this maryangela -thread 3 -- he's gone

[saffie]

Clean sleep regime is that you unclutter what you have in your room and make everything as calm as possible before you try to go to sleep.

For example - don't watch tv in bed, don't read. Don't try going to bed straight after doing anything energetic. Don't start thinking about and 'big' issues after 8pm at night. After a certain time at night just chill - no ironing for example and then going straight to bed. Instead have a bath followed by a warm drink - just relax into it and then when you start to feel sleepy go to bed. No thinking that you will put the garbage out on route or check this or that. Complete mental and physical wind down.

I found that I couldn't stop fixating on things like OW and so I did bend the rules slightly. The bid ole stop sign MWD talks about never worked for me. the only way I can stop my mind racing on negative thoughts is to totally distract it - I would do sudoku as I have to really concentrate on JUST that when I do it - it would help my thoughts from running away with me. Then I would start to chill.

There are some good books out there on CBT and sleep.