i cant sleep at night.. any suggestions??

Question

i find it hard to sleep at night sometimes.. but other times, i fall asleep fast.. is there anything you guys could tell me to help me out??

Answer 1

I got some good tips from a doctor and online. I hope you are able to go sleep with one of the answer:

Do visualization -
Focus all your attention on your toes or visualize walking down an endless stairwell. Thinking about repetitive or mindless things will help your brain to shut down and adjust to sleep.

Get out of bed if unable to sleep -
Don’t lie in bed awake. Go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy. Worrying about falling asleep actually keeps many people awake.
Don't do anything stimulating. Don't read anything job related or watch a stimulating TV program (commercials and news shows tend to be alerting). Don't expose yourself to bright light. The light gives cues to your brain that it is time to wake up.

Get up and eat some turkey -
Turkey contains tryptophan, a major building block for making serotonin, a neurotransmitter, which sends messages between nerve cells and causes feelings of sleepiness. Eating foods containing tryptophan raise the levels of serotonin produced in the body, which in turn increase a person's feeling of sleepiness. It is best to eat tryptophan on an empty stomach. Other foods, besides turkey, that contain a notable amount of tryptophan are: milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, ice cream, chicken, cashews, soy beans and tuna.

Consider changing your bedtime -
If you are experiencing sleeplessness or insomnia consistently, think about going to bed later so that the time you spend in bed is spent sleeping. If you are only getting five hours of sleep at night, figure out what time you need to get up and subtract five hours (for example, if you want to get up at 6:00 am, go to bed at 1:00 am). This may seem counterproductive and, at first, you may be depriving yourself of some sleep, but it can help train your body to sleep consistently while in bed. When you are spending all of your time in bed sleeping, you can gradually sleep more, by adding 15 minutes at a time.

More tips:
Avoid bright light around the house before bed. Using dimmer switches in living rooms and bathrooms before bed can be helpful. (Dimmer switches can be set to maximum brightness for morning routines.)

Don't stress if you feel you are not getting enough sleep.
It will just make matters worse. Know you will sleep eventually.

Avoid exercise near bedtime. No exercise at least 3 hours before bed.

Don't go to bed hungry. Have a light snack, avoid a heavy meal before bed.

Bedtime routines are helpful for good sleep. Keep routines on your normal schedule. A cup of herbal tea an hour before bed can begin a routine.

Avoid looking at the clock if you wake up in the middle of the night. It can cause anxiety. This is very difficult for most of us, so turn the clock away from your eyes so you would have to turn it to see the time. You may decide not to make the effort and go right back to sleep.

If you can't get to sleep for over 30 minutes, get out of bed and do something boring in dim light till you are sleepy.

Keep your bedroom at comfortable temperature. Not too warm and not too cold. Cooler is better than warmer.

If you have problems with noise in your environment you can use a white noise generator. A old fan will work or you can buy noise machies from many sources.
Know that the "night cap" has a price. Alcohol may help you to get to sleep but it will cause you to wake up throughout the night. You may not notice it. (It is worse if you have sleep apnea because the alcohol makes the apnea worse.) Sometimes people snore only if they have had some alcohol or may snore worse if they already snore.)

If you have a sleeping partner, ask them if they notice any snoring, leg movements and/or pauses in breathing . Take this information and try the sleep test. You may have a sleep disorder or you may just need to increase your awareness about your own sleep need. If you have any concerns see your doctor

Answer 2

I am a terrible insomniac myself. None of those other suggestions have ever helped me, but here is something that works sometimes. DO NOT SLEEP TILL NOON! I know it's hard and that morning sleep is the sweetest, but try to get up and do something fun, listen to some upbeat music, have a piece of cake for breakfast. Then, just go about your day, do some manual labor, exhaust yourself. Then, sleep will come as a sweet relief.

Look at me I'm still up, may be I should take my own advice.

Answer 3

I would recommend seeing your doctor. This could be a sign of mild depression or some physical illness. An antidepressant might help and would not make you drowsy, more than likely. When I have trouble sleeping I use a sound machine that simulates like ocean sounds or something like that. It helps. When I wake up in the night with my mind racing, I write down what I'm thinking about in a notebook by my bed. This helps me "put it aside," let my mind know that I'll take care of it later, I won't forget, so it can relax. Deep breathing sometimes helps too.

Answer 4

here they are.... some of these help a lot
no caffeine after 5
no exercise after 5
no food after 6
take a bath before
get some lavender pillow spray (Thymes makes a good one)
don't watch tv in room - room only for sex and sleep otherwise you can have trouble sleeping
change room somehow - lighting, sheets, something to make it more relaxing for you. - new pillow maybe??
wind down at night - don't get all worked up over anything or think too much - set aside a time in the day for that
don't go no yahoo answers - i never sleep when i do
you can try some sleepy time valerian tea sold at supermarkets - that helps wind you down and is totally safe if used right
also, you can try melatonin which is a natural sleep aid that can help you sleep
change something - cooler, hotter, fan , clothing, no clothing, classical music on low, am talk radio and weather on low
try to exercise in the morning or afternoon - will wind you down at night

~sweet dreams~

Answer 5

Yeah. Make sure you have lots of blankets and sheets. This usually works for me. I like to have a little bit of noise when I sleep. But a comforting noise. If you dont have a ceiling fan, get one. If you do have a ceiling fan, turn it on high. Just think about what happend all day and listen the fan. Let your mind drift. If your ceiling fan doesn't make any noise, Buy one of those fans that Sits on the floor or a table. It usually makes the same comforting sound. It works for me!

Answer 6

Many folks have these problems and they can be caused by many things! Your Doc or a good shrink may well be able to help you more than anyone on here! A sleep study may give you the answers you seek. Depression can cause it, so, I suggest medical and mental evaluations. I hope you get your solutions!

Answer 7

There are different ways you can try to fall asleep, i usually fall asleep well with good peaceful music playing in the background. Or you can listen to the FM radio also don't forget to drink some milk and have some honey that will make you sleepy.
Also you can always try Tylenol PM or go to your doctor for ambien :))

Hope that helps :))
God bless!

Jane.

Answer 8

i have trouble getting my mind to slow down at bed-time. the best thing to do that i have found, that involves no drugs, is read a book. most nights im asleep in 10 - 30 minutes. but occasionally i get so involved in the book that i dont want to go to sleep, lol. try it thought, it may help you too.

Answer 9

If you have too many things on your mind to fall asleep then try simply sleep over the counter it's not bad i use it every once in a while for my restless mind!

Answer 10

well, to make Ur sleep better, u shouldn't eat late just before the bed time, try to stay calm and sleepy before u go.sometimes a warm short bath with Levander, roses may help. i myself made myself a little blue bad with Levander leaves inside. every night i hold it in my palm to make it warm(warmth releases the smell) then put it on my pillow, relax, and...sleep tight!