Brain circus insomnia

[El Dingo]

I have discovered (after years of regular insomnia) that the sleep pattern that works for me is sleep 8pm - 2AM, watch a movie for 2 hours, then sleep 2 hours. I am awake and alert throughout the day.

That 2 hours of a dark house with no interruptions (or potential interruptions) is very soothing. I also get to watch movies in darkness with no distractions.

I've read several articles that say different folks have different sleep needs.

Also - to fall asleep you should concentrate on something that relaxes/pleases you. I like amusement parks so I try and design themed rides for an imaginary park in my head. What would a Grateful Dead dark ride look like? Start with a "Pirates of the Caribbean" type ride. How would you theme it around The Dead? What would the boats look like? What scenes would you see? What music would play? Would it be all water? Could you transfer to land-based tracks for a roller-coaster experience?

Basically you are trying to occupy all thoughts of real things causing anxiety with a calming fantasy.

Meditation folks talk of 'clearing the mind'. Easier said than done in today's information age. I say 'fill your mind with creative thoughts'.