Hate it when...

[renormalised]

you can't get to sleep, and you feel uncomfortable in bed. You just can't seem to doze off and yet you feel somewhat tired. Hopefully I'll get tired enough soon to doze off:)

[MrB]

Yep, and the worst part is when you just start nodding off at 6am, thats the point where I'll decide to get up for a coffee or ten and try to make it thru the day.

[renormalised]

After a sleepless night, you'd need those 10 coffees just to cast a shadow!!!!:P:D

What's worse right now, I'm freezing my butt off!!!:eyepop:

[iceman]

That usually happens to me after I come in from imaging in the middle of the night.. like at 2 or 3am and trying to get sleep before work.. sometimes I just lie there in a daze waiting for sleep to come.

[renormalised]

I tried nodding off around 1am tonight, but just couldn't sleep. I might have a go soon...the birds are starting their morning chorus and when that happens you know it's pretty late!!!.

[Argonavis]

I find that sometimes 1 asprin tablet can relax you enough to get you to sleep. Avoid anything stronger - sleeping pills or caffeine etc.

If you can't sleep don't stress about it - it only makes it worse. Just keep yourself busy till you feel tired.

If insomnia is a serious problem suggest cognitive behavoural therapy from a registered psychologist.

[renormalised]

I've never taken anything strong to make me sleep. Asprin's been about it, but I have to be careful taking it as I have a wonky stomach...get ulcers.

That's what I do when I can't sleep, just keep myself busy. No problems with insomnia:)

[ving]

watching TV at that time will usually do the job... there is diddley squat on! :D

[Satchmo]

I use the aid of one of these (http://mindplaceproteus.com/) to sleep if my mind is overactive when I want to sleep.The lights and bin-aural beats entrain your brain waves, and a 15 minute `Sleep' program entrains your dominant frequency of electrical brain waves effortlessly down into the Delta ( <4Hz) region.

Works for me 100% of the time. Slow ambient music or repetative natural sounds can have the same effect. A $200 amateur built electroencephalogram (EEG) is capable of showing how well they work. I sometimes use Beta frequency programs which enhance the mind activity in the 13 to 30Hz region , before I want to tackle challenging technical reading. Its cheaper and far less physically taxing than coffee :)

Brainwave entrainment has been going on since we were lived in caves. The flickering frequency of a warm fire easily puts us into the Alpha range ( 8-12Hz ) where we are more susceptable to soothing feelings and vivid visualisation in a dream like state.

[renormalised]

I'd only put a DVD on instead:D:P

[MrB]

The thing that really s**ts me is when I'm reading... does this sound familiar?
I've read the same paragraph 4 times because eyes go wonky, then the same line four times, then I've dropped the book four times(each time waking me up with the book whacking me in the face) at which point I put the book down, switch the light off and roll over.... only to lay there wide awake.... grrrrr.

[renormalised]

Sheesh, if I did any of that, I'd probably end up having an OOBE and end up on some God forsaken planet somewhere!!!:eyepop::eyepop:

Hey, come to think of it....if that worked, what a way to do astronomy!!!:P:P:D

[xelasnave]

If you cant sleep dont..get up and do something...we have a preconceived idea that night time is for sleep..well not in my world..sleep is for when you are tired and wakeness is for doing stuff...
alex

[kinetic]

Well! Just when I thought I had an original Avatar along comes
someone with mine :(
Nice one ArgoNavis!

On the subject of coffee and sleep deprivation, I find that for
some reason , my body doesn't obey the normal side effects of coffee.

I can still easily come home from dayshift work, use the telescope all night
and watch the sunrise and still get through the next day.
My night's sleep after all that is still the normal 6-7hrs and my body clock
wakes me without fail 5 mins before the alarm goes off.

On a non-observing night I can have several coffees just before bedtime
at, say, 11pm, and I go straight off to sleep.
I hope it never changes, cos it is so handy for this hobby!

Steve