about 6 hours before bed...it's horrendous life events which have occurred recently in my personal life which is preventing me from sleeping
 
hollydolly said:
I;ve just had 5mg of Valium cancelled by my GP.. because ''I must be addicted to it''...that's how strict they are here... 😖
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@hollydolly Yes, doctors are strict about these drugs because of their addictive tendency. Even if the possibility of prescribing comes up in discussion, the patient is usually asked first to complete a brief questionnaire about their psychological state. After careful evaluation by the doctor, he/she will decide if the drug's benefits outweigh the risks to the patient.
 
MMinSoCal said:
@hollydolly Yes, doctors are strict about these drugs because of their addictive tendency. Even if the possibility of prescribing comes up in discussion, the patient is usually asked first to complete a brief questionnaire about their psychological state. After careful evaluation by the doctor, he/she will decide if the drug's benefits outweigh the risks to the patient.
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yes I undertsand that..but in my case a tiny baby valium of 5mg that prevents my back going into spasm at night during sleep, surely wouldn't have caused any problem.. annoying as well that there was no alternative offered...
 
The doctors, at least in the U.S., at least in NY State have been so threatened and bullied by state/fed regulations that they are hampered in their ability to prescribe the way THEY want to, and what is individually best for the patient. I've had several doctors tell me this, how the law interferes and deliberately frightens them.

All because of bored teens in the Appalachians. Really. Simplistic yes, but that is the reason.
 
Pepper said:
The doctors, at least in the U.S., at least in NY State have been so threatened and bullied by state/fed regulations that they are hampered in their ability to prescribe the way THEY want to, and what is individually best for the patient. I've had several doctors tell me this, how the law interferes and deliberately frightens them.

All because of bored teens in the Appalachians. Really. Simplistic yes, but that is the reason.
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This! It is all just so frustrating; I'm afraid my new dr. is going to try to take my Klonopin (Clonazepam) away; I've been taking it so darn seldom, maybe 2 a month, for a sleep aid, for those nights when your body is so darn exhausted but your eyes feel like they've been glued open, mind is racing faster than ever, and at least one thing hurts; that's the only time I'll take it. But he's starting to make noises about taking it away; he says there's a better, newer one out but we'll see. I wish alcohol still worked for me; I used to on those dreaded nights have a finger of vodka or a couple ounces of wine and it helped. But alcohol has gotten to where it makes my insomnia worse than ever.
 
We should have a patients' revolt, but then we'd be accused of being addicts. I don't know what I mean by 'revolt' but this is ridiculous.

Big deal, an 80 year old cancer patient gets 'addicted.' All because their grandkids are stealing their meds. Or their kids. So F the patient.
 
hollydolly said:
yes I undertsand that..but in my case a tiny baby valium of 5mg that prevents my back going into spasm at night during sleep, surely wouldn't have caused any problem.. annoying as well that there was no alternative offered...
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Ask about cyclobenzaprine. It's specific for muscle relaxation and drowsiness is a side effect.
 
Pepper said:
Big deal, an 80 year old cancer patient gets 'addicted.' All because their grandkids are stealing their meds. Or their kids.
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Does that happen often? Hope not.

Both of my parents died at home under hospice care.

My mother first, of lung cancer. She was getting a lot of morphine, but I think the hospice nurse watched it pretty closely and after she died the nurse was very careful to account for all and destroyed leftovers. She asked me to witness. I think she would have known.

A few years later when my father died it was a completely different story, the hospice nurse did not seem to care at all. I had to force her to take the left over morphine and meds...
 
officerripley said:
I wish alcohol still worked for me; I used to on those dreaded nights have a finger of vodka or a couple ounces of wine and it helped. But alcohol has gotten to where it makes my insomnia worse than ever.
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It's the worst sleep aid ever because it inhibits REM sleep. It keeps me from going to sleep too, which is weird. I like to have dinner with friends as early as they'll go so my one or two glasses of wine have hours to clear my system before bed.
 

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