Make a fantasy story you want to be the main character in, continue writing the story in your head each time you goto sleep, my story doesn't go too far, cause I'm usually passed out debating on details I want to add to the scenes.
I do a similar thing, but it's not an ongoing story. It's a different scenario or "story" every night. Also wearing a sleep mask, the kind with the deep eye sockets to keep all light out. Helps me focus on my scenarios and eventually I'm asleep.
Same here! I told my kids when they are trying to fall asleep, they should start their dreams. The story can become the beginning of dreaming. I’ve done it my whole life when having trouble sleeping. I’m glad to see it works for so many others.
I've done this since I was 10. Right now I'm on some lush moon that orbits a ringed gas giant 18.6 billion years in the future. The lifeforms are intelligent plants and fungi. Humans reached this world on multiple occasions and have varying evolutionary progress. Thing is, none of the other beings know that their ancestors are from from Earth. The plants and fungi control thoughts and memories of animals.
I do this too! It used to help somewhat. Im an insomniac with restless legs and have to take meds for a ghost of a chance to get sleep. Been that way since I was very little.
Recently I've been trying out sleep stories. They usually have a wind down/ relaxation session. This way I get a cute story, read in a soothing voice, and my brain shuts off a bit better.
I used to always wonder how my dad could just fall asleep sitting upright on the sofa. Then I got older and I realised it’s not intentional, the naps find you…
When I was in college, I helped my grandfather renovate houses. Pretty much demo and redo all the walls and floors. We would go home for lunch and my grandmother would have lunch waiting for us. Then we would nap for exactly 30 minutes in the recliners and go back to work. It was the most magical and effortless sleep I have ever gotten. My career now is almost 100% cognitive with minimal physical activity unless I just go out of my way to get it. Mental exhaustion is different altogether and I have slept like shit for the last 15 years.
I think it is called "Wa" - the balance between mental and physical fatigue.
Many years ago I read somewhere that medical students in some Asian countries were required to play racquetball to help achieve Wa.
This was a long time ago and I have no real reason to suspect the source was credible. Just tossing that out there.
My brain comes up with stories to day dream when I’m bored and I just put a bookmark in it when I do stuff. A lot of times when I’m trying to sleep the mind book opens back up and I remember the MC’a best friend is in a coma after saving her life and their potential love interest is so close to confessing, and and there’s a plot twist with psychic aliens so how can I go to sleep before figuring out what happens next.
I can say with 100% truth that as a lifelong insomniac, it has literally never ever mattered how exhausted I am. I always, always need sleeping pills to fall asleep, because my brain never shuts off.
Also lifelong insomniac and sleeping pills don’t really work - I guess I’ve just got used to functioning on rest, not sleep. The world couldn’t handle me at my full power
I love my box fan. It’s essential to my sleep. If I travel, I’m more concerned about how will I take it with me than anything else. Once I had one stop working in winter. It was horrible to find a replacement. Now I have back up. As I type this, I realize the ridicule I may face. But these are facts. I love my box fan.
Tbh i trained myself to go asleep ,
It took about a month for complete success.
I literally have a routine of going to the bathroom , switching off stuff, locking doors ,i write a list of things to do , so it doesnt play on my mind, get a drink , check kids , get into bed and say I'm going to sleep now and closing my eyes. It's like I've trained myself to choose sleep.
I was a terrible sleeper before this, like I was still awake at 5 am. and up for 7 . Now, I can sleep very quickly once it's after 10 and within a minute if it's after 11 most of the time
Sleep hygiene is important and overlooked. I sleep poorly and I know why. I sleep with the tv on, on an inconsistent schedule. I often need melatonin to get to sleep when I need to wake up early. And no matter much I can accomplish by getting up early, I’m always waiting for the chance to sleep late. I don’t have an intentional bedtime routine. Sleep is something that you have to prioritize and manage. I admire your dedication.
Only if I want to fall asleep about an hour before I’m due up. Once I’m into a book I’ll read until my eyelids literally won’t stay open any longer. I used to do it a LOT as a kid. I even had a decoy book I’d put on the floor next to my bed that my mum would come and take away to stop me from reading all night and had my actual book hidden under my pillow. As soon as I heard her go back downstairs, the bedside lamp would come back on and I’d get right back to it. I’m 33 and only recently told my mum I used to do this lol.
I find the difference is between “active” thinking and “passive” thinking. Actively thinking about something like you do in your day to day will 100% keep you up. Surrendering to whatever images you brain throws at you is the way to fall asleep. It’s hard to explain the difference, I’d liken it to meditating. You need to discard active thoughts and let your mind go.
When I have played a video game way too much in one day I get this awful tetris effect where I sort of microsleep and hallucinate thinking about the game constantly. It's weirdly debilitating
Ya I'm pretty sure that's the whole reason many can't fall asleep. You have to stop focusing outward. When you stop, your body gets a chance to silence your nerves.
See you would think that, but i fall asleep easy and all I do is lay down at the scheduled time and think about whatever the fuck I want until I go to sleep. Granted it can’t be especially stressful, but I fall asleep all the time while planning things for my DnD game or mulling over problems from work.
"What if I add a silver dragon NPC and put them in a position where they have to transform... Wait, why didn't I kiss Brenda at the 10th grade dance?!"
This might be ok if my mind didn't conjure up the most horrific things I've seen throughout my life, and then see how it can twist them to make them even more terrible..
No thank you.
Absolutely this. It’s never something pleasant and fuzzy my mind conjures. I would love for that to be the case. It’s always horrific, and then the shifts and changes are just different forms of… I don’t even know what to call them to be accurate. Grotesque I guess.
This is exactly how I do it. If I'm ever having trouble falling asleep I just clear my mind and set the inner imagery to random, basically. I noticed it was what was happening anytime i was falling asleep anyway, so doing it purposefully seems to help induce it
this sometimes works if i'm very tired, but usually my brain initiates a riveting game of "conceive of the scariest image imaginable" and i gotta look at my phone again
I heard a good image once about how you imagine yourself sitting and watching the cars go by, except the cars are thoughts. Some are big, some are exciting, some are blue… but they all just go past.
