Do you feel like you have a greater penchant for insomnia because not believing in religion means it is on us to solve the world's problems? Or do you sleep better knowing you have not succumbed to the hysteria that is organized religion?
I am definitely of the "insomnia due to the weight of the world on my shoulders" breed.
I have eliminated caffeine after 2pm, adjuated the room temp, new bed, new pillow, perfect amount of white noise, no electronics (tonight is an exception to that rule), I even have a massive cocktail of various sleep medications that I have tried in every imaginable combination. Still, my head hits the pillow and all I can think about is how millions of people are going to rely on prayer to solve this shitstorm, and I feel like I need to come up with a decent solution. The shitstorm tends to be some different world issue each night.
When I have insomnia, I find that it is usually due to a poor choice that I made earlier in the day. (such as ingesting some form of stimulant such as caffeine, or staying up too late wasting time on my computer) The problems of the world, organized religion, and other heavy concerns don't generally trouble me. I'm not going to solve them, On a long enough time line, they don't really matter anyway. When it is time to sleep it is time to sleep, disturbing thoughts don't have any place in my bedroom at night.
To that end I often recommend guided meditation to those that haven't tried it. When done properly, think of each session as a gym workout for your mind. If you keep at it, you can learn to guide, not control, yourself to healthier thought patterns. Through meditation I have been able to discipline my mind to be present in the now. I experience irrational anxiety at times, and meditation has definitely helped me in this regard. Give it a try, it couldn't hurt!
I feel like I sleep much better knowing that the rest of the mixed nuts on this rock are handling the praying for something to get fixed. If I can fix it, and it needs fixed, and the praying hasn't fixed it, then I'll get around to fixing it. Making me more powerful and more important than the imaginary friend they are praying to and putting all of their trust in.
Well it is 3:54 a.m. my time so I'd say I have insomnia tonight. But I'm not sure it is the weight of the world. Mine seems more to be existential angst
I don’t think any insomnia I have is due to the weight of the world on my shoulders from being an atheist. Rather I think about other everyday concerns...Work, my children, finances etc.
I have a part time job now that begins at 12:30 AM and ends at 4:30 AM. I sleep a few hours before and a few hours after and am amazed at how easy a transition this has become. As a new normal for me I get the enhanced wakefulness of solidarity the middle of the night offers. I've always enjoyed being the only one up in the middle of the night. Eight hours continuous doesn't seem to be required.
Neither. I have no obligation to "solve the world's problems".
Which is a good thing, because I'm fairly certain that any ideas I
may have, would not be looked upon favorably.
Nor does not believing in religion have anything to do with how I've
ever slept.
I am 100% the loose sleep trying to solve everything in a night type. But I am also glad that I'm not someone who has succumbed to the delusion of religion. I do know it will take a hell of a lot more than just one or two people staying up late, loosing sleep to solve the world issues. And that is when I start to feel helpless and try to tell myself what my father used to tell me. All you can do is focus on yourself and your family and making them a small piece of good in the world. It sometimes makes me feel better but for the most part, I still loose sleep
I don't want to solve the world's problems but I have anxiety about the Trump problem. I do not sleep well because I'm up every 2 hours and piss like a race horse. There is too much fluid and that is how my kidneys work these days.
As for anxiety, I can wake up and wonder if it is time to get up. I look at the clock and go back to sleep. Once my ability to immediately fall back to sleep goes away I might be doomed.
Religion has nothing to do with this. Imaginary sky beings do not bother me unless they start colluding with the Easter Bunny. I have no worries about hellfire.
When my mind is going to fast I put on my meditation app and listen to a guided sleep meditation, very relaxing and I haven’t heard the end of one yet. It’s good to remember that worrying about things out of your control doesn’t change them. Here, now and this moment is all that there really is… If you’re lamenting about the past or worried about the future those are the source of upset. mindfulness and meditation are scientificly verifiable solutions for the mind.
I think the world is screwed beyond repair but the Earth will carry on through her cycle and shuffle us off like a dog with its fleas when she no longer wants to share our co-habitation!
Since nothing I can do can solve the worlds problems, or for that matter, many of mine, they have no bearing on how I sleep at night. On nights when I can’t get to sleep, it is usually because I drank caffeine too late in the evening, at a big meal late, or have some physical issue (leg cramps, bug bites, acid reflux etc) that makes it hard to sleep.