Topic: Sleeping Tips

[Kerou 犠牲]

Hello friends, got somewhat of a predicament here so I was wondering if anyone had some helpful tips towards sleeping

Over the years I've always had sleeping troubles (as in actually getting to sleep) and I can't really cope without sleep as well as I used to and my body doesn't really do napping any more so I was wondering if any of you knew some good ways to get to sleep. Usually my routine consists of getting into bed, watching a Let's Play before putting on some sort of soundtrack to get to sleep. Whilst it works to an extent it usually results in me getting to sleep it takes me longer than I'd like it to.

Problems though

1) I need some sort of music / sound in the background, it takes me even longer to get to sleep without it
2) I'd prefer to avoid sleeping pills because I don't want to be dependent on them to get to sleep again

Any thoughts? All suggestions will be considered, thanks team =]

[sylar]

ive had problems sleeping too recently and ive been told its because im dehydrated so ive been trying to drink more water like an hour before bed just to try to fix it and it works sometimes so thats cool

someone also suggested melatonin? to me which i dont think are sleeping pills but they supposedly get the job done so you could look into those probably

alternatively just pull as many all nighters as you can until you literally pass out from pure exhaustion thats always worked for me

[Lord Raven]

Drink some milk before sleeping, especially warm milk.  Warm milk will do the trick, not immediately, but I also read.  I think that could help, and you could pass out on your bed.

I also do this thing where I just lie still on my back.  no movement no matter what, and i gradually try to relax my entire body so I literally feel like I'm doing nothing with it.

Finally, I have a few youtube playlists bookmarked in the worst case scenario.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zkE-fxN-gE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d18HnW3vl4g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP9_OnsZ96U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7MT6MQtxVo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh8ThxQifQQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsdkZcO9bmk

[Sappy]

watching a Let's Play before putting on some sort of soundtrack to get to sleep.

Better be lewlewlive

I'm kidding. I have a tip, I'll have to PM it to you though as it's not P.G

[Inferna]

If i can't sleep i usually get up and get something to eat, then go back to bed and read something for a while til I feel sleepy. I've been trying not to use my phone right before I go to sleep now, it tends to keep your mind buzzing. So maybe try reading a book or a magazine instead of watching something on your phone/laptop?
I used to have to listen to music all the time before sleeping, I still do on occasion. Depending on what you use to listen to it a timer works for powering off your music, then you're not worrying about your music playing all night. If you need some form of sound then maybe keep your tv on at night or even get a white noise machine/app?
Another thing is don't have a clock in your room (especially one that ticks, but that might just be me that hates ticking clocks lol) or constantly check your phone for the time and think 'aw crap i've only had so many hours sleep and i need to be up in 3 hours'. You'll then feel frustrated with yourself and get even more grumpy in the morning! Just don't check the time from the minute you lie in bed until you wake up/your alarm goes in the morning. It sounds really basic but make sure your room isn't too hot or too cold either.
I agree with Raven about the relaxing thing. I do this thing where i relax all my muscles, starting from my feet going up to my head. Just tense them for around 10 seconds, then relax and focus on your breathing a little bit as you go up.
If you're worrying about something, write it down on a notepad or whatever beside your bed and try and focus on it in the morning.

[Milsap]

I suffer from restless leg syndrome, so a cup of hot chocolate made with milk rather than water helps with that.

Using your phone/ipad/laptop before sleep is a bad idea.

[Kerou 犠牲]

Thanks for all of the replies guys!

alternatively just pull as many all nighters as you can until you literally pass out from pure exhaustion thats always worked for me

Whilst I have done this before many times I can't really do that any more since it doesn't guarantee me solid sleep and leaves me with a messed up sleeping pattern usually =/
I'll look into Melatonin, I've had someone recommend it to be before and I've always been a bit sceptical about it but I'll give it a look at least

Drink some milk before sleeping, especially warm milk.  Warm milk will do the trick, not immediately, but I also read.  I think that could help, and you could pass out on your bed.

I also do this thing where I just lie still on my back.  no movement no matter what, and i gradually try to relax my entire body so I literally feel like I'm doing nothing with it.

Finally, I have a few youtube playlists bookmarked in the worst case scenario.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zkE-fxN-gE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d18HnW3vl4g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP9_OnsZ96U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7MT6MQtxVo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh8ThxQifQQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsdkZcO9bmk

