It sounds banal, but this has helped me in a situation (example outside of "Musical Creativity"): Let's say there's something important coming up the next morning, now you cant fall in to sleep and you find yourself (possibly because of it) starting to get angry, which clearly worsens the situation! THEN: I get up and stand quite close to a wall and fix my gaze on a white spot. I do this statically for about 5-8 minutes (which can be long because we're not dealing with anything that triggers us). Then I slowly go to bed and, curiously enough, I also feel as if I've done something (major) (like when you normally go to the couch and say "Ahhhhh"). And honestly, it has often helped (for me) and is still the first-choice remedy!

I must point out that this will definitely NOT work if you have previously drunk crystal meth base from a plastic wine bottle (which I have not tried, but the lay doctor in me knows it )

 

Hello @Lois Lane, thank you for your report. The following occurred to me: When I was young, I was given a book about yoga, and in it was a report by the yoga teacher. Whenever she was on an airplane and noticed that she was getting weaker/less energetic, she would get up and lie down flat on the floor in the aisle between the rows of seats.

All the passengers were amazed. After 10 minutes, she would get up again and be full of energy and strong again. She described not sleeping, but consciously relaxing and breathing calmly. I've kept this tip to this day, and when I'm feeling tired, I lie flat on my back for 10 minutes and relax. It helps and it works.

One more note about illnesses: There's a method of spiritual healing where you consciously try to focus on the illness or the specific area for 30 minutes. The trick is not to focus directly on the painful or diseased area, but rather on the surrounding healthy tissue, cells, etc. After a few weeks or months, you can usually notice a slight improvement.

Get well soon, dear Lois Lane, and my thoughts are with you!

 

Lack of sleep has a stimulating effect on me for the first or the two first days. Then, it produces a bad come down. Not sleeping at all is only detrimental.

 

It's the opposite for me. Until I had a child at 45 the moment my head hit the pillow I was gone. As a 15 y.o. one night during summer camp about 16 guys had a war between the two bunks which were connected. It raged on for what I was told was about a half hour. I was totally unconscious throughout and even woke in the morning wrapped like a mummy in a dozen rolls of toilet paper with no idea how I got that way. Conversely, it was almost impossible to rouse me in the morning. My Dad before he headed out to work would have to open my window wide in the middle of winter, snatch away my blanket and loudly say to me...GET UP BOY AND GO TO SCHOOL!!! It was truly the only way, and even then it was almost impossible to take my head off of the pillow. It didn't work nearly as well in the warm weather so he would turn on my Radio Shack Realistic stereo and blast it at 9 or 10. That worked a charm though was most probably the kick off of hearing loss (as well as all the indoor stadium concerts that I used to frequent like The Grateful Dead, Queen and The Beach Boys, etc)

 

I force myself to stay in bed until I fall asleep even if I feel like pulling an all-nighter. There is strong evidence that there's a causal relationship between insufficient sleep and (very significantly) increased risk of dementia.

 

I did my best mixdowns on sleep depravation, everything in place, the track vibing in a blessed awesomeness, like touched by angel beings moving my faders... then I went to sleep and you all know what happens when you woke up and listen to the track again

 

Count backward from sixty down to zero.

Another exercise is difficult at first but gets a little easier later. It's about calming your mind. Lie on your back in bed, close your eyes, and pay attention to your diaphragm. Breathe gently and exhale. After a few minutes, you'll feel calmer. Then don't move, even if you feel the need. Try to stay still for 10 minutes to start with, then 20. If you feel the itch, just ignore it.

Another exercise is autosuggestion. When you go to sleep, simply put all your problems away along with your clothes, suggesting to yourself that you will wake up at a certain time. Visualize a beautiful landscape or the sea with all the fish in it and repeat this image over and over again. You could also imagine a green meadow where you are lying, with a stream babbling away.

You can also play ocean sounds or meditation music very quietly for half an hour or more.

 

i do not sleep well. Since i was a child ive had night terrors. I don't mean silly little nightmares. I mean otherworldly, soul crushing night terrors / sleep paralysis. It doesnt happen all the time, but it happens enough to make me afraid of sleep. As a result of both being afraid of sleep, and of being woken up when i do sleep, i sleep 4-6 hours a night. I would prefer normal sleep, 7-8 hours, and i sometime's get it, but my average is probably 5-6.

 

Hello @shinyzen, it's good that you're opening up and talking about it.
Maybe, for once, the AI can give you some hints to solve or alleviate the problem.

Spoiler: Source: Grok KI

Understanding the Issues
Night terrors (also called sleep terrors) typically occur during deep non-REM sleep and involve intense fear, screaming, or thrashing, but you usually don't remember them fully upon waking. Sleep paralysis, on the other hand, happens during the transition into or out of REM sleep, where you're conscious but temporarily unable to move or speak, often with hallucinations. Both can be triggered by factors like sleep deprivation, irregular schedules, stress, or substances, and they sometimes overlap with conditions like PTSD or anxiety.

