What do you do before you go to sleep?

Evelyn Waugh, the ardent fan of P.G. Wodehouse, once confessed that it was his regular habit to read a few pages of PGW before retiring to bed. He said that this made him go to sleep with a smile on his face and if he ever died in his sleep, his friends would find his lifeless body with a smile on the face. Friends, please do not dismiss Evelyn Waugh's statement as the mere emotional outpourings of an over-zealous fan. There is an abiding truth in his what he says.


Psychologists always recommend reading a good book, listening to good music or auto-suggestion before retiring to bed. You know what I mean by auto-suggestion. I refer to the method of Emile Coue of suggesting to one-self just before falling asleep that day by day in every way he is getting better and better. He was of the firm view that this was a lot better than counting sheep! He advocated that this singular practice would ensure that all our goals would eventually become eminently achievable. Our mind is reported to be usually in a semi conscious state just before falling asleep and is said to be a fertile ground to sow healthy seeds of soul-enriching thoughts.

If you are trying to run for cover thinking that I am going to give you a long lecture on the lines of Dale Carnegie, let me hasten to assure you that I have no such intention. I am merely sharing a personal experience. I have always been very inconsistent about what I do before retiring to bed. Sometimes I read good books ranging from P.G. Wodehouse to Osho's parables, listen to the soft music of Paul Mauriat or Richard Clyderman or watch the rain-soaked gyrating torsos of some buxom Telugu stars in programmes like Midnight Masala of Gemini TV.

I get up totally refreshed on the following day after a restful sleep if the last act of my day was reading a good book or listening to good music or pondering over the soul enriching thoughts of chitvish. But watching soft porns on TV before retiring makes me very grumpy and highly irritable on the following day. This is why I am warning you to heed the advices of psychologists.

Let us not try to understand why and how healthy and positive thoughts/actions before retiring to bed help us to get really restful sleep. "It has something to do with your subconscious mind which takes possession of you during your sleep" will be the explanation these head-shrinkers, as Bertie Wooster calls Sir Roderick Glossop, would give. And thus leaving us more confused than ever before.

I must sign off now for I hear the familiar tune of Midnight Masala beckoning me. As the scene unfolds before me showing the rain-soaked stars, I am filled with revulsion and a sense of guilt but I can't take my eyes off the screen!

Dear Sri,
The very title of your thread sent a "shudder" through me - what is this 64 year old man, asking us !
Thank God, Sri, you are too decent and hence I will not scandalise you !
I appreciate your honesty in admitting that you do enjoy Midnight Masala like every one of us, but your range from "the soul enriching posts of chitvish" to the "gyrating torsos of Telugu actresses" is awesome. Again, you are like everyone of us, yours truly, included.
This post is an immediate reaction. Don't be shocked if I send another post !
Love,
Chithra.

Dear Cheeniya,

Once again a block-buster topic you have chosen. I go to sleep with my ipod on and drift into sleep half way through some song. It puts my mind to rest and avoid uncomfortable thoughts. Some years back, there was a song by Bobby McFerrin titled 'Don't worry be happy'. I used to listen to the song invariably before going to sleep. Then came the song 'Ovvoru pookalume, by actress Sneha in the movie, Autograph. Recently, the song 'Kaatrin mozhiye' from the movie Mozhie. All these songs have a profound effect in getting a peaceful sleep to me.

Regards,

TDU

haaha sri,
ithink the film cheeni kum is taking effect on u, and ur loosening out, wonderful this is what i wanted to see in sri u c...good. anyway i chat mostly to give the required pep to sleep, but none come on so late so have to just read through my fav sites with their jokes and stories and ponder a lot which put me to sleep easily...regards sunkan

Cheeniya Sir,

The title of this thread attracted me right here to post a reply.

What do I do before I go to sleep? Most of the nights when I go to put my little one sleep, I too fall asleep after the long busy day I had with her. Some times I recall some energy left and get back to my laptop. What else will I do other than browsing Indusladies?