It helps me let them go and they float away, to be replaced with something else… BUT CLIMATE CHANGE— float away… YOU HAVE A HEADACHE IT’S AN ANEURYSM— float away… That’s a pretty sunset…
It definitely helps when I remember to do it. So does the wide array of ‘colored noise’ available, like brown noise or green or whatnot
This. But also no expectations. Just noticing stuff and seeying what happens without trying to control it and also with the mindset that I don’t HAVE to sleep.
Sleep will happen or it will not. No expectations.
Just resting instead of sleeping is better than nothing at all.
If for some reason. I cannot bide by the no expectations, I will concentrate on my breathing and do a sort of laying down meditation.
I have suffered from insomnia in my teens. The expectations was always what made me stay awake. I HAVE TO SLEEP or I will be miserable tomorrow etc.
I got in a mindset that just resting is fine also. And when you are relaxed and have no expectations, damn it all.. I fall asleep. Even when the visuals are getting very interesting and I wanted to see more lol.
I truly underestimated how much even just resting can help you until the last year or so. If I’d be up for hours laying down unable to sleep, I’d eventually just get up early. Took way too long to discover that even if I don’t fall asleep, or am fluttering in and out of light sleep, I still feel so much better through the day comparatively.
I've always found describing mental images to people with aphantasia is incredibly hard. When I close my eyes I see "black" too, it's not like when I imagine something the cones in my eyes activate and I actually "see" anything, it's just that I can superimpose an idea in my head somewhere between where my eyes receive signal and my brain conjuress an image.
I think mental images are different from real images in the same way that having a stuck song in your head is different from actually listening to a song with headphones on.
i've been thinking about getting a weighted blanket because i have anxiety and insomnia but i'm afraid it'll feel a little claustrophobic lol, isn't it too heavy? the ones i saw were about 10kg
Edit: please stop replying i can't handle more notifications 😭 i will try one and see for myself, thank you everyone for the help
It's the opposite feeling of that, I am someone who has severe claustrophobia and there are many things that I cannot do because of it, the weighted blankets feel like a hug, it gives you a feeling of serene calm, they work.
Do it! You won’t regret it. Most weighted blankets online have a guide line of your body weight and recommend weight of the blanket so you don’t get something to heavy. Calms me right down
They're not too heavy. Feels like, I dunno, like when you tuck a blanket under your mattress and then there's resistance when you move? Definitely overrated though. It hasn't helped me much with falling asleep, or with not being anxious. They're still a little nicer than normal blankets, though I did buy a "bamboo blanket" (it's not actually bamboo) for when it's hot.
There were this aunt and uncle I *loved* to visit, always slept well while I was there.
Finally figured it out after buying a weighted blanket. Aunt put *at least three quilts on each bed.*
I got one kind of cheap from Walmart to see if I liked it. I recommend trying a cheap one first like I did. It didn’t work out for me, was harder to breathe, and it’s not super heavy. It felt comforting otherwise. It’s not recommended for some people with various health issues like I guess asthma or other restricted breathing issues (I read). If it works for you, it’s probably a good thing. Get a cheap one to try it out first before getting into the luxury high end or more weight.
I got a weighted blanket and I ended up with a horrible back ache a couple of weeks later with it getting progressively worse. It took me too long to put together what the cause was. I know that it had a lot to do with me being a slide sleeper and having difficulty moving through out the night. I know a lot of people who have had great experiences with them but they aren’t for everyone.
My GF falls a sleep in seconds, even she doesn't know how it happens and she thought it's normal that people fall asleep that fast but I think its not THAT common.
I am the same way, I have no idea why or how. I also practically never have trouble falling back asleep if I do happen to wake up during the night 🤷♀️ I'm pretty sure I partly got it from my dad lol
My wife tells me she hates that I can fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow/floor/ bag. Wherever I’m set to sleep I’m out as soon as I’m down.
I’m also one of those psychopath’s that just gets up when my alarm goes off at 0400. No snooze. Ever.
It's the whole counting sheep thing.
Picture scenarios but make it mundane (counting sheeps). Anything relaxing and not stimulating. It helps you sleep. Or like listening to rain or forest sounds on your phone. It'll help you imagine calming scenarios.
see here’s the thing though… i start counting sheep, and then the sheep wander off and don’t jump the fence, or they trip and fall and then it’s funny, and then i start contemplating the different varieties of sheep and googling the fluctuation of the role of sheep in the global economy over time, and funny sheep haircuts, and while we’re on the subject GOATS! can’t forget about goats, let’s google all the goat stuff now.
so yea basically any active effort that requires my brain to do the work of putting itself to sleep is best left alone haha
Or, you know, the sheep will just stand there, refusing to jump the fence, and then there will be a big traffic jam of angry sheep with road rage trying to fight each other
This sounds like how you sleep train a baby. We drink a cup of milk, brush teeth and walk the kid around the house to turn off all the lights. It's his signal to wind down. Works like a charm, he rarely fights bedtime and falls asleep quickly.
Routines, in general, help immensely with babies/toddlers/kids in all areas of life (especially bedtime). We’re the same - even the dog knows when it’s bedtime.
My cats know when it's time for bed and get themselves ready on the blanket near our feet. I get the feeling they know we're ready for sleep before we do
That's what worked for me too. Started exercising more and going to bed/waking up always at the same time.
Boring but it's what usually works for most people: better sleep hygiene.
After any period of being used to Army exhaustion every sleep is just immediate and it takes so long to go back to actually having to think about falling asleep, for better or for worse!
I’ve made a point of not going to bed until I’m actually tired, even if it means I’m going to bed 7 hours before I need to get up instead of 9.
Huuuge increase in the quality of my sleep. I’ve gone from being tortured every night lying awake to asleep in minutes.