General Strategies to Improve Sleep and Reduce Episodes
Many sources emphasize starting with lifestyle changes and sleep hygiene to break the cycle of fear and poor sleep. If these don't help enough, professional interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for insomnia or imagery rehearsal therapy (where you rehearse positive outcomes for scary scenarios) can be effective. Here's a breakdown of common recommendations:

• Establish a consistent sleep routine: Aim for a fixed bedtime and wake-up time every day, even on weekends, to regulate your body's clock. This can help reduce the frequency of parasomnias (sleep disruptions like these). Gradually work toward 7-8 hours by going to bed a bit earlier each night if possible.
• Improve sleep hygiene:
  • Create a calming pre-bed routine: Avoid screens (phones, TVs) at least an hour before bed, as blue light disrupts melatonin. Instead, try reading, journaling, or gentle stretching.
  • Optimize your environment: Keep the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. Use earplugs or a white noise machine if needed.
  • Limit stimulants: Cut out caffeine after noon and alcohol in the evening, as both can worsen night terrors and paralysis.
• Manage during episodes:
  • For sleep paralysis: Focus on deep, steady breathing and try to wiggle a small muscle like a toe or finger to break the paralysis faster. Remind yourself it's temporary and not dangerous. Avoid sleeping on your back, as it increases the risk—try side-sleeping with a pillow for support.
  • For night terrors: If someone is with you, they can gently guide you back to bed without fully waking you, as abrupt waking can confuse or agitate.
• Address potential triggers: Reduce stress through daily practices like meditation, exercise (but not too close to bedtime), or therapy. If episodes are linked to trauma, treatments like EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) might help. Track your sleep in a journal to spot patterns, like if episodes happen more after certain foods or late nights.

If these persist or severely impact your daily life, seek help sooner—medications like antidepressants are sometimes prescribed for frequent cases, but only under medical supervision. You're not alone in this; many people find relief with the right support. Start by talking to your doctor, and in the meantime, small changes might help you edge toward those longer, more restful nights.

Disclaimer: Grok is not a doctor; please consult one. Don't share information that can identify you.

Spoiler: Source: ChatGPT KI

Thanks for sharing that—what you're describing is deeply real and incredibly tough. The kind of sleep disruption you're living with isn’t just about being tired. Night terrors and sleep paralysis can be traumatic in themselves, especially when they’re recurring, intense, and rooted in childhood. The fear of sleep becomes its own cycle: you don’t sleep because you're afraid, and the lack of sleep makes the terrors worse. That’s not weakness—it’s a logical response to something most people can’t understand unless they’ve lived it.

Let’s break this into a few angles that may help you move toward better sleep without trying to force “8 hours” like a benchmark:

1. Understanding What’s Going On (Briefly)

• Night terrors typically involve a sudden arousal from deep (non-REM) sleep, usually early in the night. Unlike nightmares, they're often not fully remembered, but the body reacts as if in mortal danger—heart racing, panic, even yelling or movement.
  
  
• Sleep paralysis is a REM phenomenon—waking up before the brain turns the body “back on.” Hallucinations during this can feel terrifying and very real. Many people report “entities,” feelings of pressure, or being watched—this is common and neurological, but that doesn’t make it feel any less real.
  

2. Core Problem: Fear of Sleep
The biggest block right now isn’t just the episodes—it’s the anticipatory anxiety about sleep. That’s what’s shortening your nights.

You're not weak for avoiding sleep. You're trying to protect yourself. That said, here are some ways to chip away at that fear without trying to overpower it:

3. Practical Steps to Experiment With
⚙️ Physical / Environmental Tuning

• Sleep position: Many people find that sleep paralysis happens more when lying on their back. Try sleeping on your side or stomach consistently and see if that reduces episodes.
  
  
• Weighted blanket: For some, it helps create a sense of physical grounding and safety. For others it makes the panic worse. Worth a test.
  
  
• Red lighting / dim light before bed: Red or amber light in the hour before bed can help with melatonin production and reduce “anxiety escalation.”
  
  
• Noise: Some with night terrors feel safer with low-volume background noise—white noise, brown noise, or even ambient sounds like rain or wind. It can feel like you're “not alone” in the dark.
  

Mental / Psychological Anchors

• Grounding object: Some people keep a small, specific object (stone, piece of cloth, token) near their bed or in hand as a reality anchor. It’s not magical, but it’s a physical focus that reminds you you’re here and you’re safe.
  
  
• Pre-sleep scripting: You can build a short nightly "script"—something you tell yourself out loud before bed. For example:
  
  “This room is safe. My mind lies to me sometimes when I sleep, but I know where I am. I’ve survived every night so far.”
  This isn't about denial—it’s about countering the dread with a truth you control.
  
  
• Disruption routines: If you wake up from a terror or paralysis episode, have a short, automatic “reset” routine. Touch something cold (like a glass of water), turn on a light, or even just say a word aloud. It's about regaining control.
  

4. Medical / Specialist Options
You’ve probably already thought about these, but just to be thorough:

• Sleep study: Night terrors and sleep paralysis can be linked to underlying sleep disorders (like narcolepsy, sleep apnea, or PTSD-linked conditions). A professional sleep study might reveal something actionable.
  
  
• Low-dose medications: Some people benefit from specific meds (like prazosin for PTSD/nightmares) or anti-anxiety medications that promote deeper sleep stages. This should only be considered with a doctor who takes you seriously.
  
  
• Trauma-informed therapy: If this has roots in childhood, therapy isn’t about “fixing” you—it’s about helping your mind reprocess the meaning of the events. EMDR or somatic therapy can be useful for this.
  

5. What You Might Try Tonight
Here’s a simple experimental routine:

1. 1 hour before bed: No screens. Red lighting. Warm shower or bath.
   
   
2. 15 minutes before bed: Write a short note to your future self saying: “Whatever happens tonight, I’ll handle it. I’ve made it through worse.”
   
   
3. Right before sleep: Hold a grounding object. Say your chosen script.
   
   
4. Sleep on your side, with ambient sound playing quietly.
   
   
5. If you wake in a panic: Touch the cold glass of water. Turn on a soft light. Take three breaths with the focus: “I'm awake, and I’m safe.”
   

Do this for 3 nights in a row, and just observe. You’re not committing forever. You’re running a test.

Would you like help designing a custom bedtime script or tracking your sleep in a way that doesn’t stress you out? Or would it help to talk through what these terrors have felt like for you—either factually or metaphorically?