Tag: insomnia

How did I cure my insomnia? No, it wasn’t by reading my own writing!

I used to have insomnia. I used to have trouble going to sleep and staying asleep. It turned out to be a pretty easy problem to solve, though it took a while to fade away.

The first thing was to resolve to never worry in bed. A big problem with my insomnia was that I would worry, which is a silly waste of time in the middle of the night, because you’re too tired to think straight, so you never solve any problems or gain any insights. So promising not to worry in bed is a good start. Some people actually write a list of problems down before going to bed, so they know they won’t forget any issues overnight.

The next thing I did was to stop drinking caffeine in the evening. That helped a lot. (I make an exception if I’m driving at night and feel tired.)

Probably the most helpful thing I did was buy a copy of Deep Sleep Every Night by Glenn Harrold, a CD that uses self-hypnosis to zonk you out. Works like a charm! Harrold uses New Agey music and an echo effect on his voice, which makes the recording seem almost like a parody, but it really, really works. The CD has two tracks, but I’m always sound asleep well before the first one ends.

After I got tired of this, I switched to playing audiobooks all night. This works best if it’s something I’ve heard before, so it’s not too fascinating. But after a couple of years of this, I found that it was no longer necessary. I fall asleep right away, and stay asleep until morning. I’m cured!

I like using the shotgun approach on problems, trying everything I can think of, maybe all at the same time.