Poll | 07/10/2008 12:00 am

What's the last thing on your mind before you fall asleep at night?

Read more about: Dreams, Health, Money, Psychology

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It used to be a combination of a recap and to-do list. Now it’s just the to-do list which I have been avoiding on purpose and instead have been keeping busy with the Belles. Tomorrow I will set the alarm and start rocking since someone is coming to help me finish in the afternoon.

By Brooklyn Gal on 07/10/2008 12:24 am

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Meditation and relaxation. By the time I get to bed I have already gone through all of the list in poll. If my mind is restless I take it to my favorite place in Yosemite in Wawona. Sit on my rock with the Merced River flowing by and create the view I know so well.

By Frannie Em on 07/10/2008 12:47 am

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Depends upon a multitude of factors - what happened during the day; what’s on the docket for tomorrow; the time of year, and the weather. I often have insomnia, so I have lots of time to remember people and things I’m grateful for. Then, as I learned in a meditation class, I think: “g’night toes, g’night ankles, g’night calves,” and if I’m still awake by the time I get to the top of my head, I count backwards from 100. If that doesn’t work I try to remember scenes from my favorite episodes of “Absolutely Fabulous!”

By Maurine H on 07/10/2008 12:55 am

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Or count the names of John and Kate’s Kids?

By phyllis Doyle Pepe on 07/10/2008 12:38 pm

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OMG, Phyllis…you have a steel-trap memory! The eight kids, in alpha order -the only way I can remember them- are: Aaden, Alexis, Cara, Collin, Hannah, Joel, Leah, and Maddie. At last I can get to sleep….

By Maurine H on 07/10/2008 8:31 pm

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If I thought about any or all of those things before I went to sleep, I’d still be awake.First, I like to watch a couple comedy reruns. Then, I try to clear my mind, listen to a meditation CD or just to the quiet of the house. Oh! That wasn’t my real ‘first.’ My real ‘first’ is take my night med cocktail (ambien CR, vallium, demerol, protonix, and allergy pill). Then, I watch comedies, blah, blah, blah. If I’m still awake after an hour I get up and go on the computer. That’s why I’m on here late at night…lol

By C A Rose on 07/10/2008 1:01 am

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Ah, C A, another night owl. Your med cocktail would probably knock me out fast, but I’d be useless for the next two days. Sometimes I do watch “Frazier” re-runs. Forgot to mention that. Pleasant dreams!

By Maurine H on 07/10/2008 1:08 am

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Whoa, that’s a hefty cocktail there CA Rose. (demerol? You’re kidding right?) Many of us insomniacs do understand though. I have been using Chinese herbs lately. Have had very good results with “Anmien Pien” and “Shui De An.” They come in pill form and the great part is they are cheap! $3 - $4 a bottle. I get mine in ChinaTown. On really bad nights I add in a Benadryl. That does the trick. I am not at all surprised to see your allergy pill/Protonix combo though. (I am in the same boat there.) I read somewhere that allergies and post nasal drip may be a contributing factor to acid reflux. I find it really helps to have a HEPA air filter chugging away in the bedroom at night. I also tossed out my feather pillows, and I vacuum and dust the bedroom two-three times a week (pain in the rump but it helps.) Regular washing of all the sheets AND blankets in hot water is essential. And I sometimes wash the pillows too. I also always shower before bed to wash the day off my person. Basically I sterilize the environment of dust and the accompanying dust mites that are responsible for so many allergic attacks. :)

By Buh- Bye on 07/10/2008 6:18 pm

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My Alias, With mom having COPD (emphysema and asthma), and my allergies (4 major sinus surgeries to date) we are OCD about dust and dust mites in the bedding, furniture, etc. We burn out vacuum cleaners on a regular basis. We only have Saltillo and Italian tile on the floors, all windows have shutters, and only a couple of pieces of furniture are upholstered in fabric. I have a large air purifier in my bedroom as well. Mom has the O2 Concentrator that has a cord about a hundred feet long, and takes her anywhere in the house. Now the meds…I have GERD and Barrett’s Esophygus (pre-ca condition). I take all the others for conditions relating to the seven…. different types of cancer I have or had…that means 20+ surgeries, rads, chemo, BCG (Bacillus-Calmette-Guerin treatment), and chronic kidney dysfunction in my remaining kidney. I am a walking pharmacy, but I have lived through and with cancer for 19 years. I am so happy to be alive today. There were times when I wasn’t sure I would ever have another today. I’m a miracle of modern western medicine combined with ancient eastern medicine and boy do I love miracles.

By C A Rose on 07/11/2008 1:30 am

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Well good for you for soldiering on, CA Rose! Sounds like you are doing everything right for the dust situation. I have a Miele HEPA vacuum cleaner. Expensive but good because it doesn’t shoot the dust back into the room. Btw, I also have GERD, so I am quite familiar with Protonix (which is the best of the GERD meds IMHO.) Symptoms lessened considerably when I drastically reduced my fat intake. Have you tried that? Zantac is also an excellent interim measure during the day. A friend of mine who had GERD and cured himself of it tried to convince me to do food combining. Haven’t tried that one.

By Buh- Bye on 07/11/2008 12:45 pm

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My Alias, Food combining? I have a list of foods that trigger attacks. Is that what you mean? I’d be interested in the food thing if I could work it into my renal diet.

By C A Rose on 07/11/2008 10:15 pm

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I really don’t know that much about it. But my friend swore by it and said it totally cured him. Here are some links: http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/food-combining.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_combining Here’s a chart. http://weightloss.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww…

By Buh- Bye on 07/11/2008 11:38 pm

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I get on the computer to connect with the world. So the last thing on my mind is usually the last thing I have googled or wowed. Sometimes I go two days without talking to a grown-up so the computer is my lifelink to sanity.

By Maggi D on 07/10/2008 1:40 am