I sometimes can’t sleep due to stress or sickness. So I have a book on my nightstand for this situation.

It is a field guide to trees in my area. It is very boring and I’m not retaining much of what I read at 3:30 a.m. The point is to sit in a chair and look at trees until I feel I can fall asleep again.

  • LordFireCrotch@lemmy.todayEnglish
    2·
    17 hours ago

    Thanks OP, this sparked something in me.

    I also have trouble falling asleep sometimes. Multiple times a week even. I usually read my fiction book before bed but sometimes that can get really exciting and keep me up even longer.

    I found a bunch of “instructional” and “reference” material on project Gutenberg. I’ve been using these types of books lately when I can’t sleep and it’s been working great.

    • ODGreen@lemmy.caOP
      2·
      16 hours ago

      You’re welcome.

      I like to read a fun or interesting book before bed too, in order to wind down. It’s good to have a bedtime routine that is calming. Some yoga, low light, deep breathing, etc. Sleep hygiene.

      Boring books work great for when I’m up because of anxiety or nightmares and want to fall back asleep.

      Basically, the thought is that you want to keep the bed for sleeping (and sex). If you’re in there awake for a while it’s telling your brain that the bed is an awake space and breaks the association bed=sleep. So if I’m gonna be awake for 15 minutes or more anyway I get out, get in my chair, flip through the boring book until I’m calmer.

  • Telex@sopuli.xyz
    1·
    17 hours ago

    I usually just read whatever (fiction) book I’m reading. I don’t need it to be a particularly boring one. It varies a bit how far I get but usually not that many pages before I know it’s time.

  • litchralee@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    15·
    2 days ago

    I keep a copy of my automobile insurance policy near my bedside for this purpose. The success rate is 100%, since I’ll awake in the morning still holding the policy halfway through.

  • dustyData@lemmy.world
    6·
    2 days ago

    I used to have a book about The Simpsons. It had a collection of jokes and it was very colorful and well illustrated. It helped me calm my anxiety induced insomnia by distracting my brain enough into mindless jokes (they were bad) to finally find sleep again.

  • HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    7·
    3 days ago

    I often have that problem. I put on whatever history documentaries or podcasts that have smooth voices and slow down the audio, thru my earbuds and fall asleep that way. Works better than all that sleep sounds/ music ever did