Anyone else get drowsy during a session?

Posted by: @aneros_user88299

I tend to start getting drowsy during a session, and I wonder if I should try to stay awake or if taking a nap would be more beneficial to the mantra of relaxing and letting go.

IMHO, taking a nap would be an excellent idea ! Falling asleep with your Aneros in place has not proven to be an especially helpful technique as numerous members can attest.

I'm under the impression it's better to be alert but meditative to pay attention to the subtle feelings, so I wonder what I could change up in order to stay awake more easily.

Yes, being alert enough to sense/detect the subtle sensations your massager induces in your body is very important. The meditative state allows you to enjoy those sensations without 'mind noise' or ego dialogue interfering. The nap will greatly help as it will not only supply you with supplemental rest, it will also re-energize you. The bonus here is that it may also get you into ...an 'Optimal' mind state.

There's really no substitute for being adequately rested, especially when it comes to Aneros use. As nearly all veterans will acknowledge success with an Aneros massager is more a mental facility than a physical facility. A well rested 'mind' is much more efficient than a fatigued one.

Good Vibes to You!

Like most things in Aneros-Land, it depends. Some people sleep with their toy and wake up with orgasms or P-Waves but I don't feel they're the majority. As for me, falling asleep involuntarily only happened a handful of times when I was exhausted after a session and did not bother removing my toy, and I just woke up a little confused, feeling I needed to use the bathroom. I tried getting to sleep with my Eupho voluntarily a couple of times and didn't get any results.

Not saying it's a brilliant solution, but when I was working evenings years ago, on Friday I used to get out of work around midnight, grab the biggest French Vanilla coffee they had at the corner store, (which as you know is pretty much caffeinated hot chocolate loaded with sugar), and then I'd have a great two hours session and sleep like a rock afterwards. Depending on your schedule, maybe just a cup of black coffee before your session would keep you more alert ? 

Last year I made a chart where I noted my energy level each hour for a week, nothing fancy just a piece of graph paper. I then tried to arrange my sessions around my findings, but I didn't get a consistant pattern of better or worse results  so I marked it as a failed experiment. Might be worth a try. 

I'm going to be in the minority, here, but I've found just the opposite to be a significant part of my recent breakthrough.  I didn't just get drowsy during a session, I would fall soundly asleep because of trying to relax.  How I overcame that was accidental.  Due to recent insomnia, I would wake around 1-2 am.  Rather than struggle with trying to get back to sleep, I got up and did my morning exercise routine, instead.  Nothing highly strenuous, mind you -- pushup, squats, sit ups and the like.  It got my blood pumping and my nervous system focused.  After some cool down stretches, my body and mind were ready and naturally in sync.

I don't recommend getting up in the middle of the night, however.  But I believe the 'relax' mantra might be misleading for some people.  I substitute the term 'surrender'.  I think mild to moderate exercise before a session could help rid oneself of nervous energy and open the neurological pathways so that faint stimuli are more readily detected.

I'm also a proponent of not relying solely on mental focus; physical stimulation (not penile) can send signals to the prostate -- as if you are manually feeding it energy.  An example is lightly and slowly stroking body hair, especially if you guide it toward your genitals and from your groin out to your body. The prostate will respond with pleasure sensations that travel up the spinal cord to the brain, which sends the message out to the body, creating a continuous loop of pleasure that begins to drive itself.

Because of my tendency to fall asleep, when I enter a session, my 'goal' is simply to enjoy those sensations I know I have the ability to generate and that become amplified by the Aneros.  From there, I focus inside myself at the resulting pleasures that develop and allow those to play however they wish (i.e. I surrender to the sensations - but now I don't get drowsy or fall asleep anymore).

I'm not attempting to argue with or discredit any technique - just throwing out my observations.

slipperybugger

Posted by: @slipperybugger

I'm not attempting to argue with or discredit any technique - just throwing out my observations.

I think the worst thing you could do would be to go with the status quo when you have a different opinion. Personally I want to learn about every possible path and see what I can integrate in my practice. I'm sure that everyone here is open to different views.

For example, I've had Super-Os come from hyper-arousal and zero relaxation. I also had some with hyper-relaxation and zero arousal at the beginning of a session. This mostly goes against the conventional wisdom of starting a session with arousal AND relaxation.

So I know where you're coming from and can relate.

Good write up ! I'll surely try that body hair technique. 

Has anyone tried an aneros session while sitting upright?

This idea might be better with the helix syn rather than the mgx classic and a soft surface, but I find myself able to stay awake much more easily while sitting upright. This would be perfect for incorporating meditation. The device might not be able to move as freely, but I don't really get a whole lot of movement normally anyway unless I bear down like I'm going to the bathroom, but then I might have to urinate sooner.

I had an idea and have tried it out...