I will definitely look into the warm milk idea, dunno why I hadn't before D:
No movement is extremely tough for me because I'm naturally a big mover in my (attempt to) sleep unfortunately

thanks for the playlists though ^^

If i can't sleep i usually get up and get something to eat, then go back to bed and read something for a while til I feel sleepy. I've been trying not to use my phone right before I go to sleep now, it tends to keep your mind buzzing. So maybe try reading a book or a magazine instead of watching something on your phone/laptop?
I used to have to listen to music all the time before sleeping, I still do on occasion. Depending on what you use to listen to it a timer works for powering off your music, then you're not worrying about your music playing all night. If you need some form of sound then maybe keep your tv on at night or even get a white noise machine/app?
Another thing is don't have a clock in your room (especially one that ticks, but that might just be me that hates ticking clocks lol) or constantly check your phone for the time and think 'aw crap i've only had so many hours sleep and i need to be up in 3 hours'. You'll then feel frustrated with yourself and get even more grumpy in the morning! Just don't check the time from the minute you lie in bed until you wake up/your alarm goes in the morning. It sounds really basic but make sure your room isn't too hot or too cold either.
I agree with Raven about the relaxing thing. I do this thing where i relax all my muscles, starting from my feet going up to my head. Just tense them for around 10 seconds, then relax and focus on your breathing a little bit as you go up.
If you're worrying about something, write it down on a notepad or whatever beside your bed and try and focus on it in the morning.

Yep, I do the snacking thing anyway because I have found it much easier to sleep when not hungry. Reading doesn't work since I have to put a light on for that and that keeps me as awake as using my iPod for YT (I use my iPod because my phone right now can't use YT...).

I don't have a clock any more for that sole reason haha. Yeah my temperature is regulated (have a fan on since I really struggle to sleep if I'm too warm)

Had to do notes like that, as well as attempted sleeping times, for a sleep diary before. Didn't really help out until I used the sleeping pills, but again I don't want to get dependent on them (especially as I'm trying to stop being dependent on videos / music to help me sleep atm).

But yeah, thanks a lot everyone who posted. I'll try these things over time and I'll post feedback if needs be =]

[Kpyna]

If worst comes to worst, maybe you should look into getting a sleep study done. I have sleep irregularity issues, so I know where you're coming from. Some days I'm exhausted and I get right to sleep, but no matter how much sleep I get, I never feel rested. Other times, I can't get to sleep at all. Here's what I do to help myself on the second kind of night, which is what you experience:

-- Drink water. Early in the morning, you can have a coffee or something, but don't drink anything else up to like 5 hours before you plan to go to sleep. Even innocuous drinks like juice are pumped full of sugar. My only exception is Sleepytime Tea. I'm not sure exactly what they put in it, but it's obviously no caffiene and I snap right to sleep. Also can be called Nighty Night. I'll drink a cup of it, black, no sugar, about an hour or half an hour before I want to get to sleep. The maximum amount of time it's taken me to fall asleep when I have the Sleepytime Tea is ~45 minutes, which is great considering on other nights that week I won't sleep at all.
-- People will suggest melatonin, but it didn't work for me. Melatonin is naturally produced in the body, and it's what tells your body you need to get to sleep. You can buy small dosages at most stores that sell over the counter medication. If it doesn't work, you can try larger doses from a prescription from a doctor. This is a slow process though, as you're trying to train your body as to when to release melatonin. It will take a few weeks for you to start getting to sleep on that time regularly. It just straight up didn't work for me, but I think that for standard chronic sleeplessness, it would help.
-- Find out which side you get to sleep on. Buy a body pillow, and prevent yourself from changing sides. I can toss and turn too, but I always fall asleep on my left side. I put a body pillow behind me, and I don't know, I just feel extra comfort so I don't roll around as much.
-- Exactly what Inferna posted with the tensing. Except, I would recommend also doing trained breathing in addition to the exercises. Exhale as much as you comfortable can, and then slowly breathe in until your lungs feel full. Hold it for a few seconds. Slowly release it, almost like a sigh. You're kind of trying to mimic how your body breathes when you sleep, for an idea. Do this as you tense your muscles. Typically I can't make it half way up my body without sleeping.
-- A psychological tip, is to think of how comfy you are. This is one that I use all the time. I just get into a really comfortable position, and just kind of let myself sink into my bed. Do some of the aforementioned relaxation exercises, and then just think about how awful it would be if you had to get out of bed. I feel like it really drives home how comfy you are, and then you just won't want to move anymore, because you've just convinced yourself you're so damn comfy.
-- Last tip: if you don't have it already, download f.lux for your computer. It makes the LCDs in your screen show more orange-y tinged colors to relieve your eyes of the harsh unnatural light that your monitor releases. That kind of stuff will keep your brain overstimulated, and make it more difficult to fall asleep, since in the primal opinion of your brain, it's the middle of the day with all of the light your computer was producing.

I might think of more later, but I'm sure all of that will be sufficient at least to start for with you.

