> What works for me is ...(you guessed it)...sleeping in the nude. [FLUSH
> and BLUSH].  Try it -- you'll like it. [MORE BLUSHING....)
>
> Janice Long

Janice! Really!

As attractive as the idea may sound :-), I have tried it, and find that I
stick to the sheets!  :-(

My internal thermometer is confused by PD, and I all too frequently sweat
like a pig! (Oops! I forgot, "Horses sweat, men perspire, ladies glow".)

I have been unable to wear pyjamas for about three years now, and find an
over-large, simple cotton nightgown (of the kind that goes with a candle
and a nightcap) to be much more comfortable.  Only one prob, I sometimes
"chuck a wobbly" as the youngsters here term it, and tear the nightie down
the back!

I have read some very interesting messages, here and elsewhere, about satin
sheets, silk pyjamas, etc., and one today from one PWP who found that with
a fitted bottom sheet on a king-sized bed, it was possible to fit the sheet
either of two ways, 90 degrees apart.  One way enabled him to slide up and
down the bed, but made turning over difficult.  Fitted the other way, he
could turn over easily, but could only move laterally with difficulty.

Must have something to do with the weave of the sheeting.  Wonder if there
is a difference between different grades and types of material?  Might have
to experiment and see.

Since having PD, I have been jealous of women for being able to wear
dresses, without causing a stir!  Yair, yair. I know about girdles,
pantyhose, etc.

I just want to cover myself to keep off the cold, and the jeering comments
of unkind persons about my manly form.  I don't want to wear anything
underneath. :-)

What with cuff-less shirts, velcro closures, slip-on shoes, silk pyjies
etc.,  I might get to be as slippery as the soap in the bottom of a shower!
Or a US Senator trying to avoid having to commit himself about the Udall
bill.

I have  a small bio-feedback device consisting of a case about the size of
a pack of cigarettes, with an earphone, and two tiny velcro "cuffs" that go
around a finger on either hand.  Just like a tiny lie detector!  :-)
(Lucky it doesn't work like one.)

When switched on, the device emits a low-pitched whistle in the earphone.
There is an adjusting wheel on the case that operates a rheostat, so that
you can raise or lower the level of the tone.

It works off the principle that relaxing, and lowering the alpha waves,
causes a change in the conductivity of the skin, which in turn lowers the
power to the tone-generator, thus lowering the tone.

The trick is to learn to set the tone at a barely audible level when you
first use it, then gradually raise the starting level over time.  While
lying on your back, on the bed, a sofa, the floor, or a reclining chair
(whatever turns you on - I mean, off).

Thinking pleasant thoughts, counting sheep, etc., helps, as does
concentrating on successive muscle groups and attempting to relax them.
But I have found that just concentrating on the tone, to the exclusion of
all else, allows me to induce such a state of suspended animation that I
frequently doze off.

Such things are more for scheduled relaxation breaks than for normal sleep
times.  But supplementary techniques practised at the same time, like
counting backwards from two hundred, can be used on their own in bed, and
will work just as well when so reinforced.  The technique needs some
re-tuning from time to time, just to maintain the skill.

There is a much more elaborate and larger type, which includes a band
around the head to sense alpha waves.  The whole thing is connected to a
computer, which shows a graphic that can be influenced by the user.  They
can be used very successfully as part of the treatment for exogenous
depression.  I was introduced to the technique during my rehabilitation.

That one worked from an old Commodore C-64.  The monitor showed a cartoon
castle.  As one relaxed, the castle doors would open and admit you to a
room, at the back of which was another set of doors.  Progressive lowering
of the alpha waves admitted one deeper and deeper into the castle.  If you
got to the inner Jewel Chamber, you  were considered to have mastered the
technique.  I found that a half-hour session on this device was as good as
four hours sound sleep!  :-)

Anyone know of such a device and program for IBM compatible PC's?  I would
be very interested to hear from you.

Jim