Just can't fall asleep ***************

[Sally00]

I'm just wondering. How long does it take ya'll to fall asleep?

 

It seems like it takes 1-2 hours for ME to finally fall asleep. I don't know why. I think it's because I always have way too much on my mind before I fall asleep (boyfriend, what I'm going to be doing tomorrow, school, family, friends, etc.). And sometimes I just can't get comfortable at the same time. I hate this!

 

 

What do ya'll do before ya'll go to sleep, too? Do you also have a lot on your mind? What are some things to help you fall asleep?

 

Thanks.

[sophie274]

Exercise really helps me fall asleep - I used to be on a ski team for school, and in the winter when we skied outside in the cold for 2 hours/day I would be knocked out at 10.

 

Also, being properly fed and watered, and going to the bathroom as the very last thing I do before I go to bed.

 

If you have things on your mind, you might want to start developing a "bedtime routine". Find a routine that will allow you to relax (ex. taking a bath, then removing make-up etc.., getting into PJs, then reading a magazine for 10 mins) and do the same routine every night, which should a - give you time to relax before going to bed and b- the routine will eventually be a signal for your body that it is time to go to sleep.

 

Finally, avoid caffeinated drinks.

[RayKay]

Do you eat pretty healthy and exercise? Both can improve your quality of sleep, and how well you fall asleep - more so if you exercise in morning or in the afternoon. For me by the time I get to 10:00, I am SO ready for bed!

 

Also reduces that anxiety you have, I used to suffer from high anxiety too.

 

It's important to also limit caffeine, not eat a heavy meal right before bed, and really make your bedroom a place to SLEEP. If you cannot fall asleep right away, don't lay there. Get up, go to another room and do some other tasks for a bit, then when you DO get really tired, go to bed. If you don't do this, your body just gets used to staying up in bed. Don't watch TV or read or do homework in bed either....should be for sleep and sex only! All these other things change your body's programming.

 

Get a bedtime routine - warm bath, maybe try drinking some warm milk (this has a relaxing sedative effect) and just turning your mind off before you go to the bedroom to go to bed.

[Dako]

I take about 2 minutes to conk out, but if I have worries, it keeps me up.

On those rare occasions it helps to visualise a calm place and get away from the worries, or read to put my mind elsewhere.

[annie24]

there are several things you can do:

 

1) take the TV out of the bedroom. move any other electronics away from your bed (the electromagnetic field could be interfering with your sleep).

 

2) Don't do anything in bed but sleep (and sex). don't associate your bed with doing taxes or homework. bed should be where you sleep.

 

3) rearrange your bedroom so it is peacful.

 

4) limit caffiene late in the day

 

5) have a night-time ritual. ie, do some yoga or stretching, drink some chamomile tea, take a hot bath.

 

6) Try doing meditative yoga. I have a dvd on this, it is very peaceful and relaxing, I get so relaxed I almost fall asleep in the poses and have to crawl into bed before I pass out on the floor! LOL!

 

7) Check what medications you are on. some cause alertness. you may want to take those in the morning instead of at night.

 

good luck

[renaissancewoman101]

listening to some soothing, soft music can also help you relax and fall asleep faster.

[Beyondthesea]

Have a routine before bed, and stick to it. It should include something quiet and soothing, like music, reading, etc.

 

About an hour before you are ready for sleepybye, be sure you are unwinding and do this every evening, whatever it is.

[anydaynow]

I used to have major issues falling asleep for the same reasons- thinking of things that had to be done the next day, etc.

 

Do you have a regular waking schedule?

 

Besides the obvious (limiting caffeine, activity, too-exciting-tv right before bed, etc) here are a few things you can try:

 

• Before you go to bed, make a short list to think about or do the next morning. For me, it helps to get them out on paper. When it's out on paper, it isn't in my head anymore! (Keep it short or you'll be up all night making the list!)
   
  
• Make sure your bed/bedroom is the conducive to sleep. The room shouldn't be to hot, your bed and pillow should be comfortable. If it isn't comfortable, it will take you longer to fall asleep, and if it takes you longer, you are more likely to let your mind wander... you know what happens then- you can't shut it off!
   
  
• Imagine something relaxing. I like to imagine I'm laying on top of a giant bubble. You know, like a soap bubble kids blow. Except it isn't wet or soapy... Anyway, I imagine the bubble sinks in like a hammock where I lay on it, and it just floats about the air... It's silly, but it is also boring, so it keep my mind from filling up with other things that might make me anxious.
   
  
• Try listening to ambient music made to help you fall asleep. My bf got me a CD that contains one 1-hour track of this strange ambient music. He thinks it is creepy sounding, but I swear I never hear more than 5 minutes of it, because it really puts me to sleep!
   
  
• If there is something (or someone) that comforts you, keep it (or him/her) handy. My bf had a hard time believing that I had difficulty falling asleep, because when I am at his place, I'm out as soon as my head hits the pillow!
  

 

Good Luck!

[Goodfun88]

I usually have no problem sleeping, but if I do I start counting backwards from 1000 (in my head, not out loud lol), I'm usually asleep sometime in the 700s. It clears your mind when you are thinking about something else because you focus on the numbers, not whatever problems you might have.

[easyguy]

Well, I have a TV in my bedroom, so that just makes it that much harder to go to sleep. I don't watch TV during the day and the evening, so I'm not some heavy couch potato. I watch whatever's interesting, for maybe an hour or hour and half, and then turn it off and try to go to sleep. Most nights the TV is off by 12:00-12:30 and I try to hit the hay. To help me try and go to sleep, I have my iPod. Slow calm songs usually help. I sometimes don't need it, though.

 

Once the school year rolls around this time, I'm seriously considering taking the TV out of my room so the temptation isn't there. The last thing I need is to be tired during school, and I have to get up earlier than usual this coming quarter. I had to rely on Mountain Dew pretty often last quarter. Which was bad because I am trying to stay healthy, and those extremely sugar-coated drinks aren't helping at all!

 

During the summer I usually crash around 12:30(am) and wake up around 10:30am.

[Sally00]

Thanks for every single comment, you guys!

 

I will try these things. I don't have a TV in my room. But I DO have a computer, which is something I'm in front of a lot more than the TV.

 

I don't drink caffeine often... and when I do, I drink it in the afternoon.

And I don't exercise... oops. I'm already skinny. But ya know... lol.

 

Thanks again everybody!!

[annie24]

LOL - exercise is good for you, no matter what your size is! maybe if you burned off some excess energy with some yoga or a walk in the evenings, it could put you to sleep faster.

[Sally00]

LOL - exercise is good for you, no matter what your size is! maybe if you burned off some excess energy with some yoga or a walk in the evenings, it could put you to sleep faster.

Yeah... so I'm told. I'm just lazy. LOL. And you would think being lazy would make me bored and tired... tired enough to fall asleep!! hahahah.

[Beyondthesea]

You know what? I knew a really skinny girl. The two of us went to the gym together and keep in mind I weigh about 165 pounds and she weighs about 120 at most...I had a lower fat ratio in my body! She actually had a dangerously high amount vs me.

 

Why? Because I exercise frequently and she didn't. Weird huh?