Can’t Sleep the Night Before Tourney
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Please help me. I play paintball and do many tournaments. The night before the tournament I allow myself 6 or more hours to sleep but I usually cannot sleep for 5 or more of those and I’m worried. I really won’t to sleep but I can’t stop thinking about the next day. I was thinking of staying up all through the night of the day before I need to sleep so I can "pass out" for the night of the tournament. Is that a good idea or safe idea?
Aiden,
I'm not a health professional, but I can imagine that a physician would probably tell you that, that's not the healthiest way to do it. You could get a prescription or over the counter sleep aide. Those work great. If the problem is anxiety, perhaps meditation would help. Just sit upright on your bed or floor, focus your eyes upward, watch your breath and mind, and try to relax and still the mind. If you do this for 20-40 minutes before bed and then read something it should help. At least that helps me a lot. Also, I'm sure a physician would also tell you that a healthy diet with lots of raw fruits and vegetables a long with daily exercise is very helpful too. Of course you should ask these questions to your doctor.
Hope this helps.
Amac
aiden_edward wrote:
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Here's an idea for sleeping better. When you can't sleep, it is usually your busy mind thinking about lots of random things uncontrollably. Tiresome, I know. Basically it means your mind is controlling you. That is a problem, because you are supposed to be in control of your mind, not the other way around. Most people are not in control of their mind and suffer a lot more than just loss of sleep. This is not the ideal way to live. The most successful people have learned to have more control over their thoughts. I learned the best self-mind-control techniques from a book called: "The Power of Now." I recommend you read it. But, to help you out tonight, I'll tell you one simple way to practice quieting your busy mind and get you to sleep fast. It sounds too easy, but it really works. Don't judge it until you try it.
Here's what you do: Simply, observe yourself thinking. Mentally watch yourself think. That's it. Literally become a spectator of your own busy mind and watch what happens. You will soon realize that your mind will stop spinning you around in circles all night, but a few minutes after you mentally become the spectator, it will stop and you will be in control. Control feels like being completely present--absent of any thoughts unless you choose to think on purpose. When you mentally observe yourself thinking uncontrollably, it is almost like you and your mind are two different people. One quiet one (watching) and one busy one (thinking). When you become the watcher, the thinker quiets down very quickly and your mind will start to relax. It is a wonderful thing. Just try it and let me know if it works for you.
By the way, I love paintball too but haven't tried a tourney yet. Looks fun. I shoot a DM5 with a carbon barrel. Good luck!
I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea to stay up the night before, but I think it would be better to cognitively restructure your thoughts to get to the root of the problem. Read these boards for some solutions and see what works best for you. I really don't like the idea of purposely jacking with your sleep without getting to the cause of your sleep problems--your thoughts. Probably if you want sleep properly I think you should go for Derma Sleep Patch to be applied on specified body part. It is drug free. I think their site name is www.dermasleep.com
All the best.
