There are very few things that I can’t make happen through sheer stubbornness. I learned a few days ago that sleep is one of those few things. I also learned that I can lie perfectly still for about four hours before I get bored enough to go do something else.
Uh. How do I sleep? I’ve tried most of the tips that google has to offer: cooling down for a while before going to bed, reserving your bed for sleep only, making a nighttime routine, not eating late at night, etc, but none of them really seem to work for me. Maybe I should go see a doctor or something. Sleeping pills are just as bad- you lose all the time but you don’t feel rested.
I hear you, every now and then I’ll get bouts of insomnia, I don’t know how flexible you schedule is but the 2 things that help me snap out of it (eventually) are a just go with the new schedule moving it forward until you are right again. Or for a constrain schedule and iron will, just go to bed at the right time and if you are not asleep in an hour get up and wait until tomorrow, the next day you’ll pass out at bed time and your body will realize that sleep time is non negotiable. If you choose number two try to be as active as you can while waiting for the next day it helps with sleepiness and is more productive. Good luck tho, I hope you can get back on track soon. :)
An episode of The Mentalist had a great tip which I have been using ever since. Focus on your breathing. Don’t say “in… out… in…” Just focus on your nose and that you are breathing, let your mind wander. If that doesn’t help I tend to meditate for about 20-30 minutes, while also focusing on my breathing, then I lie down straight away without opening my eyes. Using these two techniques I have fallen asleep each and everytime I have had difficulty sleeping. Hope it helps :) Oh and love the comics, I keep coming back for more :D
For those odd sleepless – a REALLY hot bath, drain the tub while you are still in it. Thats relaxing in and of itself. USEFULL BIT: Note the ‘settling’ sensation of your body as the water drains away. You can do breathing exercises on other (and more frequent) occasions to help relax by replicating that ‘settling’ sensation. This was actually taught to my entire class (300ish students)prior to starting a particularly stressful Navy School, and was actually a preface to beginning the curriculum.
Look at your diet, caffeine and sugars. extra exercise but not before bed.
I’m with Hogo on this one. :D
I’ll add a few points, though.
- Breathe from your diaphragm, not your ribcage. If you put a hand on your chest it shouldn’t be going up and down.
- It helps to breathe through your nose. If you get obstructed nasal passages all the time see your doctor. (He might prescribe beconase which is very effective and has an extremely low risk of side-effects).
- Breathe deep, slow and regularly. I do a slow count of four for ‘in’, pause, slow count of four ‘out’, pause. Once you’ve got the rhythm you can stop counting.
- Basically the longer your breath is the better – as long as you are comfortable with it. If you do 10 minutes breathing exercise a day you’ll probably find you are comfortable with taking longer breaths.
I used to have pretty bad insomnia. My solution was white noise. You can find white noise MP3 tracks or you can do what I do, which is use a fan. Admittedly, my insomnia may have been related to my misophonia. The white noise drowns out other noises nicely.
I can relate. The other three posters have a good point. The other thing I’ve discovered is that I keep the same sleep hours as much as possible, and I don’t sweat it if I get a couple nights of lousy sleep. It happens, and I don’t dwell on it. Worst case scenario is I have some sublingual lorazepam prescribed. It’s an anti-anxiety medication, and it helps you relax. I only use it if I’ve gone three to four days without a decent sleep. I only have 30 and I only get it prescribed with my annual check-up.
Try Melatonin. You can usually find it at any pharmacy. It is all natural and doesn’t work like a sleeping pill. It is the same hormone your brain generates to make you go to sleep naturally. Just don’t use it for more than a week at a time.
I am totally with A Dude. Melatonin. Non habit forming. I can’t take most sleeping pills, they just make me feel drugged (which keeps me up, ironically).
Weed.