I often find myself returning to old movie favourites too. The Graduate is a great one, Annie Hall is another I return to over and over. A few years ago, when I was getting over an operation and spent months in bed, I used to watch High School Musical when I couldn't sleep at night and felt a little upset with the world. Why? Because it brings me intense joy and reminds me that dreams can come true. Mock me all you like. Nowadays I often jump to 500 Days of Summer, and find I usually get sleepy around the IKEA scene. IKEA always has the power to exhaust me.
I recently read that experts say that you should turn your laptop off a whopping 2 whole hours before you attempt to fall into REM, I think I can speak for most bloggers when I say that this is an unrealistic goal. On the days when I'm being good, I turn my laptop off around an hour before I turn my lamp off - take my make-up off, moisturise, put my pjs on and relax into one of the many paperbacks I have to read for my course that week, but life doesn't always run this smoothly! I have to admit that I often fall asleep while watching something on my laptop, only to wake an hour or so after, groggy and annoyed, or send my macbook to sleep minutes before I try to nod off myself, producing vivid dreams and unrestful sleep. Having your brain trick you into thinking you're in Inception every night, only minus the hotness of Leo and Tom Hardy is not so great, so I pledge to take steps to improve myself!
Something I've also had to start doing is relaxation techniques and meditation. Yes, kind of like a "You're walking along a beach, you can see the ocean. Can you hear the waves?" type situation. I'm always skeptical of this type of "hippy shit" as I'm inclined to call it, but I'm learning to open my mind a little bit, and its doing me some good I think. I've also practiced a similar thing as a writing technique in some classes of my degree! I've often had to do exercises where I close my eyes and go on a "journey" to try to become part of that alternate reality - in writing it goes under the guise of "Visualisation" and its never been a technique that I've particularly warmed to, but I know plenty of writers who do use it and get a lot of creative help from it, along side relaxation.
Other things to consider are the things we consume in the hours before bed. I have a dreadful Diet Coke habit, which I've been trying to ween myself off. I have a friend who has to drink decaffinated tea all the time because of what the caffiene does to her - goodness knows what she'd be like after a Relentless! The effect that I've seen in her caused me to have a think about what caffiene must do to our bodies, so for the evening hours, if I'm in, I try my hardest to only drink squash, water or decaf or herbal tea. I've found that a camomile tea really chills me out before bed.
Below are some of the things that help me to sleep better. Lovely PJs (these ones come via the gorgeous Victoria's Secret), candles, eye masks, ear plugs, an ipod, favourite films, tea, a book and in times of serious trouble Rescue Remedy do a night spray which I find sometimes helps. Click on the link below to trace all these items.