[Kerou 犠牲]

If worst comes to worst, maybe you should look into getting a sleep study done. I have sleep irregularity issues, so I know where you're coming from. Some days I'm exhausted and I get right to sleep, but no matter how much sleep I get, I never feel rested. Other times, I can't get to sleep at all. Here's what I do to help myself on the second kind of night, which is what you experience:

-- Drink water. Early in the morning, you can have a coffee or something, but don't drink anything else up to like 5 hours before you plan to go to sleep. Even innocuous drinks like juice are pumped full of sugar. My only exception is Sleepytime Tea. I'm not sure exactly what they put in it, but it's obviously no caffiene and I snap right to sleep. Also can be called Nighty Night. I'll drink a cup of it, black, no sugar, about an hour or half an hour before I want to get to sleep. The maximum amount of time it's taken me to fall asleep when I have the Sleepytime Tea is ~45 minutes, which is great considering on other nights that week I won't sleep at all.
-- People will suggest melatonin, but it didn't work for me. Melatonin is naturally produced in the body, and it's what tells your body you need to get to sleep. You can buy small dosages at most stores that sell over the counter medication. If it doesn't work, you can try larger doses from a prescription from a doctor. This is a slow process though, as you're trying to train your body as to when to release melatonin. It will take a few weeks for you to start getting to sleep on that time regularly. It just straight up didn't work for me, but I think that for standard chronic sleeplessness, it would help.
-- Find out which side you get to sleep on. Buy a body pillow, and prevent yourself from changing sides. I can toss and turn too, but I always fall asleep on my left side. I put a body pillow behind me, and I don't know, I just feel extra comfort so I don't roll around as much.
-- Exactly what Inferna posted with the tensing. Except, I would recommend also doing trained breathing in addition to the exercises. Exhale as much as you comfortable can, and then slowly breathe in until your lungs feel full. Hold it for a few seconds. Slowly release it, almost like a sigh. You're kind of trying to mimic how your body breathes when you sleep, for an idea. Do this as you tense your muscles. Typically I can't make it half way up my body without sleeping.
-- A psychological tip, is to think of how comfy you are. This is one that I use all the time. I just get into a really comfortable position, and just kind of let myself sink into my bed. Do some of the aforementioned relaxation exercises, and then just think about how awful it would be if you had to get out of bed. I feel like it really drives home how comfy you are, and then you just won't want to move anymore, because you've just convinced yourself you're so damn comfy.
-- Last tip: if you don't have it already, download f.lux for your computer. It makes the LCDs in your screen show more orange-y tinged colors to relieve your eyes of the harsh unnatural light that your monitor releases. That kind of stuff will keep your brain overstimulated, and make it more difficult to fall asleep, since in the primal opinion of your brain, it's the middle of the day with all of the light your computer was producing.

I might think of more later, but I'm sure all of that will be sufficient at least to start for with you.

I did have to do a sleep diary before which would chronicle my sleeping patterns, how I'd get to sleep and stuff like that. I want to avoid that because I ended up being given sleeping tablets and got a bit dependent on them which turned out to be terrible =/

Luckily enough I only drink water (and milk in the mornings) so that's alright, although I do think towards the end of evenings I seem to neglect drinking as much so I will work on that =]

Yeah that's why I was a bit sceptical of melatonin, again though I'll still look into it at least.

I believe I normally sleep on my right side (or on my back, depending on how much I've tossed and turned), didn't think of a body pillow though. Will again look into that if needs be.

I just downloaded f.lux. I wish I knew about it sooner. It's incredible.
Thank you so much =D

[SirBlaziken]

As Raven already said, reading. Electronics right before bed are one of the worst ideas since the Raiders drafting JaMarcus Russel with a first pick.

American sports analogies aside, electronics before bed I think do something to your mind and make it harder to adjust to the darkness because the bright screen and such. Not sure about the full thing, but it was something like that. I think reading slows down the mind or something, but not small print. Once again, not fully sure, but I know that electronics right before bed are a bad idea. Speaking from experience here.

A hot drink not named coffee, or linked to caffeine, high amounts of sugar or alcohol (it helps you sleep alright, but not in the good way) in general, is ok. Chamomile (I think it's spelled) tea and hot milk are really good options, though I haven't tried them. I have this orange juice powder mix that I have almost every night before bed and it helps me, but I don't think you can get it in the UK. However, water, hot or cold, is a good choice. I would not recommend, however, drink boiling or hot water, unless you like burning your throat. No matter what it is, not like 5 minutes before bed. That's just a bad idea.

Also, staying active and busy helps out because your body will be ready to be put into rest to recover, that it won't resist as much. Do not be lazy if avoidable, that will keep energy in and make you restless. That being said, after the high speed few rounds of dodgeball (in one of which I dodged about 20-30 in a row), i'll be out like a light.

Last, a warm or hot shower helps me to an extent. Not very much, but a little bit.

Whether you listen to my tips, or someone else's, as long as it helped, i'm satisfied.

And if you're on right now, as i'm typing this, get off. Trust me on this.

[Milsap]

As Raven already said, reading. Electronics right before bed are one of the worst ideas since Man United paid over £20m for Fellaini.

#Anglicised

I tried sleeping pills once. Kept me up all night. Maybe I was expecting too much.

I find going to the toilet before bed helps me. Don't know why.

[SirBlaziken]

I tried sleeping pills once. Kept me up all night. Maybe I was expecting too much.

I'm chalking that up as a case of irony.

I usually drink coffee during bowling and afterwards i'm barely awake for the rest of the day. So caffeine right before activity in the morning maybe? Works for me.