Folk Cures to Insomnia: Share Your Tips!

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around various folk remedies and personal experiences related to insomnia and sleep patterns. Participants share their own sleep habits, challenges with sleep, and suggestions for improving sleep quality, while exploring the broader topic of nocturnal lifestyles.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express that functioning on limited sleep, such as five hours, is not uncommon and share their personal experiences with sleep duration.
  • One participant suggests completely discontinuing caffeine and taking a calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement before bed as a potential remedy.
  • Several participants identify as nocturnal but do not consider themselves insomniacs, noting that they can achieve sufficient sleep if they choose their work hours accordingly.
  • There are mentions of environmental factors contributing to creativity and concentration during late-night hours, with some participants preferring to work or be active during these times.
  • Some participants discuss the challenges of pets, particularly kittens, affecting their sleep schedules, leading to humorous anecdotes about waking up early due to their pets' behavior.
  • One participant shares a link to a Wikipedia page titled "The Cure for Insomnia," which may imply a humorous or non-traditional approach to the topic.
  • Another participant references a movie about insomnia, suggesting that it highlights the effects of prolonged sleep deprivation.
  • There are various suggestions for improving sleep, including establishing a bedtime routine, reducing evening stimulation, and managing caffeine intake.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that sleep needs vary among individuals, with some expressing that five hours of sleep is not necessarily indicative of insomnia. However, there is no consensus on specific remedies or approaches to improving sleep quality, and multiple competing views on sleep habits and preferences remain.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention personal anecdotes and subjective experiences, which may not apply universally. The discussion includes various assumptions about sleep patterns and remedies that are not universally validated.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in sleep patterns, folk remedies for insomnia, or those who identify as nocturnal may find the shared experiences and suggestions relevant.

Blahness
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Hey, anyone else here a nocturnal creature? :bugeye:

I'm definitely nocturnal, and annoyingly at that. However, since it messes with my school work, I need to sleep more at night. (I'm running on 5 hours of sleep! Woo.)

So, this is the thread of FOLK CURES TO INSOMNIA!

Post any you know/have seen/use, no matter how hilarious or idiotic(And yes, maybe some possibly helpful ones, if you know any :smile:

Thank you, and if this is posted 2-5 times, blame it on my school network(coughsuckscough), and delete the extras.
 
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I don't know of any 'cures', but 5 hours of sleep isn't that unusual. I've been functioning on about four hours sleep for the last two weeks; but then again I do like coffee. :wink:
 
Completely discontinue caffeine, take a calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement about two hours before bed.
 
I'm also fairly nocturnal, but not an insomniac. I don't have problems getting 8 hours of sleep per night, but I cannot convince myself that 10 pm is a reasonable time to go to bed.

For me, 10 pm has always been "the beginning of the night," and I've always found myself to be most creative and most able to concentrate between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am. (I think a lot of it has to do with environment -- there are fewer distractions at night, when all the decent people are asleep.)

My solution was not to try to reprogram myself to thinking that 10 pm was bedtime, but rather to seek a profession which doesn't require me to get to work before 10 am.

- Warren
 
Blahness,,sleeping 5 hours a day is not so unusual...i too had similar problem like i could not sleep despite trying hard to do it...

Byy the way there is a very interesting mvoie on insomnia ...The Machinist...which i happened to see yesterday in which the guy didn't sleep for a year and how life changes around him because of that...
 
I need 10 hours of sleep to feel ok. Different people need different amounts of sleep.

I also chose a job that allowed to me decide when to show up. I can come in at 10 am, noon, 2pm or not at all.

I can't work any other way.
 
No insomnia problem if I don't sleep a lot during the day, but I like staying up late at night. That's enjoyable. Right now it's 12 PM here, but I really don't want to sleep now.
Evo said:
I also chose a job that allowed to me decide when to show up. I can come in at 10 am, noon, 2pm or not at all.
Wow! You're lucky.:smile:
 
Evo said:
I need 10 hours of sleep to feel ok. Different people need different amounts of sleep.

I also chose a job that allowed to me decide when to show up. I can come in at 10 am, noon, 2pm or not at all.

I can't work any other way.


Gotta love that flexibility.
 
  • #10
Stephen King's book Insomnia was pretty entertaining.
 
  • #11
chroot said:
I'm also fairly nocturnal, but not an insomniac. I don't have problems getting 8 hours of sleep per night, but I cannot convince myself that 10 pm is a reasonable time to go to bed.

For me, 10 pm has always been "the beginning of the night," and I've always found myself to be most creative and most able to concentrate between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am. (I think a lot of it has to do with environment -- there are fewer distractions at night, when all the decent people are asleep.)

My solution was not to try to reprogram myself to thinking that 10 pm was bedtime, but rather to seek a profession which doesn't require me to get to work before 10 am.

- Warren

Same here. Though, the new kitten thinks I'm supposed to get up at 6:30 AM! SHE gets to nap all day after getting up that early.
 
  • #12
Kittens are funny that way, Moonbear. Mine's almost six years old, now, and she still thinks that 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. every night are good times for me to wake up. Yes, both times every night. Yes, I'm stupid enough to respond.

Five hours sleep a night is hardly insomnia, although I function best on seven hours. I too have always found that I start functioning my best creatively around 10 or 11 at night. I've always hated going to bed before midnight. It's as if I think I'm going to miss something.

So, but, to get more sleep, if you have to be up at a specific time, as larkspur said, cut back on or cut out caffeine, don't nap during the day, eat dinner earlier, don't snack through the evening, stay away from the computer for at least a few hours before you need to go to sleep to cut down on stimulation, have a routine that mentally prepares you for bed, had a relatively boring book bedside and read a few pages when you settle in. Get to bed at the same earlier time each night and it shouldn't take long to programme yourself to fall asleep then. And, especially if you're getting up early, you'll start wanting to sleep earlier too. See? No magic.
 
  • #13
chroot said:
I'm also fairly nocturnal, but not an insomniac. I don't have problems getting 8 hours of sleep per night, but I cannot convince myself that 10 pm is a reasonable time to go to bed.

For me, 10 pm has always been "the beginning of the night," and I've always found myself to be most creative and most able to concentrate between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am. (I think a lot of it has to do with environment -- there are fewer distractions at night, when all the decent people are asleep.)

My solution was not to try to reprogram myself to thinking that 10 pm was bedtime, but rather to seek a profession which doesn't require me to get to work before 10 am.

- Warren

I'm the exact same way. I think it's because the darkness is more calming and it's a lot more quite. Less distractions too.
 
  • #14
GeorginaS said:
Kittens are funny that way, Moonbear. Mine's almost six years old, now, and she still thinks that 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. every night are good times for me to wake up. Yes, both times every night. Yes, I'm stupid enough to respond.
:biggrin: I love that you lumped 6 AM in as night. That's my view on it. The sun is barely up yet! 3 AM I don't mind, because I'm often still awake that late, but I really didn't need my face exfoliated by a sandpaper tongue at 6:30 today. Just try to sleep through or ignore a kitten licking the end of your nose! I'm way too ticklish to ignore her morning grooming sessions. But, I might be on to something. If I wrap her up in a blanket and hold her still, she hates that, and soon after takes off for someplace else until I get out of bed on my own.
 

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