But the last 2 weeks I was breaking my head against site migration, database errors, etc. Where do I get to sleep? Those nights were sleepless nights! I wish such nights never repeats.

I enjoyed your post on this topic and especially your frankness!

Malathy

Dear Sri,
Well, as I warned you earlier, this is my second post.
Before I go to sleep, I love to hear "Vathsalyam" by Bombay Jaishri - lullabies in different languages & also her "Shravanam". It is the most soothing melody, to drive away the blues. For a change, I enjoy immensely Rabindra Sangeeth, of which I have a small collection which Vish got from Calcutta. Shonar Bangla music is "sonorous" to me.
Well, I have to tell a truth now. I also wait for getting or making phone calls after 10.30, from & to my very close & intimate friends, because that is a totally relaxing time to both parties without door bells, kitchen work etc. After the calls, I bask in the love & affection shown by my friends & I just doze off !
Love,
Chithra.

HI cheeniya sir,

a nice post which brings out both the devil and god in each of us !!!!well we cant b sadhus and chant the bhagawan name...at times we need to realise tht we r also human..so watching the midnight masala is sumthing almost all of us do but dun dare accept it...well in recent times sumthing tht has impressed me are the news channels-ndtv 24*7,cnn ibn and times now....i find these channels very impressive as they give out exciting and detailed reports.....

and otherwise i love to browse thru indusladies as i dun have anybody calling me,as my daughter aarushi wud be sleeping and my hub wud either b snoring or out for a meeting with his buddies !!

lov
sowmi

hello sri


dennis the menace padithaal
paste a smile enna
paste a guffaw ve irukkum
arai bum kaattum
tholpattai muthal thongum
drawyarudan...
padukkaiyarayil mandithu
kurumbudan AVAN idam
sollum anraya kurumbugal....
rasikka.........

kaalai avanudan pesa ninaithaalum
intha thanks for a nice day
solvathillai........
naan mattum vidivilakkillai...!

patiala house kanakka
padukkai araiyil alamaari irukka
puthagathukka panjam?
oru janmame thedi
oru janmame thedi
(naam iruvar namakkiruvar...)
serthathai ...serthukkondiruppathai
meendum meendum padikka
puthiyathaaga padikka
aimbathu varudam pinnokki selgirathe
ammavin jo jo thaalattudan
min vilakku illaathu urakkam......

sathya

I was wondering how the satan is quoting the verses! At last you let the cat out of the bag! (Sorry! No offence meant!) It had to have the hall mark of Cheeniya as ever!
Jokes apart, I love to hear melodies from Tamil movies which are poetic and may be romantic before I doze off. Like Tamil, I too love to have my ipod sing the lullaby for me. And my latest favourite is-"Kaatrin mozhi.... I also read spiritual books before bed time. Earlier I used to do meditation but now I meditate only in the wee hours of morning when there is only 'patchigalin mozhi'.

Dear Chithra
I dont know who wrote that song, 'Aimbathilum aasai varum' but had he seen me, he would have revised it to 'Ezhubadilum aasai varum!' There are moments of nostalgia in one's life when all kinds of thoughts come crowding in and I let them possess me for as long as they last.
Getting older has not driven me to such extremes yet to chant mantras from getting up to going to bed! I have read in Lifco's Sakala Karya Sidhi about the Mantras to be chanted on getting up from bed, brushing the teeth, answering calls of nature, bathing, drying the body after bathing, before eating, after eating, leaving for office, opening the pen, closing the pen, going to boss' room, retruning from boss' room, leaving for home, reaching home, talking with wife, fighting with wife, giving a bit of my mind to the kids, before dinner, after dinner, before horlics and after Horlics, final visit to bathroom, before hitting the sack and falling asleep!
I love my routine as it is and an occasional M.Masala keeps me alive!
Sri