[johnation33]

Hi headfiers,

Do you guys have any specific strategies to fall asleep? I think i'm part insomniac sometimes and my sleep schedule is really f'd right now, don't know how to get back on track. I don't want to take any medication or anything, just a natural way of getting back on track? currently I go to sleep at 6am

 

[Punnisher]

Exercise, go jogging, lift weights, etc.

Try going to bed an hour earlier each week until you are back to normal.

 

[Rednamalas1]

exercise in early evening (5-6pm ish), eat light for dinner, have small amount of fruits/nuts around 10pm ish along with glass of milk (since it's hard to fall asleep hungry) shower 30minutes before heading to bed, don't read on the bed or watch TV. And sleep in completely dark room (as dark as possible).

And Lay off caffeine after 4pm or so.

I have another strategy that works even better, but it is NSFW.

 

[Bob_McBob]

My strategy is staying awake doing assignments until 4:30am, then lying down and playing solitaire on my iPod until I invariably zonk out 2 minutes later. Then get up at 7:30 or 8:30...

 

[rincewind]

After doing all the usual like trying to lead a healthy life, I turn on my computer (in my room), crank bass, ditch treble, set amplifier to lowest audible volume, then turn on Robert Rich's Somnium.

Although if you have specific distressing issues going through you're mind so it's going a million miles an hour, it's always going to be hard. I had the worst day every day before yesterday and slept maybe 2 hours max

 

[sebastian589]

Establishing a routine is very important. Try not only going to bed at the same time each day but waking up around the same time each morning. I've heard activities like brushing your teeth and washing your face before you get in bed can serve as triggers to initiate your brains sleep sequence, not sure if I believe that one, but its worth a shot.

People have mentioned exercise which I think is huge, I feel so much better when I get regular exercise, and I tend to sleep much better too.

I think its more about what you don't do before you go to bed that is more important than what you do. Try not to do things in your bed like homework or watching tv for long periods of time, strengthen your brains association between your bed and sleeping. Big meals, high sugar foods, caffeine and exercise shouldn't occur closer than three hours before your desired sleep time.

Lastly don't worry about falling asleep, and don't look at your clock, it will only make things worse

 

[myinitialsaredac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have another strategy that works even better, but it is NSFW.

That was my strategy also

Dave

 

[MASantos]

One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, four sheep, five sheep.....

 

[Gatto]

I use to have a lot of trouble falling asleep, my solution was to develop a night routine.

 

[Ub3rMario]

fap

 

[vegaman]

Yeah, it's all about sticking to a routine, I have a lot of trouble with sleep. The trouble occurs though when I break my routine, sometimes I have to, but mostly I just stay up watching videos or listening to music... its taken me up to a couple of months before to get back in a good sleep pattern.

It's interesting as well, if I'm following my routine I find that if I do stay up a bit late once in a while, I actually wake up at the same time on those days and don't sleep longer to account for it.

 

[asebastian0]

The only thing that works for me is the following routine.

1) Get in to bed roughly 4 hours before I have to go to be asleep.
2) 2 hours of reading split thusly:
2i) 1 hour of short story/fun reading
2ii) 1 hour of difficult, technical, or otherwise taxing material (this stuff should not be fun! I like to read the Russian greats, find what works for you.)
3) Now the lights go off, headphones on. The choice in playlist is very important. The heart must not, at any point, soar. I have narrowed my selection to neurosis, cult of luna, and various downbeat jazz stuff. It was tempting when I was a younger man to listen to upbeat stuff. Needless to say I did not sleep much on nights I could not help myself and got all amped up on music-drenaline. I usually get to bed by the third hour in this routine but if I try to take that hour back and use it for wakefulness I invariably fail to get to bed on time.
4) The most important thing is to let go. Even if it is past the time that you needed to be asleep don't get stressed. I have my clock moved to the other side of the room where I can not read the time. This helps alot!

If I make the time to do these things I have about a 99% success rate. That being said it is a bit ridiculous taking 4 hours to get to bed every night and this is not the type of thing that a person with a weekday life outside of work/school could commit to. Reading and music are central to my life though so I am glad to make the sacrifice!

Good luck and as an aside all medications have failed me eventually. It's too bad because there's nothing like being able to work/play right up to the line then take a magic pill to get your shut eye. Alas, the easy way is oftentimes the hard way.

 

[catscratch]

For most people, if you can't fall asleep, you aren't tired enough. Wear yourself out, do exercise until you drop, stay overtime at work, play instruments until your fingers bleed, read until your brain can't hold any more information... exhaustion will put you to sleep like nothing else.

But if you are a genuine insomniac (and I am one), then you shouldn't reject some helpful meds. Melatonin can be very helpful for regulating sleep schedules, and if you're an insomniac, you could very well be deficient in melatonin to begin with. 5-HTP can also promote a healthier sleep cycle, and some natural sedatives like Valerian root can help too. Avoid benzodiazepines and other things like Ambien since they're addictive and way overkill to begin with.

Using meds doesn't mean that you will have to keep using them. You just have to get yourself onto a solid sleeping schedule, and then you should stop. Getting into a sleeping schedule is much more difficult than keeping one.

Alcohol can also make you sleepy, but using a shot or three every night to knock yourself out will make you an alcoholic in no time. Three shots will soon become twelve or twenty, and then you're in trouble.

 

[srozzman]

I dont have much advice, but i just found the placement of these threads kind of funny.

 

[jonathanjong]

I replaced sleep with caffeine a long time ago. But if you're stubborn and refuse to follow the way of the future, here are a few tips:

1. Avoid the following right before bed: Exercise (except Red's kind...), caffeine, sugary foods, exciting movies/music/books.
2. Alcohol helps you get to sleep, but the sleep is generally not very good.
3. Have a fixed routine.

At least that's what my notes for the lecture I have to give on sleep to a bunch of psych first years say...