How do you fall asleep?

Question

Lately I havn't been able to sleep at all, or it takes many hours to actually get to sleep. Is there any methods that I can use to help me sleep better or actually go to sleep before resorting to sleeping pills?

Answer 1

I've been an insomniac and gotten over it. I recommend all of the following steps (where appropriate):

1. Cut out all drugs from your life, including alcohol, caffeine, nicotine (if you're a smoker & it's hard, don't smoke at least 1 hour before bed).
2. Get regular strenuous exercise in the morning. Evening or night may cause adrenalin from it to keep you awake.
3. Learn and practice self hypnosis. It will teach you how to a) program your brain for drifting into sleep in advance, & b) how to control your mental states with simple repeatable techniques you can do at bedtime.
4. Go to bed, only when you are tired (contrary to popular opinion NOT necessarily at the same time every night), so your brain associates bed with sleeping, not reading, watching TV, etc. If you can't sleep after 10 min, get up and go in the lounge and read (rather than watch TV), until you find it difficult to concentrate or focus on the page - this is a good way I've found to gauge how tired you are, unlike TV which puts you in a restful trance that helps blur the distinction between waking conciousness and sleep.
5. Get up at the same time every morning (even weekends), no matter how tired you are.

If you do all this, then after a period of 2-3 weeks your brain will train itself to enter sleep state when you go to bed in a matter of minutes.

If after a month it's still not working, go see a doctor, get referred to a specialist (as GPs often can be a bit flippant, and don't really understand it), and get checked out properly, as it could be due to brain chemistry or hormonal reasons that are preventing your brain entering Theta and Delta brainwave activity (dreaming sleep and deep sleep respectively). They may eventually prescribe you something useful. However, don't bother with the stuff they sell on the shelf or even over the counter at a pharmacy as it's rubbish. When I was an insomniac I found all that stuff to be useless & none of it even worked.

Answer 2

During the day try to exercise and drink plenty of water. Avoid caffeine if possible.

Before bed, take a warm bath, have a warm, milky drink and jerk off (it really does help).

Meditation is also good to relax yourself and clear your mind but it takes time.

DO NOT READ IN BED! Reading is a waking activity and it will not help you sleep.

If you have to resort to pills, try herbal ones like Valerian first. Then, if necessary, try diphenhydramine (Nytol) for no more than two weeks, but these can make you drowsy in the morning too. Make sure you don't get up late, as obviously this will stop you from sleeping at night.

Answer 3

I have difficulty staying asleep, myself. Falling asleep is not that hard for me.

But when trying to get back to sleep after having been forced back to walefulness, I often find that two things help calm me down enough to return to slumber.

(1) At least one full tall glass of cold water, sipped slowly;

(2) A mug of warm milk, either with or without sugar. Preferably without. Also, sipped slowly.

The water is to restore the balance of fluids in your body; the milk acts to soothe the emotions. Don't make the milk too hot, or you'll be nursing a scalded lip, mouth and tongue as well as fighting your own fatigue.

Finally, go to bed a little bit hungry, and no alcohol, tea, coffee or soft drinks for at least an hour before you hit the sack. If you're trying to fall asleep to begin with, the last thing you should drink is the water.

A regime of 2 litres of water, consumed during the whole day, by the way, will help keep your body in a healthy state, making it easier for you to regularly fall sleep in the first place.

Answer 4

I used to work nights and i could never sleep when i got home, You can try all sorts of things to help you sleep the thing i find best is Lavender oil, just put 2 drops in water in an oil burner in your bedroom about an hour before you intend to go to bed, lavender is mainly used for relaxation and most of the time its because your tense that you cant sleep, I promise try this and concentrate on your breathing when you first get into bed and you will have no more sleepless nights

Answer 5

I suffer with insomnia and have done for years. I have taken all the advice from the doctor and I am now on medication for it(and a few other things) The docs gave me advice like, Have a warm bath an hour before bed, Have lavender oil in it, make sure you have warm towels and warm night clothes for after. have a warm milky drink like Horlicks, Horlicks is best because it doesn't have any caffeine in it. Don't drink any thing with caffeine in it after 6pm. Listen to soothing music. Don't have a TV in your bedroom, if you do don't turn it on as this makes your brain keep working and this is the thing you need to stop working so you can sleep...
I hope this advice helps a little bit. Good luck and sweet dreams. xx

Answer 6

Go to sleep and get up every day at the same time, sleep about 8 hours every day. Do not stay in bed when you are not sleeping.Exercise more . Go talk to a doctor.

Answer 7

I am not sure what your situation is but if you are sleeping multiple times each day then you are going to have a problem falling asleep at night. What helps me is if I close my eyes and focus them on my eyelids in one particular area then I eventually fall right asleep. By focusing on a spot with your eyes closed, it tends to block out all the other things that the mind is dwelling on, thoughts ideas, songs, etc......

Answer 8

First of all you need to not have slept at all during the day, got up at a reasonable time and done an honest days work. I then take a cup of Tila a herbal drink and shower and a good book. Relax yourself breathe deep and read until you drop

Answer 9

i'm a major imsomniac
I haven't had a night of spontaeous sleep since i was 12!!!
Took all kinds of sleeping pills untill nothing worked for me anymore. Nowadays I just have a few drinks and I get to have a normal nights rest!!!

Answer 10

take 10 deep breaths (from your stomach)before you get into bed. Don;t eat anything an 2 hours before you go to bed.

Maybe read a book to get settled. Don;t watch tv or go on yahoo answers the monitor and computer activity will stimulate your brain.

When you are ready to get into bed, lay down and focus your eyes on a spot on the ceiling and stare at it. ( you are allowed to blink of course!) and only close you eyes when you are totally ready to go to sleep.

Most sleeplessness comes from an active mind and these are things to help you quiet that down. You don;t need pills, they just screw up you neurochemical balance. You just need to chill out.

What would help you and anybody for that matter is self hypnosis or meditation, that'll send you off nicely.

Sweet dreams