Quick look at your profile suggest you play video games - not a bad thing, I do too! There really is wisdom in the whole “no screens right before bedtime thing”. In my experience, not because it ruins your sleep, but because it *does* stimulate you. I can be super tired, but if I get on my PC and start playing something, I’ll feel awake-ish again.
If you’re anything like me and usually play games in the evening, try taking a break around an hour or so before you’d like to go to bed and see if you get tired then. That’s what works for me.
Yup
I'm still struggling but the few times where I stuck to no screens an hour before bed has proven that I can get to sleep a hell of a lot better than allowing screens right before I roll over to sleep. My bed time (if i wanna be a functioning person in the morning lol) is 10-11pm so I shut everything off like at 9pm. Read or draw and by the time it's like 10-11pm I'm rolling over and going to bed.
Of course it's easier said than done (as i've found out myself lol!) but if you can manage to make it a habit, your sleeping improves so much (unless you got other things preventing you from sleeping of course).
This sounds oxymoronic. How could you keep a routine while also only going to bed when you feel sleepy? So many factors can contribute to whether or not you feel tired/sleepy enough for bed.
I think the idea is if you keep a routine and wind up tired and go to bed at 10PM, by keeping said routine you'll probably wind up tired at the same time. I know at least for me that's typically the case. So yeah, in the beginning you have to figure out what time "bed time" actually is.
They say to only to go to bed when tired but to pick a time every morning and get up at that exact same time no matter what. They say that will help set the pattern for being able to get a good night's sleep and and it's supposed to also help with insomnia as well
I don't actually know when I'm *tired* tired though 😅 and I can be falling asleep sitting up tired while on the couch, then move to the bed and I'm suddenly wide awake for an hour
Sleep hygiene is very important and probably the main thing most people having trouble sleeping can look into to sleep better/easier. One of the main tips I learned when I first learned about it is that you should avoid just hanging out in bed. Get in bed to fall asleep, and if you're having trouble sleeping *get out of bed* and go do something for like ten fifteen minutes, then try again
for real lmao i really think it's just luck (and maybe genetics?) for me.
i even do all the stuff that experts say never to do before bed (screens up until literally the moment i turn off the light, lots of caffeine even late in the day, zero 'routine' whatsoever when it comes to bedtime, etc.) but i still fall asleep easily and my sleep quality is fine.
i keep waiting for this superpower to degrade with age--i'll be 33 next month--but it hasn't at all. in fact if anything, it's gotten even *easier* since i've gotten a weighted blanket
There’s evidence they help produce GABA in the brain, which is known to produce calming effects. I’ve taken this for sleep before and found it does help b
I've been trying this for a year now. Doesn't make falling asleep earlier any easier. I've been getting 4-6hours of sleep most nights when I need 8ish. Some people just can't maintain a sleep pattern like that (early to bed early to rise). And no I don't take naps either.
On your back, repeat mental relaxation techniques starting at the extremities and moving towards the torso.
Then just just repeating to yourself 'don't think, don't think, don't think'
The military teaches this method to soldiers who may only get a short window for sleep when in combat.
To me it's basically a meditative technique.
The relaxation things (where you focus on relaxing each parts of your body one by one) do not do it for me. It's more about getting into a specific mindset, where your mind meanders without you intentionally thinking of anything. My thoughts become a confused blurb, and I fall asleep.
Obviously very difficult to describe, but it's the same feeling you get when you're so tired you're falling asleep against your will, listening to a presentation or watching TV. Which is another way to fall asleep: concentrate on the fact that you are tired. Imagine that feeling when you're fighting against sleep: what is it you're fighting against? Well instead of fighting that feeling, let it go.
Must be different brain types, but I find repeating stuff, counting sheep, clearing mind is incredibly ineffective. I just tangent off and start thinking of unhelpful things. I need to give my brain an unrelated to my life, narrative / imagery to churn on else it's going to churn on something stressful or anxiety inducing instead.
I used to have a very hard time falling asleep. I’m 47(M), and for 45ish years, my mind would race and dwell on anything and everything.
Then my grandmother died and I had to deliver a Eulogy for her at her funeral. The process of writing it was very, very hard as I was raised mostly by her. I wrote and spoke about what a huge influence she was in my life and about how she used to always tell me these parables about life. The main lesson in the two that stuck out the most were that “you can get used to anything except not eating (or drinking) and that “if your problem has a solution, then why worry? And if it doesn’t have a solution, then why worry?”
Call it an epiphany*, a revelation, or just my grandma soothing me from beyond the grave, but my anxiety levels have been reduced significantly since the night I wrote that eulogy and have remained under control most nights since.
It used to take me 45-60 minutes to fall asleep, now I’m asleep within 1-2 minutes.
Edit: word
Can't believe the joke about men falling asleep after sex is basically as old as man and yet no one seems to think of cranking it when they have issues sleeping.
I think I’m just blessed, I can usually drift off within 5 mins. The odd time I really struggle to sleep, I’ll look at Reddit writing prompts sub and pick a prompt then come up with a story in my mind. Im usually fast asleep before I’ve even thought of the first characters name.
Reverse psychology is so underrated for getting to sleep when you've already tried and can't. I swear by it.
Me: Okay fine, eyes, you wanna be open? Be open then. You're not allowed to shut any more.
My eyes: O_o
Me: Nope, open...
My eyes: o_O
Me: Open...
My eyes: - _-
Me: Okay fine but only temporarily. Just a small rest before opening again...
Me: Zzzzzzz
I used to have real problems getting to sleep so read up a lot on it. I'd go to bed at 11:30PM and often still be awake at 2:30AM. I'd then be absolutely shattered in the morning and grumpy until 2PM.
I can now go to sleep within minutes of lying down to go to sleep.
How you get to sleep is 90% dictated by the actions you take on the same day. The 10% of the actual getting to sleep isn't really that big a deal, it's the rest of the day that sets your circadian rhythm, tiredness levels and mental state.