I have this pillow I got from the drug store once that's shaped like an elongated donut that's meant to make sitting more comfortable when you have hemorrhoids.

I took the sheet off of it and draped a towel over it, then later figured out it works better if I put it on top of the towel then drape the sides of the towel over it from the sides.

This actually allows for a decent amount of mobility if I'm trying to move the device, and I don't have to worry about it slipping out because it doesn't go that far before being physically stopped.

I can sit in my computer chair with it as upright or reclined as I want and still have the device free to move. This might be really important for me being able to stay awake during a session, not to mention it allows me to experiment a bit more with pushing and pulling the device.

@rumel By the way, my mind isn't fatigued usually as I sleep plenty and have a pretty relaxed (sedentary) lifestyle, I could stand to exercise a bit more than I already do lol. I just get sleepy when I lay down in bed and relax.

I have experienced certain Super-O during only two sessions ever. The first was the most amazing and was a long road getting there. Then I felt like I was shut down forever. Then, a little over five months later, I fell to sleep with the old original unaltered helix and was awakened to the old familiar aneros needing to stretch my legs out feeling, but when I returned to a relaxed state, I felt very different. Then, I felt the helix very mobile and just tickling the spot and I began experiencing Super-O again! It was a most pleasant awakening. Not as intense or as long as my first ever Super-O, but still wonderful. I still felt it all the way to the tips of my fingers and toes, and I was still feeling it most of the next day. 

I see nothing wrong with falling asleep while practicing Aneros. 

The "relaxation" that I practice is conscious relaxation, because if I'm not paying attention i clench all sorts of muscle groups and body parts it seems!  I too used to fall asleep during sessions because I was bored, but no longer have this problem unless I don't get a good night's sleep.  So make sure you're well rested before initiating a session. If you are unused to laying down and just breathing then you need a lot of practice before you can do it without nodding off.  Also you could try listening to music and/or other sounds: I'm always recommending the Hypnaerosession if you don't already have it.  Also I have found much success in laying on my back, for starters because it's harder for me to fall asleep. 

Posted by: @zentai

I'll surely try that body hair technique. 

Rumel describes the idea in his posts on preparing yourself for a session.  I found when I do it during a session, it gives my mind something to notice so I don't drift off into a self-induced coma of sleep, but is not so intense that it distracts me from the Aneros.

The longest route is to start at one wrist and slowly and lightly pass your fingers up your arm, over your shoulder, across your chest and down your abdomen to the base of your penis.  You are herding the tickling sensations toward your prostate.  When you finish the pass, 'listen' for the response from the Aneros and your prostate and fall into or surrender yourself to those echoes.  You can also use both hands in a similar manner, especially stroking your shoulders and chest and working downward.  Extra credit if you can also glance over your nipples along the way. If the echoes become more noticeable, try stroking in the opposite direction, herding the 'echo' out to the rest of your body.  Then, occasionally alternate the direction to create a loop of sensations through your upper body.

This also works on the hair of your upper legs.  If you lie on your back, you can easily access the inner thighs and hamstrings as well.  Finish on the back side of your scrotum where it connects to the perineum and in front of the P-tab...or your buttocks and your crack just behind the handle. Then ride those echoes...

If you're not particularly hairy, no worries - it seems to work well on bare skin, too. (I modified a sugar waxing method to give myself a Brazilian and still have plenty of tactile sensation in my groin despite the lack of hair).

I hope you (or someone) finds this useful.

slipperybugger

PS: If anyone wants a comfortable and cheap method of hair removal without resulting stubble, I will happily share upon request.

Posted by: @faith-manages

The "relaxation" that I practice is conscious relaxation, because if I'm not paying attention i clench all sorts of muscle groups and body parts it seems!  I too used to fall asleep during sessions because I was bored, but no longer have this problem unless I don't get a good night's sleep.  So make sure you're well rested before initiating a session. If you are unused to laying down and just breathing then you need a lot of practice before you can do it without nodding off.  Also you could try listening to music and/or other sounds: I'm always recommending the Hypnaerosession if you don't already have it.  Also I have found much success in laying on my back, for starters because it's harder for me to fall asleep. 

For me it might be a "bed is for sleep" sort of thing, conditioned into me my whole life. I find it much easier to stay awake in my computer chair.

@aneros_user88299 Maybe you need a strategically placed hole in that chair then.  I've never tried a chair before, might be fun.  But I wouldn't abandon the bed either, though it might take some perseverance. 

@faith-manages As I mentioned before, I have this pillow that's shaped like an elongated donut that's meant to make sitting with a hemorrhoid more comfortable. I can sit on it and still get quite a bit of mobility, and better yet the aneros doesn't go far enough to slip out before being stopped. I can experiment more with pushing and pulling the device without worrying about it slipping out, and I can adjust my computer chair to as laid back or upright as I wish.