Okay, I have a few test coming up..papers due and a career change coming very soon. Anyway, i'm a bit stressed.
Sometimes when I try to sleep I can't help but think about everything I need to do. I can't stop. ...it's a cycle, when I swim, i'm less stressed, but when it does creeps up on me I don't swim in he morning because i'm too tired in the morning to go, and I need to be rested for work which just makes me antsy the next day and so on. Well, I end up skipping days and days at the pool. Frustrating.
Swimming in the morning is usually the only time to go to be sure I can get a spot. How can I get myself to go in the morning, how can I sleep better at night? Have any of you come up with any strategies for this?
Cheers, :coffee:
Eric
Funny to see this post today as I had a horrible night last night. Took me 3 or 4 hours to get to sleep. This seems to happen in cycles for me. Haven't had a bad one in awhile--but I'm pretty sure it's hormonal. As soon as I lay down I feel something like an adrenaline rush, it's nuts.
Sometimes, when I have this problem, a silly little trick that will work for me is to try and keep my eyes open and not shut them. It takes a few minutes but I eventually can't keep them open and start drifting off. Reverse psychology can be an effective tool, I guess. But not last night. Tried that for awhile but my mind and my hormones were still racing. I FINALLY remembered an old trick I used to use on myself the night before a big swim if I couldn't sleep. I went and got my walkman (yes, I still have a Walkman) and I found some talk show to listen to in bed. It was a somewhat boring show playing at a very low level but it allowed my mind to get off of the anxious cycle. Took half an hour or so, but I finally fell asleep. Then, once I've slept awhile I wake up and take off the walkman and am relaxed enough to sleep normally. Music doesn't seem to work for me because my thoughts can still race on. Talking seems to derail my anxious thinking a little better.
Don't know if that will help. I may have to try some of the suggestions on the other thread. I do think that making myself get up to swim or go to the gym regardless helps me the next night.
Getting older sucks in a few ways!
Funny to see this post today as I had a horrible night last night. Took me 3 or 4 hours to get to sleep. This seems to happen in cycles for me. Haven't had a bad one in awhile--but I'm pretty sure it's hormonal. As soon as I lay down I feel something like an adrenaline rush, it's nuts.
Sometimes, when I have this problem, a silly little trick that will work for me is to try and keep my eyes open and not shut them. It takes a few minutes but I eventually can't keep them open and start drifting off. Reverse psychology can be an effective tool, I guess. But not last night. Tried that for awhile but my mind and my hormones were still racing. I FINALLY remembered an old trick I used to use on myself the night before a big swim if I couldn't sleep. I went and got my walkman (yes, I still have a Walkman) and I found some talk show to listen to in bed. It was a somewhat boring show playing at a very low level but it allowed my mind to get off of the anxious cycle. Took half an hour or so, but I finally fell asleep. Then, once I've slept awhile I wake up and take off the walkman and am relaxed enough to sleep normally. Music doesn't seem to work for me because my thoughts can still race on. Talking seems to derail my anxious thinking a little better.
Don't know if that will help. I may have to try some of the suggestions on the other thread. I do think that making myself get up to swim or go to the gym regardless helps me the next night.
Getting older sucks in a few ways!
