There you go. I’m not heartless.
(see what I did there?)
Who texts people at 3am?
And it got me my first ‘like’
My eyes popped open at 6:00 ****in’ AM this morning for no good reason!!! 
I just came across this gem. It’s for dealing with 9/11 and is old, but it can totally be used for dealing with any sort of bad stuff in the world! @NerdAlert was asking for advice on this a few weeks ago.
I had insomnia last night. I got to sleep okay, but then I woke up at 2:30, and couldn’t get back to sleep for… I dunno, at first it was obvious I couldn’t sleep, so I played on my phone for maybe an hour. Then I tried to go back to sleep but just felt all wound up.
It’s only eleven, but my brain does not feel quiet. The antihistamine I was prescribed, hydroxyzine, doesn’t seem to make me tired, but it does make it so hard to wake up, so that’s out.
I’ve been doing a Bible in a Year plan. Made my way through Genesis, half of Matthew, some of Psalms and Proverbs. About to start Exodus. Once I get to Leviticus, I expect I will have NO problems falling asleep; that one is boring AF.
Huh, i find parts of Leviticus very interesting.
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I’d be more perplexed if you agreed with me, tbh. Wouldn’t know how to navigate that one.
I’d rather read Leviticus than watch paint dry, most likely, but I’d choose to read outdated tax code over it.
Now I’m down a Wikipedia rabbit hole reading up on Samaritanism vs Judaism. Interesting stuff. I spent 15 years being formally educated on the Bible and didn’t learn nearly as much about this stuff as I would have liked to.
Reading this thread earlier today must have infected me with the Insomnia Virus. :sigh: 
This was in the wsj today:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/cant-sleep-here-are-some-surprising-strategies-that-actually-work-11616515200?mod=hp_lead_pos13
snips from the article
…
Unlike run-of-the-mill sleeping problems, insomnia is a clinical disorder. We have insomnia when we have difficulty falling or staying in sleep three or more times a week, and this lasts a month or longer, leading to daytime consequences, such as fatigue, mood changes or difficulty concentrating. Sleep experts believe insomnia is triggered in part by the fear and anxiety we have about not sleeping.
…
Tips to Help You Sleep
Practice good sleep hygiene. Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep. Keep consistent wake-up and bedtimes. Keep the bedroom cool, quiet and dark. Use the bed for sleep and sex only. Avoid alcohol, caffeine and exercise before bed. Turn off your screens 30 to 60 minutes before trying to go to sleep.
Don’t chase sleep. Don’t go to bed early. Don’t sleep late. Don’t nap. You’ll diminish your sleep drive, making it even harder to go to sleep the next night.
Don’t go to bed until you’re sleepy. Learn the difference between tiredness and sleepiness. (Sleepiness is when your eyes are drooping.) And limit your time in bed to the amount of time you are asleep, plus half an hour.
Don’t stay in bed unless you’re asleep. Tossing and turning in bed reinforces your brain’s association between wakefulness (and negative emotions) and the bed.
Re-establish daily routines. Have a morning routine. Eat meals at the same time. Exercise at the same time (not too late). Log off work at the end of the day and take a walk.
Stick to your natural circadian rhythm. You’re not going to be able to easily change whether you’re a night owl or an early bird. Recognize when you sleep best and stick with it.
Have a bedtime routine. Just like a child. Establish a daily wind-down time. Then take a bath. Read a book. Relax.
Stop catastrophizing. Quit telling yourself you won’t be able to sleep, or to function the next day. Ask yourself if these thoughts are really true. Replace them with positive thoughts. (“A bad night of sleep is not the end of the world.”) Then try to focus on something else. “People who sleep well don’t think about sleep all the time,” says Wendy Troxel, a certified behavioral sleep medicine specialist.
Keep a worry journal. “Sometimes we worry because our brain is telling us to not forget something,” says Philip Cheng, a sleep researcher at the Henry Ford Sleep Disorders and Research Center. If you write your worries down during the day, “when worry comes at night you can tell yourself you’ve already documented it.”
Practice gratitude. If you find yourself starting to ruminate in bed, think about the things you are grateful for, or savor your favorite moments from the day. This will train your brain to associate the bed with pleasant thoughts. “And it gets us back to feeling safe,” says Allison Harvey, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and director of the Golden Bear Sleep and Mood Research Clinic.
Listen to someone else’s voice. A pleasant but unexciting audiobook is ideal. Turn it on low volume when you go to bed. This will distract you from your thoughts.
Try CBT-I. The website of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine allows you to search for a therapist in your area. Some health programs, such as the Cleveland Clinic and the Department of Veterans Affairs, have programs. And app versions such as Sleepio and Somryst were developed by researchers.
PROPAGANDA DETECTED
This is a whooooole separate thread, but CBT and I are not on speaking terms. I appreciate the effectiveness of CBT for other people, but it is not something that works for me.
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I thought this was a weird acronym relating to cannabis or something for a second, the -I part was throwing me.
I would have thought CBT to be pretty harmless, if even ineffective - did you have a pretty bad therapist experience or something?
No, it’s nothing specific like that.
My intuition and gut instincts are very strong. I’m highly self-aware. I know what issues I have, why I have them, and the hurdle for me is not discovering them, or accepting that I have them. I have tried several therapists and have never been able to get anywhere with it.
I’m not sure what tactic works for me, but CBT ain’t it.
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Well, it’s last on the list. “If all else fails…”