I've found that when I can't sleep, going grocery shopping helps a lot. Harris Teeter (local grocery store) is now open 24-7 (to compete against Target and Wal-Mart) which is ideal for me. Yesterday when I went at 330am, I was delighted to find that Swanson TV dinners were discounted from their normal price of $2.59 to buy 9 for $9 ($1 per unit, saving $1.59 per unit!). I also took the time to purchase a Mach 3 Turbo razor (something I've been meaning to buy for years now, and I just kept forgetting).

I can only theorize that shopping helps put me to sleep because usually when I try to sleep, my mind starts drifting and thinking about depressing issues (people I've known, girls I wish I could meet, past regrets, things to do) which usually wakes me up. By engaging the front part of my brain with a mundane task ("Should I get Lucky Charms or not?"), I help to shut down my brain. I'm usually exhausted when I get back, so I fall asleep quite promptly. This could also explain why I enjoy mundane, manual-labor type tasks so much (gardening, cleaning, etc.) so much.

This works much better than past attempts to medicate my sleep problems with Ambien and Sonata (I liked Ambien better, by the way). Although I'd love to try some Modafinil to extend the productivity of my workday.

Posted by roy on August 28, 2005 at 02:08 AM in Personal | 7 Comments

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Comment posted on August 28th, 2005 at 12:02 PM
I started doing this when I was in Taiwan, but have since stopped, though I should start again. I replay my entire day from the moment I wake up. I'm talking about every detail I can remember. Usually I get through about three hours worth before I fall asleep. Oddly enough, it only takes me about 15-20 minutes because I replay memories at 5x speed.
Comment posted on August 28th, 2005 at 12:31 PM
5x speed? sir, you must upgrade your cpu.

i used to also try the "i died and everyone is at my funeral" type thing. that works sometimes, too.
Comment posted on August 28th, 2005 at 11:07 AM
SuperSunJ is right about sleep and radio. I have disks of old radio shows (Dragnet etc) and I play them. I have yet to finish an entire story before falling asleep.
Comment posted on August 28th, 2005 at 09:57 AM
When I cut with a blade now, I use Mach 3. Those suckers make a clean, smooth cut.

As for sleep, when I have trouble sleeping, I usually listen to something mindless on the radio. Oddly enough, there is a series of children's stories that really help for me. GO figure.
Comment posted on August 28th, 2005 at 09:33 AM
I switched to the Mach razor several years ago. It is a lot better than the old disposals, but the replacement blades are a bit spendy -- however they do last a lot longer.
Comment posted on August 28th, 2005 at 06:29 AM
I
Comment posted on August 28th, 2005 at 05:50 AM
Were you sure to compare the prices at become.com first? eugh...