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The ethereal singer thing actually worked rather well for me! Sometimes (well, most of the time) I can't slow my brain down, and it doesn't help to tell my brain to quiet down…apparently I just needed an “ethereal singer” to drown out the noise! It was a rather relaxing and wonderful experience the one night I tried it. Last night it didn't work, but I think that was because I was having crazy hallucinations that made me paranoid of having anyone in my room. I'll have to try it a few more times.
“Winning” by Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton, “Bird Gerhl” by Antony and the Johnsons, and “Twinkle” by Tori Amos.
Interesting article. I've been reading about different findings on brain abnormalities in people with bipolar versus people with insomnia…nothing is really conclusive, but it seems like there are differences between the two, at least judging by what i found on Wikipedia :-p
The combo of trazodone and Ativan works really well for me, although I can only take the trazodone if I have a solid 10-12 hours before I have to be alert. Melatonin works when I need a slight push, or need to fall asleep faster. Tylenol PM and Benadryl work when I get in that “OMG I HAVEN'T SLEPT FOR MORE THAN THREE HOURS A NIGHT IN LIKE TWO WEEKS AND I MIGHT JUST KILL SOMEONE” mood and just want to knock myself out for twelve hours. Also, I wish pot was legal in Pennsylvania…
Unfortunately, Lamictal, the medicine I'm prescribed to manage my Bipolar II, sometimes makes me feel like I've drank a little too much coffee. I try to take it as soon as I can in the morning, but I have a feeling that sometimes the reason I can't sleep is because of the Lamictal.
'emmaree' wrote on '27:Sorry for my igorance but what is jaegar??
It's a German liqueur…tastes a little like licorice, but made with tons of other spices. Delicious, but packs quite the punch!
'emmaree' wrote on '27:Hi Mike welcome, I look forward to reading your post. The music therapy you are involved with sounds interesting. Do you work or have you worked with kids ,, who are excessively active?
Yes, I have! I've worked with kids on the autism spectrum, with ADD/ADHD, and medical trauma. Once, I worked with two kids in one group – one with autism, and another with pervasive developmental disorder (but the diagnosis changed to ADHD by the end of the semester). Boy, was it a challenge. They made some awesome progress throughout, though. Some of my goals for them dealt with impulse control, understanding of emotions through feeling words, and teaching appropriate phrases to be used in social situations. It was all done through music, which was super motivating for them…by the end of the semester, they were actually waiting over 15 seconds to hop on medicine balls and play instruments they chose. They increased their feeling word vocabulary from 0 to about 5 or 6. They learned a few different hello and goodbye phrases. They still ran around like bats outta hell after the session was over, but they were able to control themselves for 30 minutes, which was a huge step forward for them.
As far as the kids in the hospital, they really loved coming down to the music group I led. They're so isolated, so it was a real treat to participate. None of them were ever rowdy, but they certainly got a good dose of social interaction and release of anxiety from the music group. With them, I did a lot of sing-alongs, movement to music (think hokey pokey-type songs), instrument playing (solo and with partners), turn taking, etc.
I love it 🙂
'Martin' wrote on '26:The music therapy degree sounds interesting – please tell us more; do you see music as therapy for specific ailments? Insomnia, perhaps?!
I've used music-assisted relaxation with teens with “anger management” issues…many of them use music to express their feelings, and I gave them some songs with more positive messages to listen to to calm them down instead of hype them up. That, and I would routinely lead them through progressive muscle relaxation (http://www.guidetopsychology.com/pmr.htm) It doesn't necessary help with insomnia, but it does help with anxiety. Most of what I learned about relaxation through music has already been said several times in this forum – it all depends on personal preference. I don't think Enya would have calmed those teens down :-p
'Kik' wrote on '26:Does drinking my bodyweight in Tequila count?
That and Jaeger, as I found out the other night!
'Martin' wrote on '26:Have you ever been given a 'sleep technique' that actually worked?!
Ativan 😉 That and melatonin. The latter only works about a quarter of the time, though…when I just need a little push to get to sleep. Other than that, I haven't found anything that helps. It's sad I need to rely on drugs, but I think it more than evens out in the end.
Yeah, I can see how that would influence your sleep patterns…I know that soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder have a terrible time sleeping, especially ones from the Vietnam War. They feel that they have to be alert at all times in case the enemy strikes, not because they're delusional, but it's so hard wired into them. That, and they have terrible flashbacks, sometimes out of nowhere. Night terrors, etc.
It must be terrible having to deal with that, I can only imagine…
'Kik' wrote on '16:I find listening to Joanna Newsom pretty relaxing (in particular The Milk Eyed Mender). Haven't tried it before bed yet. I've added it to the list.
Love Joanna to death, but her voice would get under my skin if I tried to listen to her while falling asleep, haha.
I actively listen to music way too much to be able to fall asleep to it. There are exceptions…as long as there is no beat or set meter, I'm golden. “Digital Shades Vol. 1” by M83 is my favorite, for anyone who might benefit from beat-less music.
Ugh, I've totally had hallucinations. Now hardcore ones – more shadow play than anything else. It's terrible trying to drive after a week of maybe 2 hours a night…I see animals and people running in front of my car that aren't there, crazy stuff out of the corner of my eye…and definitely more hallucinations when I'm trying to sleep. Sometimes I find myself hallucinating when I'm half-sleeping, as well…evil clowns, demonic midgets, etc. Sounds ridiculous, but terrifying!
I don't mind the term “insomniac” at all, although just like many other disorders (bipolar, mental retardation, psychosis, schizophrenia…the list could go on and on), people use it in everyday conversation when they don't really mean to refer to the actual disorder. Like, “OMG I'm such an insomniac…last night I stayed up all night to write a paper!” or “Matt is soooooo bipolar…today, he was nice to me in the morning and then gave me a dirty look during lunch.” Really, people? Learn your disorders before using them to describe people!
