Sleepy Tricks

Anyone have any tricks for falling asleep? Prior to a few nights ago, I had a fairly regular sleep schedule. Then I couldn't sleep one night, stayed up 22 hours... Slept 2 hours (had somewhere to be)... Awake for 6.5 hours (duration of event)... Slept 13.5 hours, and thought that got me back on track, but now I've been up for 22.5 hours and I'm not even tired yet! This has totally derailed my sleeping schedule. I mean, I've always had some insomnia, but if I try to sleep at 2, I'm generally asleep by 4. Not flipping on the TV at 6 'cause I got bored of lying there so long. I'm going to be up now for at least the next 13 hours, because I'm not switching to a nocturnal schedule.

So what tricks do you all have for sleep regulation?

No caffeine for 4 hours before I want to sleep.

Avoid computer games before sleeping.

On the (rare) occasions I have trouble sleeping I do find a shot of whiskey or similar will help.

Might also be a daylight thing what with it being summer solstice - could try getting thicker curtains or something.

In my case, anything that makes me stop thinking on everything. It can be a book or TV (I understand you cant, though).

Recently, what helps me falling asleep it's a big fat philosophy book and the Shadowrun core rulebook:smalltongue: (Though I dont know if it is funny or sad)

Think "safe thoughts" while trying to sleep. Try not to think about stuff that worries you or stresses you out. I tend to like thinking about books I've read, the plots of movies I've seen, or computergames I currently play when I'm struggling to fall asleep.


If you have a lot of trouble getting to sleep after lying there for a while, try to take a small break from trying to fall asleep. It may seem counterintuitive, but I find it usually ends up letting me fall asleep more quickly even counting the break time. It's also a lot less stressful than just tossing and turning all the time.
I tend to like reading a bit of very light literature for this purpose - like comic books, or books I know well already. I've had mixed results with watching TV, however.

In general, I think trying too hard and stressing out a lot about not being able to sleep is one of the main reasons one has trouble getting to sleep. Especially if you are also thinking about how you desperately need to be well-rested for something you need to do the next day - try to keep your mind off all these things if possible.

Make sure that your bed is only used for two things... sleep and , well... um... you know... :smallredface:

Avoid playing video games, watching TV or reading in bed. This will help train your mind and body to know that once you lay down it's time to sleep.

You can also develop a routine before bedtime (brush teeth, pajamas, etc) to also help condition your mind and body for bed readiness.

Exercise for an hour two hours before sleeping. The adrenalin'll keep you up for another hour, then it'll be super easy to fall asleep, least for me.

Ugh... NOW I'm tired enough to sleep... After 24.5 hours of being awake.

I only sleep in bed. Well, and lay in bed trying to sleep. The only times I fall asleep without lying there for a couple hours is when I'm tired enough to feel like I'm spinning when I close my eyes. If I could just get that to happen at, like, 11pm-1am, I'd be set.

I generally drink milk and root beer (root beer has no caffeine) later in the day... Pepsi more early in the day, so I do decrease my caffeine. I've done this to try to cut down that 2 hour wait I'd been having before between lying down and sleep.

If I feel like a thought is distracting me from sleep, or that the bed has gotten too hot to sleep, usually a half hour of TV will fix it. (No news!) Only time I ever watch TV... It didn't work last night or two nights before though.

Odd thing I just noticed... I didn't get hungry during the time I should've been sleeping. Stomach or head is supposed to hurt to remind me about every 5-6 hours, right? I last ate nearly 11 hours ago and can almost kinda eat now... Not yet really...

Previous sleep schedule: Go to bed at 2am, sleep at 4-5am, alarm clock at 10am, which I always expect I'll wake up to, actually wake up at 2pm. (Working from home. I still get my stuff done.)

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Originally Posted by Lord Loss

Exercise for an hour two hours before sleeping. The adrenalin'll keep you up for another hour, then it'll be super easy to fall asleep, least for me.

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I need to do something like this anyway. I haven't decided yet what sorts of exercising I'll do, but when I start, I'll try doing it later in the day to finish about an hour before I want to be sleeping.

1- Go out to run for 40 mins, not necessarily fast, but a little faster than jogging.

2- If you ever meet a guy called Tyler Durden while you're sleep-deprived, do NOT speak to him. No, seriously, pretend he doesn't exist.

