3 PM at Crispers. And if the weather is nice, people will linger on. I have my fingers crossed that I'll be in TV by then. Hope to see you there!

FL sunshine to Canada
 

Bare, Sending you some FL sunshine, sorry to read about why you are not here yet. Like your positive attitude. Hope to see you at Crispers. :)

Thanks for the good wishes OMGirls. Will you be at Crispers in Jan? I'm hoping to be there.

It's 1:35 AM on Monday morning. And the weird thing is ... I'm not on TOTV alone. There are 200 people currently on TOTV! I usually see Island Gal and Gracie on here in the middle of the night.

Sleep
 

So many women I know have trouble sleeping.
Men? Snoring away as soon as their head hits the pillow. Why is that?

Crispers
 

I'd like to be at Crispers next week, it's been so long since I've been able to get there but we are now down for the winter. I will have a friend from home visiting and I'm hoping she'll want to go if it works out. Hope to see you there!

Most men have no guilt because they never do anything wrong. ;). Women have trouble sleeping because they worry and feel responsible and want to be able to control things. Women make "to do" lists and men sleep. :spoken:

I've tried melatonin, calcium citrate and sleeping prescriptions. It is now 4:24 am. Arrrrrrg!

I made a post (somewhere?) a while back about a dream therapy group I was part of, that became a really cool adventure.
One of the things we had fun with was finding a picture of a place we would like to visit, like Bali, Peru, a palace, an English garden, or whatever appeals to you.
We placed that picture, post card, whatever, next to our nightstand and gazed upon it before falling asleep. We played the 'what if?' game for a few minutes, and really tried to FEEL the joy we would experience visiting there.
Then, we decided that in our dreams, we would 'go on vacation' there.... and settle into sleep with that expectation.

In addition, we posted a small sign on the nightstand (mine was on my alarm clock) that said, "I remember my dreams easily". Didn't consciously look at that, but it entered my peripheral vision whenever I was near it.

It may take a few nights, but I'm here to say it works fabulously, and gets better with time.

If you awaken during the night and have trouble getting back to sleep because of thoughts racing through your mind, there are other things we did that I can give tips on. Just let me know and I'll share them with you.:)

Was the Dream Group here in TV? I love all this kind of stuff ... Visualization, affirmations, rituals, ceremonies, self hypnosis, meditation, deciding to dream that I'm flying and doing it!

But still .. Sigh .. Here I am awake at 5:21! Time to listen to a meditation tape!

I get up at this time. I am not tired. I enjoy getting up early. Waking at night has become routine to me and just part of life. Sometimes I get sleepy in the early afternoon and I take a nap. Try not to think of it as a problem. Do what you do in the day. Laundry, get earphones and watch TV. Sweetie has learned to sleep through anything.

I avoid watching news shows that upset me, ditto movies too. I just take things so much more seriously now that I am older and worry about them. You have to protect yourself from worry. It is useless.

I wish you rest, Sweet Bare.

Dear, dear Bare (and everybody else, too),

This may have nothing to do with your sleep problem... On the other hand, it may have everything to do with it. For quite a few years I had a terrible problem sleeping. Nothing helped. Nothing.

One day I needed to buy more makeup foundation, and I actually had my glasses with me and read the label. I discovered that the 'age-defying' ingredient in the makeup was caffeine! I was in the habit of using my 'good' makeup before going out to dinner (and we ate out a lot!), so reading the label was an AHA moment for me. I was applying the makeup early in the evening, and was still wide awake at dawn! I thought it would be worth trying another caffeine-free foundation, just to see if it made a difference. Voila! I still have trouble sleeping on occasion, but it's nothing like it was before I stopped defying age & wrinkles & brown spots...

So ladies, you might want to read the ingredients in your foundation. Caffeine could be the culprit!

Well-rested but ugly,
Judy

WOW.... that's interesting and eye-opening! (No pun intended!) ...And your sense of humor is devine, uujudy!

To answer Bare's question, the dream group I spoke of was not here in TV, but many years ago in Chicago. We helped participate so that a group of Psychologists could learn how to conduct the therapy. My friend was their teacher and a fellow artist.
We did it as an experiment to tap into our artistic creativity. What was to be a six week class for them turned into a year long wonderful journey for us.
I, too am open to exploring some of the more esoteric pathways.

I too find myself roaming the halls at all hours of the night and wee morning. It used to frustrate me, but just go with the flow. I no longer have to get kids ready for school, pack their lunches, or make their dinner and help with homework. When I can't sleep at night, I get up and have a snack, read or check out TOTV or Facebook. After work if I am exhausted from lack of sleep, I can just come home and nap. The hubby, Freedomrider, is becoming more and more able to feed himself, so I don't have him to take care of either. It is all rather freeing really!
But there are some nights when I really just want to sleep and try everything I can think of,,,hot cocoa, sleepytime tea, milk and crackers. I too am open to suggestion

Here's something else you can explore:

Buy a spiral bound notebook (lined or unlined)
Buy a marker you like the feel/color of.
Buy a small flashlight.

Open the notebook so that a page is ready for writing. (fold the cover back)
Tuck it under your bed, along with the other stuff. Make it easy to reach.

If (when) you awaken during the night, pause for a moment in your position and DON'T move. Recognize what has just flown into your mind, or peruse the dream you just awakened from.
Gently reach for your notebook without moving too much and jot down whatever is foremost on your mind. You may only write a word or two.... like: red balloon, for example. Or you may write much more. You may draw a symbol. Do what you are compelled to do, but DON"T READ what you write.
When you have written and feel completed, let the notebook, etc. slip onto the floor, close your eyes and settle in to the same sleep position again. DON'T jostle around.

The next day, REFRAIN from reading your post and turn the page. (you can date the pages if you like)
Place your tools in their under-bed position for the next time you awaken.
Give yourself a week or two before re-reading all your posts. You may find a central theme running through and may be amused or surprised.

The theory is, your subconscious uses this sleep opportunity to sort through things that are pushed aside during the busy day. Sometimes it will be crystal clear and sometimes you will use personal dream symbols to represent things. (another adventure to explore)

What the bonus is..... is that by 'journaling' you are telling your subconscious that you recognize the thought and have recorded the message, so your mind can safely 'delete' it. Your mind will stop repeating and you will go into the sound sleep mode..... OR move on to the next message to yourself... and you can repeat the journal exercise. See?

Sometimes I can't be descriptive of THINGS as I am writing, but I can write down FEELINGS.
(physical or emotional)
Like:
I'm hot.
Feet are cold.
Feel sadness, fear, love, etc.
That is adequate too, to release the thought and allow sleep to return.

I find it a valuable and interesting tool, and neat pathway to better sleep.

Judy, you would never be ugly! I've read all the labels on skin products but I can't find caffeine anywhere. I think the culprit is the blood thinner I'm taking for blood clots in my lungs. I think it is making me sleepless at night which makes me tired every day. I think I'll be done with it at the end of April. I'll be able to have a glass of wine after seven months! Happy Days are here
again.

I do believe in the power of dreams and that we can "pre program" them. I especially enjoy dreams when I'm flying in the air by myself.

I also believe that while we're asleep our spirit guides communicate with us. Last week I had a dream that the 19 year old cat we recently had euthanized was now a kitten. She was running and jumping and chasing butterflies. I believe the dream was sent to comfort me. I woke up smiling.