I don’t know. Some people just have the abili… z…zzZZZ ZZZZZZZ

@cookieman

Hahahahahah

@cookieman

I wish I could harness that power !!!

It takes talent and years of practice. Not everyone can master this craft.

Do you pay attention to what is going on with you when you try? What are your body and mind doing when you try to nap?

I can usually sleep if I am tired and comfortable enough, and if there are no distractions and I am not anxious about something. It helps if I have had a bit of food and drink first.

The main skill/trick I’m aware of having developed, aside from self-awareness (q.v. meditation) is letting my mind wander. Letting my attention and perspective go into dream space. Like day dreaming, but letting go of the intentional creation helps, as does paying no attention to the real-world surroundings, and letting my perspective go into the imaginary space, so I’m just letting my mind wander and all my attention and awareness go with it.

i.e. I “induce a liminal state”.

Yes, it helps me. It doesn’t help everyone. People are different about their sleep phases and cycles. If I am really tired, then a nap may get me really organized to sleep and then a 20 minute nap may just make me more apt to pass out and unable to concentrate if I try to stay awake. It seems to be best for me if I can sleep whenever I feel tired.

I don’t. I am not a napper, never have been, unless sick or on a very, very, rare occasion. Infact, I actually took a brief 45 minute nap a few weeks ago for the first time in years. I don’t know how others do it either. I have been able to sleep on a long flight but dozing off in chairs, cars, park benches never. haha

@joblack33 @Zaku

I am so envious of you…........ and anyone who can take naps easily anywhere :(

@Sneki2

“It takes talent and years of practice. Not everyone can master this craft.”

Hahahaaha :D

@Zaku

I think I get anxiety and my mind starts “overthinking”.... How do you just stop the thoughts?

Count, remember a clock ticking, or just be very tired.

I yawn and stretch and I can rest anywhere.

@RedDeerGuy1

Okay, HOW can you just nap anywhere??

Do you really only just yawn and stretch ??

@Sneki2

Do you think counting backwards works? Like if I count backwards from 300 or something? I haven’t done that before because I wasn’t sure if it actually worked? But I really want to learn how to relax and nap anywhere.

I never counted backwards and I can never focus when counting forwards anyways, but I count when I breathe to relax. For example, three seconds inhale, two seconds pause, three seconds exhale.
This helps a lot. I didn’t mention clocks for no reason.

Sleep deprived

Narcolepsy

Uncomfortable too much of the day, especially if they are cold, and finally get to warm up.

My husband used to say he couldn’t nap. I cured him of that after a few years of marriage. I think that bullshit for most people. You just aren’t letting yourself get into a position to sleep.

@JLeslie In my case it is not because I can’t fall asleep, though I can’t fall asleep sitting up, it is because I never come out of the groggy after nap phase so end up feeling worse than if I just stay awake and go to bed early. haha

@Coloma If you can go to bed early that’s fine. You get to catch up.

Yeah, “position” can be the key. If I turn on my left laying down, it’s my typical set up for falling asleep. It’s a cue to my brain. I can fall asleep sitting up though, as long as my head and neck are supported, and I’m comfortable.

@AloraCrimson Yes I just woke up from my nap. I had stayed up all night watching Baluders Gate two enhanced edition .

If I’m not driving I tend to fall asleep in the car. Not my first choice, but it happens.

I think the only thing I learned in high school was how to nap in every position. That and algebra..

I have napped on sidewalks. Cars put me to sleep. I flooded my basement more than once napping in the bathtub. If you rub my head I will be asleep in a few minutes. I am a nap machine.

I’m good at not giving a shit about anything. I have a simple life. I don’t really worry about money or anyone around me. It is pretty natural to just shut the brain off and catch a nap. I don’t even own a alarm clock.

I do keep crazy hours. I’m generally awake in the AM since daylight hurts my skin. I just sleep whenever I am tired.

I think I was born napping. I can nap almost anytime anywhere. I would say it’s the meds I am on, but I’ve been able to do it my entire life. Honestly I think I developed it as a coping mechanism to the household I grew up in.

@AloraCrimson Anxiety is one of the few things that can keep me awake. I handle it by managing anxiety in my life, learning how to avoid and process it while awake. That approach is good not just for sleep but for the anxiety itself, so it’s worth doing, but I’ve taken years of courses

If/when I am (despite that) anxious and having trouble sleeping, what can work well for me is a more intentional version of what I described before – using imagination and theater of the mind to think about another context I make up. Games, stories, situations from the past. Something more interesting than counting sheep, and then hand over control to automatic mind drift (it may take practice).

And/or using the onion-layer technique where you notice what you’re doing and thinking about at the moment, and regard that person from an external frame of mind… and then notice that person regarding that… then notice and regard the person considering the person considering the person doing and thinking what you were doing and thinking… and so on, and so on. That can give you some perspective, separation and freedom to choose not to be locked in anxiousness. It also helps practice conscious control of your state of mind.

And/or I do Focusing techniques. There’s a short little old book called Focusing that teaches a type of meditation that’s what people do when they’re getting somewhere in psychotherapy, and is good for processing stress and other emotional material. It takes practice but it’s a cheap used book which is a very practical little manual for a valuable skill.

If my body’s uncomfortable, I pay attention and change things until it is. I can’t sleep well in a car seat or uncomfortable chair or in other bad circumstances.

But I may also just be very fortunate. Both my parents have trouble sleeping well in one way or another, as do my aunts. However I did too when I was young but when I was 5 or so my dad helped by showing me there was no brontosaurus or Frankenstein in the closet and the imagination technique (which works for him but then he wakes up in the middle of the night).

Oh also another good one my dad taught me is to start at one end of your body (toes are good) and concentrate just on that part and having it be comfortable and relaxed, until it’s all relaxed, and then move on to the next part (foot, then ankle, etc). Usually that’ll put me to sleep before I get much past my ankle unless I’m really stressing about something, both from the relaxation but also from the shift of mental attention which gets my mind of whatever’s keeping me awake and lets my dream engine take over.

Oh and another thing is if you really are having an awful time trying to get to sleep or back to sleep, don’t lie there suffering too long – get up out of bed, pee, drink, and try to do something you’re too tired to do, like read something boring, or just spend some time away from bed for a bit, and then go back. Many people have a natural rested sleep schedule that involves being awake for a bit in the middle of the night and then going back to sleep. It can also be pretty nice to be awake for a bit when everything’s dark and quiet.

Exhaustion. A few days ago I was sitting at my desk, and I knew I had pushed myself to the max. I couldn’t even hold my head up. I tried to get to my feet and my legs wouldn’t work I damn near fell. I managed to get up get changed and that’s the last thing I remember. I woke up the next morning at 12:30 AM. The last time I looked at the time it was 7:30 PM. I sometimes fall asleep on the bus going to my appointments.