• niktemadur@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    6
    ·
    5 months ago

    I’ve noticed that when I can fall asleep, the mind keeps working on its’ own but I slowly stop paying attention to it, like it’s talking in the background and I’m zoning out. I start by gently focusing on my exhales.

    Then suddenly the mind will take me on a trip, without me even realizing it. I’m asleep.

    Some nights, I do “count sheep”, but with lists, like:
    “Five world capitals that start with the letter B”, or
    “Twenty movies with Robert De Niro”

    • Coelacanth
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      5 months ago

      Yeah, that’s pretty much my experience, except it only gets harder to actually drift off the older I get.

      Some nights, I do “count sheep”, but with lists…

      I’ve tried lots of “counting sheep” variations, but most are too boring for my ADHD brain to be able to maintain for longer than a minute. It’s really hard to find something I’m interested in enough to be able to focus on, but not so much that thinking about it actually keeps me awake.

      • nahuse@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        5 months ago

        I’m one of those types who can create pretty vivid internal images, especially when I concentrate.

        If you can do the same thing, try combining the list making with a visual aspect. I literally just count numbers in my head, but at the same time I imagine what each number would look like in a fancy typeface, but as if it were a 3D object floating in blank ”mind space.”

        It takes up almost all of the capacity for my mind to wander, and unless I’m having a particularly difficult time I can usually use this to fall asleep within a half an hour or so.

        Doesn’t help with staying asleep, though.