"There's a thin line between good ideas and bad ones...and that line is drawn with a green crayon" -Jiggs

Song of The Night: "Cataract" by Sparta

Sleep Tip #659- "Thought Book" -We all know that the biggest epiphany's happen just before we fall asleep, with interrupting consequences.

An idea swarm, coupled with our list of things we had to do during the day, as well as the list of things we have to do the next, makes falling asleep in a calm healthy way darn near impossible. Hence, the thought book!

The idea is simple, almost stupid-simple. All you do is keep a notebook, pad, iPad....whatever, keep something next to your bed that you can write down anything you want to remember or anything that's buzzing around in your head and you need to get it out in a useful healthy way.

Getting everything out on paper, and having the reassurance that everything is written down and ready for you to pick it back up tomorrow will help settle your mind and put you in a calm(er) state. Its a good technique if your a worrier like me, and you have a hard time getting your mind to turn down the volume.

"If there is a speed of light...is there a speed of dark?" -Jiggs


Song of The Night: "Waltz for Aidenz" by Mogwai

Sleep Tip #097- "Daylight" -Despite however hard we might try to wish the sun into not rising every morning...it happens. Now this might seem to be a natural phenomena especially horrifying for the insomniac, BUT! have no fear for this harbinger of light can actually be manipulated for our benefit.

See even though the last thing we may want to do after waking up is get anywhere near a bright light, sunlight can actually help us sleep better. Just imagine that each of us is a solar activated alarm clock. When we immerse ourselves in daylight, that's how our body knows its morning time and its time to wake up, and in effect our body knows that roughly 14 hours from first exposure to daylight, its time to sleep. If we trick our body into thinking that its not morning until noon, there's going to be a problem when we try to get our body to think that 10pm is a reasonable bedtime.

So, try to get at least 10 minutes of direct consecutive sunlight each morning as soon after waking up as possible. Not only will Vitamin D development be stimulated, which has several benefits of its own. But you will be setting your biological clock for the day.

"If you listen to a shell, you supposed to be listening to the beach. So when you hear a loud high-pitched ringing in your ears, what is that supposed to be? ...I  think its a bunch of pissed off genius dogs that invented a telepathic "human whistle"...I'd be mad but honestly, we deserve it :/ "- Jiggs

Song of The Night:  "untitled" by Sugarcult

Sleep Tip #474 - "Quiet Ears" -Now based on the title you may just be thinking, "yeah Jiggs no s**t you need quiet to sleep"...well oversensitive jumper-to-conclusions reader you are mistaken. "Quiet Ears" is actually the teqnique as follows:

- Lie on your back with yours hands clasped behind your head with your fingers interlocked (get comfortable because your going to be here for a little while)

- Place your thumbs in your ears pressing slightly against your outer flap of cartilage blocking your ear canal completely.

-Lie quietly for 10-15 minutes and concentrate on the high pitched sound you'll hear (don't worry this is not a sign of hearing damage, it is completely natural for this to happen when you cover your ears)

-After the time is up, remove your hands placing them where you are most comfortable and try to clear your mind from wandering and allow yourself to fall asleep.

The theory here is that all the concentration you put into listening to a tiny sound in complete silence, leaves you temporarily oblivious to other sounds or stirring thoughts. This gives you a small window in which our mind is calmed and you have a shot at some shuteye tonight Eastern style.

"When your lying in bed at night and cars drive by your window, the headlights make shadows of light on your wall...but you cant really call them shadows because they're just light...but I want to, ...cant they just be light shadows?" -Jiggs

Song of The Night: "Rats of The Capital" by Mogwai

Sleep tip # 126- "Reserve Your Bed Exclusively For Sleeping" - Okay so maybe it can hold one or two other clearly necessary uses, but try to refrain from watching TV, doing work, reading books, talking on the phone, pissing your pants or any other conscious activity. If you  associate your bed with anything other than sleep, you are less likely to be in the sleeping frame of mind when you lie down every night. If you reserve your bed for sleep and (almost) nothing else, your brain will automatically recognize and associate your bed with sleep. Kinda just like how as soon as you get within a 5 yard radius of a toilet when you really have to use the bathroom, your body knows it and decides that your close enough so it mine as well release the floodgates and hope you can run with your pants at your ankles.

Bonus Tip- If you insist that a bad is the only logical piece of furniture to with you find conducive enough to complete your level 3 Sudoku puzzle, maybe invest in a futon or something equivalent to a bed to put in your living room and reserve the bedroom for, well....more important things.

"The Illusory reality that surrounds us each night is one that only exists in wee hours, slow sounds, and the deafening silence of absolute darkness." -Jiggs

Song of the night: "3 legged workhorse" by This Will Destroy You

Sleep Tip #714 - "Avoid taking a hot bath" - A hot bath may seem relaxing at the time but your body needs a lower temperature in order to fall asleep properly. That's why hot summer nights aren't the most conducive for your REM cycle. If you insist on taking a hot shower or bath then make sure you do so at least 2 hours before going to bed. An easier solution would simply be to immerse yourself in cold water towards the end of your bath but that almost defeats the purpose of a relaxing soak now doesn't it?