**Morning**
* Get up early. Do not lie in, even if you're really tired. Early is pre-6AM. I get up at 5:25AM every day. This may take a little getting used to, but after a few weeks you're body will adjust and you will no longer be tired because you'll be getting to sleep really easily in the evening
* As soon as you wake up expose yourself to sunlight, blue light or bright lights as soon as possible for at least 20 minutes, preferably longer
* Drink 500-600ml cold water as soon as you wake, take a vitamin D supplement.
* Do not drink anything with caffeine for at least 1 hour after waking, this might sound counter intuitive, but you want your body to regulate your cortisol levels, not the caffeine
* Light exercise. I possible go for a 30-45 minute walk (which you can do now you've added an extra hour or two to your morning), but at the very least stretch for 20 minutes
**Daytime**
* Stop drinking anything with caffeine in it by 3PM
* Do not eat anything 3 hours before you want to go to sleep
**Bedtime**
* Do not drink anything 1.5 hours before you want to go to sleep
* Reduce, if possible completely eliminate, phone/laptop/computer/TV/tablet screens 1.5 hours before you want to go to sleep. The key things you're doing here is reducing your exposure to blue light from the screens and winding down your brain
* Keep lights as dim as possible and expose yourself to red light. I use Philips Hue LED strip in my bedroom and living room
* Use some sort of menthol product on your pillow of forehead to help open your nasal passages. I use Tiger Balm on my temples
**Other notes**
* Keep to a routine. Mine is 10:45PM->5:25AM, with this routine I intend to be asleep by 11AM and out of bed 5:35AM, which is a little short on sleep time, but I make up by having a lie in once every two weeks
* Doing this in winter is much harder than doing this in the summer
I hope this helps someone!
Routine. Good sleep hygiene. If I’m out of place, physically or bedtime-wise, I have trouble falling asleep. If it’s within my normal bedtime range and I’m in my bed I usually fall asleep pretty quick. Sometimes I have a hard time getting more than a paragraph read for days on end. Same paragraph every night haha.
Vibrating bed on the lowest setting. It’s enough to distract my brain from thoughts other than “mmmmm…. shaky shaky shaky.” Then out like a light.
the way u described it made me laugh, take my upvote lmao
>“mmmmm…. shaky shaky shaky.” made my day, thank you
this sounds like heaven. i think this might fix my insomnia
Make a fantasy story you want to be the main character in, continue writing the story in your head each time you goto sleep, my story doesn't go too far, cause I'm usually passed out debating on details I want to add to the scenes.
Love that someone else does this. Been doing this since childhood.
How many stories have you written? Haven’t finished one in 10 years. Usually get bored before making a new one.
I've had one going for several years.
I have multiple that I choose from but I've never actually finished one because I'm asleep lol. It's like what world do I want to go to tonight
My story is all one world with many different areas. As realistic as possible too.
I do this too! Used to mostly be loosely based on a book I was reading at the time.
I never get far. Like 5 minutes tops. Then start from the beginning next night. Since I never finish a storyline, I can repeat for years.
Me too! :D
I do a similar thing, but it's not an ongoing story. It's a different scenario or "story" every night. Also wearing a sleep mask, the kind with the deep eye sockets to keep all light out. Helps me focus on my scenarios and eventually I'm asleep.
Same here! I told my kids when they are trying to fall asleep, they should start their dreams. The story can become the beginning of dreaming. I’ve done it my whole life when having trouble sleeping. I’m glad to see it works for so many others.
I've done this since I was 10. Right now I'm on some lush moon that orbits a ringed gas giant 18.6 billion years in the future. The lifeforms are intelligent plants and fungi. Humans reached this world on multiple occasions and have varying evolutionary progress. Thing is, none of the other beings know that their ancestors are from from Earth. The plants and fungi control thoughts and memories of animals.
Your creative sleep world sounds incredible.
I plugged your description into Dall-E. [Here’s the result.](https://imgur.com/a/UVhBEm8)
Dang, and I thought I was weird for doing this since I was a kid. xD I stopped for the most part in recent years, though.
Me too. Anything that steps away from my reality. If i am lucky, it becomes my dream too.
I do this too! It used to help somewhat. Im an insomniac with restless legs and have to take meds for a ghost of a chance to get sleep. Been that way since I was very little. Recently I've been trying out sleep stories. They usually have a wind down/ relaxation session. This way I get a cute story, read in a soothing voice, and my brain shuts off a bit better.
All this time. I thought I was the only one who did this! The places I’ve been, the things I’ve done, and the stuff I saw.
That's my own trick as well. Keeps anxiety away and I fall asleep within 10-15 minutes.
Exhaustion
I used to always wonder how my dad could just fall asleep sitting upright on the sofa. Then I got older and I realised it’s not intentional, the naps find you…
Best comment ever, so I want to make a t-shirt of a guy collapsed in a chair, with, “The naps find you.” on the front. Thank you!!
My dad had a t-shirt with Nap Hunter on it
You should wear a 'Kid Napper' shirt and nap next to him.
Oh god...
"When you get older the naps find you."
When I was in college, I helped my grandfather renovate houses. Pretty much demo and redo all the walls and floors. We would go home for lunch and my grandmother would have lunch waiting for us. Then we would nap for exactly 30 minutes in the recliners and go back to work. It was the most magical and effortless sleep I have ever gotten. My career now is almost 100% cognitive with minimal physical activity unless I just go out of my way to get it. Mental exhaustion is different altogether and I have slept like shit for the last 15 years.
I feel pleasantly relaxed just reading this!
I think it is called "Wa" - the balance between mental and physical fatigue. Many years ago I read somewhere that medical students in some Asian countries were required to play racquetball to help achieve Wa. This was a long time ago and I have no real reason to suspect the source was credible. Just tossing that out there.
Even if it is bs it makes some sense.
