By the way, as an aside, I started looking at some ASMR. I admit I am rather sceptical about some aspects of ASMR. As a sound engineer (and as someone who worked a lot with dummy head stereo and surround sound experiences for clients), I must admit I have found most of the ASMR recordings on YouTube to be mostly just irritating, badly recorded, and where speech is involved, boring to the point of driving me mad!
Just because someone has a nice voice texture, doesn't mean they are a good narrator! The reason someone like Michael Gambon, or dear Miriam Margolyes is nice to listen to is partly because they have a nice voice, but also because they are stunning actors.
I admit that as a sound engineer, I am a right pain. I spot every imperfection. Never take me to a movie where the sound mix or voice direction is off!
I don't think I have parkinsons. But. I do suffer periodically from insomnia and have tried many things. The trick is to turn off the brain. I haven't found a pattern with doomscrolling bright lights or anything in particular. One common factor is if I see or hear something unpleasant or worrying in the evening. Therefore for the past 30 years I haven't watched tv at all. I am careful what I watch on netflix or youtube. If I have something to do the next day that is stressful that can cause too many thoughts in the night.
If I can manage these things and still have a mind like a whirlpool I have three tricks which can be used indivituall or together. my solutions are:
take two paracetamol half an hour before bed.
as you get comfy in bed, keep saying a simple word to yourself, mine is 'peace'.
once comfy, take four deep breaths into abdomen not chest. this tricks the brain into thinking you are asleep.
As Silas says, Railcowgirl is a good one for making one sleepy. Especially the night ones. But it doesn't solve insomnia. There are also others like rail trips through Wales which are just pleasant viewing.
Years (decades) ago, I helped some prof whose name escapes me with his experiment. He wanted to try rail sounds, so off I went with Nagra and gun mikes and recorded the sleeper to Edinburgh for him. It was interesting because I myself have had insomnia all my life. I NEVER sleep a whole night unless I am physically exhausted. Putting on weight has made it worse in recent years. The night train didn't do it for me back then, but I was worried about the equipment too.
So, he messed around with the soundtrack I made, and also played with movement. He discovered that there was an order to events.
1. The sound helped you get to sleep.
2. The movement (if constant) helped you get into a slightly deeper sleep. (rock the baby)
3. After a while, the sound and movement lighten your sleep considerably until you are dozing fitfully and getting nothing out of it.
Basically, he concluded that the sounds that send you to sleep eventually become an irritant. Also, this only addressed the problem of getting to sleep, not of waking up and then having to go to sleep again.
I think tech does have a part to play - the existence of it is making an old problem much worse. It is probably better to try and solve (where possible) why one is having trouble getting to sleep in the first place rather than to try an audio bandaid.
I really wish I could remember his name, but he was just one of thousands of clients back in the 80s. Sorry!
Check out youtube 'railcowgirl' for cab views of railways in Norway, summer or winter views, last one was 4 hours through a snow storm lulls me to sleep easily!
I find that podcasts about East Asian history lull me to sleep. They are interesting enough that I don’t start thinking “this is boring!” Being bored also keeps me awake and thinking about what else I could be listening to. But the constant flow of East Asian name (Japanese, Chinese, etc.) with which I am completely unfamiliar tricks my brain into forgetting about everything else including the flow of the podcast. Chinese place names are particularly good for this. Usually takes no more than 30 mins to fall back asleep, sometimes much less.
By the way, as an aside, I started looking at some ASMR. I admit I am rather sceptical about some aspects of ASMR. As a sound engineer (and as someone who worked a lot with dummy head stereo and surround sound experiences for clients), I must admit I have found most of the ASMR recordings on YouTube to be mostly just irritating, badly recorded, and where speech is involved, boring to the point of driving me mad!
Just because someone has a nice voice texture, doesn't mean they are a good narrator! The reason someone like Michael Gambon, or dear Miriam Margolyes is nice to listen to is partly because they have a nice voice, but also because they are stunning actors.
I admit that as a sound engineer, I am a right pain. I spot every imperfection. Never take me to a movie where the sound mix or voice direction is off!
I don't think I have parkinsons. But. I do suffer periodically from insomnia and have tried many things. The trick is to turn off the brain. I haven't found a pattern with doomscrolling bright lights or anything in particular. One common factor is if I see or hear something unpleasant or worrying in the evening. Therefore for the past 30 years I haven't watched tv at all. I am careful what I watch on netflix or youtube. If I have something to do the next day that is stressful that can cause too many thoughts in the night.
If I can manage these things and still have a mind like a whirlpool I have three tricks which can be used indivituall or together. my solutions are:
take two paracetamol half an hour before bed.
as you get comfy in bed, keep saying a simple word to yourself, mine is 'peace'.
once comfy, take four deep breaths into abdomen not chest. this tricks the brain into thinking you are asleep.
As Silas says, Railcowgirl is a good one for making one sleepy. Especially the night ones. But it doesn't solve insomnia. There are also others like rail trips through Wales which are just pleasant viewing.
Years (decades) ago, I helped some prof whose name escapes me with his experiment. He wanted to try rail sounds, so off I went with Nagra and gun mikes and recorded the sleeper to Edinburgh for him. It was interesting because I myself have had insomnia all my life. I NEVER sleep a whole night unless I am physically exhausted. Putting on weight has made it worse in recent years. The night train didn't do it for me back then, but I was worried about the equipment too.
So, he messed around with the soundtrack I made, and also played with movement. He discovered that there was an order to events.
1. The sound helped you get to sleep.
2. The movement (if constant) helped you get into a slightly deeper sleep. (rock the baby)
3. After a while, the sound and movement lighten your sleep considerably until you are dozing fitfully and getting nothing out of it.
Basically, he concluded that the sounds that send you to sleep eventually become an irritant. Also, this only addressed the problem of getting to sleep, not of waking up and then having to go to sleep again.
I think tech does have a part to play - the existence of it is making an old problem much worse. It is probably better to try and solve (where possible) why one is having trouble getting to sleep in the first place rather than to try an audio bandaid.
I really wish I could remember his name, but he was just one of thousands of clients back in the 80s. Sorry!
Check out youtube 'railcowgirl' for cab views of railways in Norway, summer or winter views, last one was 4 hours through a snow storm lulls me to sleep easily!
I find that podcasts about East Asian history lull me to sleep. They are interesting enough that I don’t start thinking “this is boring!” Being bored also keeps me awake and thinking about what else I could be listening to. But the constant flow of East Asian name (Japanese, Chinese, etc.) with which I am completely unfamiliar tricks my brain into forgetting about everything else including the flow of the podcast. Chinese place names are particularly good for this. Usually takes no more than 30 mins to fall back asleep, sometimes much less.
I go to sleep within 10 mins but never stay asleep for more than 2 hours
I find having the World Service on softly sends me to sleep both at the start and then the 2-4 times I wake up during the night.