Resolution #36: Get Used To Sleeping With The TV Off...
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Date: 2-5-2014
Due Date: 2-5-2015
Resolution: Ever since I was a little kid I've been unable to sleep without the TV on. In the days of the tube television… it was so bad that not only would I turn the brightness all the way down, as the night went on I would wake from time to time to turn the volume down until it got to the point where it was basically off. However, I wouldn't turn the TV off because I needed to hear that whistle sound that tube televisions make while they're on.
I've also had horrible sleep problems my entire life and have always known that this sleep habit is partially to blame and that's why I'm going to make the change.
The Game Plan: I've wanted to cut back on TV watching myself to sleep for quite a while, but I'm not quite ready to sleep in total silence. While I was dog/house sitting there was no TV in the guest room that I slept in so I rediscovered Pandora.
I downloaded the app for my phone and tracked down random stations that seemed to have relaxing themes to fall asleep to. It was a nice way to end the day. I think I'm going to keep it up.
I also plan to create my own Pandora Bunker Sleep Station as a default station for when I don’t feel like tracking down a new station for the night (once I figure out how that is.)
How you can help: Suggest songs, bands, and other stations that you like to sleep to. I’m open to pretty much anything.
Result #36: This Resolution Was A Roller Coaster Between Success And Failure… But When You Boil It Down I Failed… And I'm Fine With It…
Update #1: The Conclusion…
Date: 2-10-2015
I came up with many strategies to try to make this resolution a success. Being that I worked a flexible schedule I ended up making another sleep faux pas of never going to sleep at a consistent time.
At first… I was successful and for about two months I slept to soft music on Pandora. Then I had a run-in with a bad case of insomnia. I tried to continue to sleep to the music but that only seemed to trigger my mind to start racing. I needed my documentarian's voices to put me at ease.
I gave up and went back to falling asleep with the TV on.
Then I got to the point where, if I was working the night shift I was able to stay up late enough to where I would crash without bothering to turn the TV on in the first place. On the nights I had to go to bed early to work the morning shift that didn't work. I needed the distraction to drown out my own thoughts so I could settle in.
I considered this a 50/50 success/failure.
Then I got to the point where I set my media player to shut off after one documentary instead of having it set to continuous play. I would’ve considered this a success because my issue with falling asleep with the TV on isn't the falling asleep part. My issue is… when I wake up in the middle of the night… to go to the bathroom… or whatever… I then find myself rested enough to now focus on what's on the TV but still too tired to consider it a full night sleep.
Since coming to the conclusion that I was going to move I pretty much gave up on any attempt to better my life because I knew I would just have to readjust once I got home.
Now that I'm in a limbo of trying to figure out what I'm doing with my life, I don't really care how I go to sleep. I'm in between jobs again and am getting all the sleep I need. My dream is to be able to always have a say in when I go to bed and wake up with or without TV.
I’ve now experienced both TV and non-TV sleep and I feel I have to battle with insomnia either way and when I’m not worried about insomnia I get plenty rested either way. My bigger problem with sleep not looking forward to what I have to do when I’m awake.
More likely than not I'll have to find a job that sets my hours and I'll have to revisit this battle with sleep but for now… I'm just going to accept this failure and move on.