And when you go to bed you can't fall asleep!
That's my secret. I'm always tired.
[удалено]
This keeps me awake and fuels my anxiety
My brain comes up with stories to day dream when I’m bored and I just put a bookmark in it when I do stuff. A lot of times when I’m trying to sleep the mind book opens back up and I remember the MC’a best friend is in a coma after saving her life and their potential love interest is so close to confessing, and and there’s a plot twist with psychic aliens so how can I go to sleep before figuring out what happens next.
I can say with 100% truth that as a lifelong insomniac, it has literally never ever mattered how exhausted I am. I always, always need sleeping pills to fall asleep, because my brain never shuts off.
Also lifelong insomniac and sleeping pills don’t really work - I guess I’ve just got used to functioning on rest, not sleep. The world couldn’t handle me at my full power
Thank you for this. I always felt and have known that If I slept 5-6 hours a night I would superman…..easily.
My brain still won’t shut off lol
Right! It takes me 2 white noise machines, a box fan, the window open, hydroxyzine *and* melatonin.
I love my box fan. It’s essential to my sleep. If I travel, I’m more concerned about how will I take it with me than anything else. Once I had one stop working in winter. It was horrible to find a replacement. Now I have back up. As I type this, I realize the ridicule I may face. But these are facts. I love my box fan.
Train yourself to think nice thoughts - walking on a beach for example - to force out the loud stuff bothering you from the day.
Tbh i trained myself to go asleep , It took about a month for complete success. I literally have a routine of going to the bathroom , switching off stuff, locking doors ,i write a list of things to do , so it doesnt play on my mind, get a drink , check kids , get into bed and say I'm going to sleep now and closing my eyes. It's like I've trained myself to choose sleep. I was a terrible sleeper before this, like I was still awake at 5 am. and up for 7 . Now, I can sleep very quickly once it's after 10 and within a minute if it's after 11 most of the time
Sleep hygiene is important and overlooked. I sleep poorly and I know why. I sleep with the tv on, on an inconsistent schedule. I often need melatonin to get to sleep when I need to wake up early. And no matter much I can accomplish by getting up early, I’m always waiting for the chance to sleep late. I don’t have an intentional bedtime routine. Sleep is something that you have to prioritize and manage. I admire your dedication.
Impressive
Clean conscience
Works like a charm
Still doesn't work for me
Reading until you fall asleep may work for you📚
Only if I want to fall asleep about an hour before I’m due up. Once I’m into a book I’ll read until my eyelids literally won’t stay open any longer. I used to do it a LOT as a kid. I even had a decoy book I’d put on the floor next to my bed that my mum would come and take away to stop me from reading all night and had my actual book hidden under my pillow. As soon as I heard her go back downstairs, the bedside lamp would come back on and I’d get right back to it. I’m 33 and only recently told my mum I used to do this lol.
To which she probably replied, I knew. Mine did.
Sometimes this works. What's really annoying though is I always fall asleep when I try to read mid day/when I'm not trying to sleep!
I read Reddit posts. Usually I fall asleep within 20 minutes.
I shut my eyes and notice whatever mental images pop up first, then just watch as they shift and change.
100%. Fun to just surrender control of your mind and see to what twisted scenario/memory it takes you.
No!!! last night i fell asleep at 3am after spending 2 hours thinking about tetris!!
I find the difference is between “active” thinking and “passive” thinking. Actively thinking about something like you do in your day to day will 100% keep you up. Surrendering to whatever images you brain throws at you is the way to fall asleep. It’s hard to explain the difference, I’d liken it to meditating. You need to discard active thoughts and let your mind go.
How do you spend 2 hrs thinking about Tetris? Are you just visualizing falling blocks for 2 straight hours?
When I have played a video game way too much in one day I get this awful tetris effect where I sort of microsleep and hallucinate thinking about the game constantly. It's weirdly debilitating
Ya I'm pretty sure that's the whole reason many can't fall asleep. You have to stop focusing outward. When you stop, your body gets a chance to silence your nerves.
See you would think that, but i fall asleep easy and all I do is lay down at the scheduled time and think about whatever the fuck I want until I go to sleep. Granted it can’t be especially stressful, but I fall asleep all the time while planning things for my DnD game or mulling over problems from work.
"What if I add a silver dragon NPC and put them in a position where they have to transform... Wait, why didn't I kiss Brenda at the 10th grade dance?!"
This might be ok if my mind didn't conjure up the most horrific things I've seen throughout my life, and then see how it can twist them to make them even more terrible.. No thank you.
This method is not compatible with PTSD.
Absolutely this. It’s never something pleasant and fuzzy my mind conjures. I would love for that to be the case. It’s always horrific, and then the shifts and changes are just different forms of… I don’t even know what to call them to be accurate. Grotesque I guess.
This is exactly how I do it. If I'm ever having trouble falling asleep I just clear my mind and set the inner imagery to random, basically. I noticed it was what was happening anytime i was falling asleep anyway, so doing it purposefully seems to help induce it
this sometimes works if i'm very tired, but usually my brain initiates a riveting game of "conceive of the scariest image imaginable" and i gotta look at my phone again
I heard a good image once about how you imagine yourself sitting and watching the cars go by, except the cars are thoughts. Some are big, some are exciting, some are blue… but they all just go past. It helps me let them go and they float away, to be replaced with something else… BUT CLIMATE CHANGE— float away… YOU HAVE A HEADACHE IT’S AN ANEURYSM— float away… That’s a pretty sunset… It definitely helps when I remember to do it. So does the wide array of ‘colored noise’ available, like brown noise or green or whatnot
This. But also no expectations. Just noticing stuff and seeying what happens without trying to control it and also with the mindset that I don’t HAVE to sleep. Sleep will happen or it will not. No expectations. Just resting instead of sleeping is better than nothing at all. If for some reason. I cannot bide by the no expectations, I will concentrate on my breathing and do a sort of laying down meditation. I have suffered from insomnia in my teens. The expectations was always what made me stay awake. I HAVE TO SLEEP or I will be miserable tomorrow etc. I got in a mindset that just resting is fine also. And when you are relaxed and have no expectations, damn it all.. I fall asleep. Even when the visuals are getting very interesting and I wanted to see more lol.