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Originally Posted by Jan Mattys

1- Go out to run for 40 mins, not necessarily fast, but a little faster than jogging.

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No. Just no. That's like the best way to keep yourself awake the entire night. Heck, I did just that last night to help me stay awake and study for a midterm.

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Originally Posted by Jan Mattys

2- If you ever meet a guy called Tyler Durden while you're sleep-deprived, do NOT speak to him. No, seriously, pretend he doesn't exist.

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Well, since he never really existed that's not hard to do.

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Originally Posted by Thajocoth

Pepsi more early in the day, so I do decrease my caffeine.

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There's your problem. Someone hook this man up to an IV drip of coca cola, STAT!

warm milk.
with cinamon and/or honey if you think it tastes as weird as i do.

maybe it's because its part of my routine, but I've always found reading helps me get to sleep *shrugs*

work - sleep - work - sleep ---> works for me

Also find your own optimal sleeping time. If you'll sleep longer then your body requires, you'll have a sleepless night sometimes.

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Originally Posted by thubby

warm milk.
with cinamon and/or honey if you think it tastes as weird as i do.

maybe it's because its part of my routine, but I've always found reading helps me get to sleep *shrugs*

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I generally find that cold milk is a bit gross. The milk I drink isn't really warm, but it's cool, not cold.

I've tried reading messageboards... Didn't work. I suppose I could try an actual book. I've been halfway through this one book for about 3 years now...

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Originally Posted by Bouregard

If you'll sleep longer then your body requires, you'll have a sleepless night sometimes.

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Maybe that's what's happening...

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Originally Posted by Phishfood

NoHave some caffeine for 4 hours before I want to sleep.

AvoidPlay computer games before sleeping.

On the (rare) occasions I have trouble sleeping I do find a shot of whiskey or similar will help.

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This is what I do.

If you've been lying awake for more than two hours, (and I mean wide awake) get up, do something like reading or posting on here or soemthing, and then try again, if it hasn't worked by then it isn't going to, and you'll actually get to sleep quicker in the end by coming back to it (And you don't have to lie around frustrated for hours either)

The other thing that really works for me is cryptic crossword puzzles. -but it depends on whats causing the insomnia, if its related to thought patterns, these really do shut them down and distract you, its hard to fret when you're puzzling them out. Puzzle magazines generally are good.

Well, thats the best thing I ever learned for me at least. I've had insomnia to various degrees my whole life. (Ok the actual Best thing in the world was opiates! Seriously.. but thats maybe more for longer term problems)

If I really can't sleep I read a non-scary book (usually pop-science, or comedy) until I notice that I'm not noticing the words anymore. Then I put on a CD around 35-45 minutes of music I'm familiar with, with the best song up last. I then try to stay awake for that last song. I never manage.

If I can't get to sleep, I usually need to lower my body temperture. That's why I keep my room cold and only sleep with a sheet during the summer.

If it's not a temperture thing, I suggest reading something that requires little concentration. I eventually nod off.

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Originally Posted by smellie_hippie

Make sure that your bed is only used for two things... sleep and , well... um... you know... :smallredface:

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JUMPING!! :smallbiggrin:

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Originally Posted by Phishfood

No caffeine for 4 hours before I want to sleep.

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This.

Also a good leg stretch seems to work well for me if I'm having trouble getting comfortable. For mental chatter I try to concentrate on the feel of the air flowing past the very tip of my nose which is a little meditation trick I find helpful for quieting the mind.

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Originally Posted by Cealocanth

If I can't get to sleep, I usually need to lower my body temperture. That's why I keep my room cold and only sleep with a sheet during the summer.

If it's not a temperture thing, I suggest reading something that requires little concentration. I eventually nod off.

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My body gives off a very large amount of heat at all times, and my room isn't as effected by the AC as the others. I'll wind up flipping and swapping my pillows several times as they get too hot, and turn over when the bed under me gets too hot, to the other side of the bed. Temp is likely part of it.

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Originally Posted by Trog

Also a good leg stretch seems to work well for me if I'm having trouble getting comfortable. For mental chatter I try to concentrate on the feel of the air flowing past the very tip of my nose which is a little meditation trick I find helpful for quieting the mind.

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My legs are the other uncomfortableness when I try to sleep. They'll just hurt if I'm in the same position too long. Quite annoying...