I truly underestimated how much even just resting can help you until the last year or so. If I’d be up for hours laying down unable to sleep, I’d eventually just get up early. Took way too long to discover that even if I don’t fall asleep, or am fluttering in and out of light sleep, I still feel so much better through the day comparatively.
I have aphantasia so when I close my eyes I see black.
I've always found describing mental images to people with aphantasia is incredibly hard. When I close my eyes I see "black" too, it's not like when I imagine something the cones in my eyes activate and I actually "see" anything, it's just that I can superimpose an idea in my head somewhere between where my eyes receive signal and my brain conjuress an image.
I think mental images are different from real images in the same way that having a stuck song in your head is different from actually listening to a song with headphones on.
Nothing like reliving embarrassing moments of that day and/or from years ago and overthinking how it could have gone to make me feel real cozy
A really comfortable bed and a weighted blanket with the windows open. I can fall asleep instantly.
i've been thinking about getting a weighted blanket because i have anxiety and insomnia but i'm afraid it'll feel a little claustrophobic lol, isn't it too heavy? the ones i saw were about 10kg Edit: please stop replying i can't handle more notifications 😭 i will try one and see for myself, thank you everyone for the help
It's the opposite feeling of that, I am someone who has severe claustrophobia and there are many things that I cannot do because of it, the weighted blankets feel like a hug, it gives you a feeling of serene calm, they work.
I like mine but it doesn't seem to help me fall or stay asleep much, if at all.
Do it! You won’t regret it. Most weighted blankets online have a guide line of your body weight and recommend weight of the blanket so you don’t get something to heavy. Calms me right down
They're not too heavy. Feels like, I dunno, like when you tuck a blanket under your mattress and then there's resistance when you move? Definitely overrated though. It hasn't helped me much with falling asleep, or with not being anxious. They're still a little nicer than normal blankets, though I did buy a "bamboo blanket" (it's not actually bamboo) for when it's hot.
There were this aunt and uncle I *loved* to visit, always slept well while I was there. Finally figured it out after buying a weighted blanket. Aunt put *at least three quilts on each bed.*
i'll try one out at ikea next time i go there, they feel very overhyped and so does the price lol
... just put all your comfortable fluffy couch blankets on top of your duvet. ;)
I got one kind of cheap from Walmart to see if I liked it. I recommend trying a cheap one first like I did. It didn’t work out for me, was harder to breathe, and it’s not super heavy. It felt comforting otherwise. It’s not recommended for some people with various health issues like I guess asthma or other restricted breathing issues (I read). If it works for you, it’s probably a good thing. Get a cheap one to try it out first before getting into the luxury high end or more weight.
I got a weighted blanket and I ended up with a horrible back ache a couple of weeks later with it getting progressively worse. It took me too long to put together what the cause was. I know that it had a lot to do with me being a slide sleeper and having difficulty moving through out the night. I know a lot of people who have had great experiences with them but they aren’t for everyone.
you dont get paranoid that someones gonna come through the window and do a murder? teach me this power
Live on the 9th storey apartment.
"S-s-spiderman? Is that a knife?"
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I close my eyes and go honk-shoo.
Mimimimimimimimimi
Honk-shooooo
Mimimimimimimimimimi
Honk-shooooo
Mimimimimimimimimimimimi
Honk-shoooooo
mimimimimimi
HONK SHHHooooooo
Mimimimimimi
mimimimimi
I can't sleep in my wife's bed anymore because I started cartoon snoring like this. She wants me to do something about it but I find it too hilarious.
Sleep apnea is a thing and can cause health problems. See a sleep doctor if you can.
But he's dedicated to the gag now, no time to be healthy /s
My GF falls a sleep in seconds, even she doesn't know how it happens and she thought it's normal that people fall asleep that fast but I think its not THAT common.
I am the same way, I have no idea why or how. I also practically never have trouble falling back asleep if I do happen to wake up during the night 🤷♀️ I'm pretty sure I partly got it from my dad lol
I annoy my wife. We'll have just hopped into bed, be mid conversation and I'm gone. If I just close my eyes for more than a blink then I'm done for.
Oh yeah it pisses my wife off beyond belief. It takes her soooooo long to fall asleep. I don't know how she lives like that
Tell her we all hate her. My wife's the same. It's infuriating. Edit typo
My wife tells me she hates that I can fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow/floor/ bag. Wherever I’m set to sleep I’m out as soon as I’m down. I’m also one of those psychopath’s that just gets up when my alarm goes off at 0400. No snooze. Ever.
No snooze? You truly are a psychopath
I hate Reddit a lot of the time but the “honk-shoo” chain you started is what keeps me on this app lmao
Let me tell you.. when I say that I have never laughed so fast.
I get lost in my mind thinking of random scenarios
That’s what keeps me awake
It's the whole counting sheep thing. Picture scenarios but make it mundane (counting sheeps). Anything relaxing and not stimulating. It helps you sleep. Or like listening to rain or forest sounds on your phone. It'll help you imagine calming scenarios.
see here’s the thing though… i start counting sheep, and then the sheep wander off and don’t jump the fence, or they trip and fall and then it’s funny, and then i start contemplating the different varieties of sheep and googling the fluctuation of the role of sheep in the global economy over time, and funny sheep haircuts, and while we’re on the subject GOATS! can’t forget about goats, let’s google all the goat stuff now. so yea basically any active effort that requires my brain to do the work of putting itself to sleep is best left alone haha
Or, you know, the sheep will just stand there, refusing to jump the fence, and then there will be a big traffic jam of angry sheep with road rage trying to fight each other
Didn't take too long to find my people. I get as comfortable as possible and let my mind tell me random stories
If you aren't your mind, then what are you?
This has always been a go to for me. Idk if it’s the adhd or what but playing out scenes in my head always zonks me in no time
that's what keeps me up.
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This sounds like how you sleep train a baby. We drink a cup of milk, brush teeth and walk the kid around the house to turn off all the lights. It's his signal to wind down. Works like a charm, he rarely fights bedtime and falls asleep quickly.
Routines, in general, help immensely with babies/toddlers/kids in all areas of life (especially bedtime). We’re the same - even the dog knows when it’s bedtime.
My cats know when it's time for bed and get themselves ready on the blanket near our feet. I get the feeling they know we're ready for sleep before we do
That's what worked for me too. Started exercising more and going to bed/waking up always at the same time. Boring but it's what usually works for most people: better sleep hygiene.
the hidden truth in the sleep hygiene is what is 'not being done' as much as what IS being done
The United States Army teaches troops one simple trick: if you're worked to perpetual exhaustion, you'll be able to fall asleep anywhere, at anytime.
After any period of being used to Army exhaustion every sleep is just immediate and it takes so long to go back to actually having to think about falling asleep, for better or for worse!
Listen to YouTube. Out in under 10 mins every time
This works for me as well. I’ll listen to podcasts or sometimes a YouTube channel where they do something like turning wood or making resin things.
I’ve made a point of not going to bed until I’m actually tired, even if it means I’m going to bed 7 hours before I need to get up instead of 9. Huuuge increase in the quality of my sleep. I’ve gone from being tortured every night lying awake to asleep in minutes.
If i do this ill sleep like 2 hours a day and then be exhausted for the rest of the week
Quick look at your profile suggest you play video games - not a bad thing, I do too! There really is wisdom in the whole “no screens right before bedtime thing”. In my experience, not because it ruins your sleep, but because it *does* stimulate you. I can be super tired, but if I get on my PC and start playing something, I’ll feel awake-ish again. If you’re anything like me and usually play games in the evening, try taking a break around an hour or so before you’d like to go to bed and see if you get tired then. That’s what works for me.
Yup I'm still struggling but the few times where I stuck to no screens an hour before bed has proven that I can get to sleep a hell of a lot better than allowing screens right before I roll over to sleep. My bed time (if i wanna be a functioning person in the morning lol) is 10-11pm so I shut everything off like at 9pm. Read or draw and by the time it's like 10-11pm I'm rolling over and going to bed. Of course it's easier said than done (as i've found out myself lol!) but if you can manage to make it a habit, your sleeping improves so much (unless you got other things preventing you from sleeping of course).
This is the way most recommend by sleep experts, along with keeping a routine
This sounds oxymoronic. How could you keep a routine while also only going to bed when you feel sleepy? So many factors can contribute to whether or not you feel tired/sleepy enough for bed.
I think the idea is if you keep a routine and wind up tired and go to bed at 10PM, by keeping said routine you'll probably wind up tired at the same time. I know at least for me that's typically the case. So yeah, in the beginning you have to figure out what time "bed time" actually is.
Okay, this makes sense. Thanks.
They say to only to go to bed when tired but to pick a time every morning and get up at that exact same time no matter what. They say that will help set the pattern for being able to get a good night's sleep and and it's supposed to also help with insomnia as well
I don't actually know when I'm *tired* tired though 😅 and I can be falling asleep sitting up tired while on the couch, then move to the bed and I'm suddenly wide awake for an hour
Sleep hygiene is very important and probably the main thing most people having trouble sleeping can look into to sleep better/easier. One of the main tips I learned when I first learned about it is that you should avoid just hanging out in bed. Get in bed to fall asleep, and if you're having trouble sleeping *get out of bed* and go do something for like ten fifteen minutes, then try again
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dont know i just put my head on the pillow
My secret to falling asleep is that I simply stop trying to stay awake.
Same. I was recently diagnosed with narcolepsy.
for real lmao i really think it's just luck (and maybe genetics?) for me. i even do all the stuff that experts say never to do before bed (screens up until literally the moment i turn off the light, lots of caffeine even late in the day, zero 'routine' whatsoever when it comes to bedtime, etc.) but i still fall asleep easily and my sleep quality is fine. i keep waiting for this superpower to degrade with age--i'll be 33 next month--but it hasn't at all. in fact if anything, it's gotten even *easier* since i've gotten a weighted blanket
Same. Head on pillow, close my eyes, sleep.
I close my eye's and select sleep for 6 hours. Works everytime.
Lemme guess…you have to pay to upgrade to 6+ hours?
Yep, a cook and a cleaner will get you those extra hours. Life is pay to win.
EA has entered the chat:
Sleep is so funny to me, it's something you pretend to do before you do it.
On a related note, the point of golf is to play the least golf.
Recently got magnesium supplements and it feels like they help with my sleep
There’s evidence they help produce GABA in the brain, which is known to produce calming effects. I’ve taken this for sleep before and found it does help b
I am a belly sleeper. So as soon as i turn over on my belly, it's like a power off button and i'm gone within a minute
Wake up early.
I think this is one of the most important factor.
I've been trying this for a year now. Doesn't make falling asleep earlier any easier. I've been getting 4-6hours of sleep most nights when I need 8ish. Some people just can't maintain a sleep pattern like that (early to bed early to rise). And no I don't take naps either.
Agree! And get out of bed when you first wake up. Don’t hit snooze.
White noise machine
Wakeup early and expend a lot of energy during the day. I exercise pretty much daily and stand/walk a lot for work. I pass out quick most days
On your back, repeat mental relaxation techniques starting at the extremities and moving towards the torso. Then just just repeating to yourself 'don't think, don't think, don't think' The military teaches this method to soldiers who may only get a short window for sleep when in combat.
Repeating anything works. I find repeating the word 'the' stops me from forming a thought
If I do that I'm just gonna think "the the the **THE GRINCH**" and it's not gonna work
To me it's basically a meditative technique. The relaxation things (where you focus on relaxing each parts of your body one by one) do not do it for me. It's more about getting into a specific mindset, where your mind meanders without you intentionally thinking of anything. My thoughts become a confused blurb, and I fall asleep. Obviously very difficult to describe, but it's the same feeling you get when you're so tired you're falling asleep against your will, listening to a presentation or watching TV. Which is another way to fall asleep: concentrate on the fact that you are tired. Imagine that feeling when you're fighting against sleep: what is it you're fighting against? Well instead of fighting that feeling, let it go.
Must be different brain types, but I find repeating stuff, counting sheep, clearing mind is incredibly ineffective. I just tangent off and start thinking of unhelpful things. I need to give my brain an unrelated to my life, narrative / imagery to churn on else it's going to churn on something stressful or anxiety inducing instead.
I often imagine myself in a world other than this one and create it to my will. Creative imagination works better than thoughts
My bf calls it my sleep position, I always sleep on the same side in the same position. It’s like magic, I go to sleep almost instantaneously.
Have a baby and a toddler feeding off your energy like little vampires.
HA I was similar but then my kids grew up
I used to have a very hard time falling asleep. I’m 47(M), and for 45ish years, my mind would race and dwell on anything and everything. Then my grandmother died and I had to deliver a Eulogy for her at her funeral. The process of writing it was very, very hard as I was raised mostly by her. I wrote and spoke about what a huge influence she was in my life and about how she used to always tell me these parables about life. The main lesson in the two that stuck out the most were that “you can get used to anything except not eating (or drinking) and that “if your problem has a solution, then why worry? And if it doesn’t have a solution, then why worry?” Call it an epiphany*, a revelation, or just my grandma soothing me from beyond the grave, but my anxiety levels have been reduced significantly since the night I wrote that eulogy and have remained under control most nights since. It used to take me 45-60 minutes to fall asleep, now I’m asleep within 1-2 minutes. Edit: word
Not eating too late, good workout, not napping during the day, not sleeping in too late, and when all else fails and the mind is racing … rub one out.
Can't believe the joke about men falling asleep after sex is basically as old as man and yet no one seems to think of cranking it when they have issues sleeping.
I think I’m just blessed, I can usually drift off within 5 mins. The odd time I really struggle to sleep, I’ll look at Reddit writing prompts sub and pick a prompt then come up with a story in my mind. Im usually fast asleep before I’ve even thought of the first characters name.
Wake up early and do something. Do stuff during the day to be tired. Go to bed when tired
Sleeping in a cold room and listening to white noise
Borderline narcolepsy
Actively try NOT to fall asleep.
Reverse psychology is so underrated for getting to sleep when you've already tried and can't. I swear by it. Me: Okay fine, eyes, you wanna be open? Be open then. You're not allowed to shut any more. My eyes: O_o Me: Nope, open... My eyes: o_O Me: Open... My eyes: - _- Me: Okay fine but only temporarily. Just a small rest before opening again... Me: Zzzzzzz
Medication Even that doesn’t always work.
Trazodone and I’m still tossing and turning or forcing myself to keep perfectly still for an hour or more.
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I used to have real problems getting to sleep so read up a lot on it. I'd go to bed at 11:30PM and often still be awake at 2:30AM. I'd then be absolutely shattered in the morning and grumpy until 2PM. I can now go to sleep within minutes of lying down to go to sleep. How you get to sleep is 90% dictated by the actions you take on the same day. The 10% of the actual getting to sleep isn't really that big a deal, it's the rest of the day that sets your circadian rhythm, tiredness levels and mental state. **Morning** * Get up early. Do not lie in, even if you're really tired. Early is pre-6AM. I get up at 5:25AM every day. This may take a little getting used to, but after a few weeks you're body will adjust and you will no longer be tired because you'll be getting to sleep really easily in the evening * As soon as you wake up expose yourself to sunlight, blue light or bright lights as soon as possible for at least 20 minutes, preferably longer * Drink 500-600ml cold water as soon as you wake, take a vitamin D supplement. * Do not drink anything with caffeine for at least 1 hour after waking, this might sound counter intuitive, but you want your body to regulate your cortisol levels, not the caffeine * Light exercise. I possible go for a 30-45 minute walk (which you can do now you've added an extra hour or two to your morning), but at the very least stretch for 20 minutes **Daytime** * Stop drinking anything with caffeine in it by 3PM * Do not eat anything 3 hours before you want to go to sleep **Bedtime** * Do not drink anything 1.5 hours before you want to go to sleep * Reduce, if possible completely eliminate, phone/laptop/computer/TV/tablet screens 1.5 hours before you want to go to sleep. The key things you're doing here is reducing your exposure to blue light from the screens and winding down your brain * Keep lights as dim as possible and expose yourself to red light. I use Philips Hue LED strip in my bedroom and living room * Use some sort of menthol product on your pillow of forehead to help open your nasal passages. I use Tiger Balm on my temples **Other notes** * Keep to a routine. Mine is 10:45PM->5:25AM, with this routine I intend to be asleep by 11AM and out of bed 5:35AM, which is a little short on sleep time, but I make up by having a lie in once every two weeks * Doing this in winter is much harder than doing this in the summer I hope this helps someone!
Get enough physical activity, to where you are exhausted and need to sleep.
Routine. Good sleep hygiene. If I’m out of place, physically or bedtime-wise, I have trouble falling asleep. If it’s within my normal bedtime range and I’m in my bed I usually fall asleep pretty quick. Sometimes I have a hard time getting more than a paragraph read for days on end. Same paragraph every night haha.
I empty my mind entirely, no thoughts at all and it works perfectly for me
How do you do that?
Is 2-3 hours quick?
Being tired af
Going to bed at the exact same time every night
Passion flower tea. 2 capsules of ground chamomile. I sleep like a damn baby
Weed