can anyone give me tips on how to fall asleep?

Question

it's practically 5 am and i am still wide awake. sometimes i stay up until 7 am. i just cant sleep. when i am tired enough to go to bed, it takes like 2 hrs, i just lie in bed. how can i get to sleep earlier?

Answer 1

As a former insomniac I can reccomend several things which were told to me by my doctor.

1) Try having a small turkey sandwich and heat up a cup of milk in the microwave for two minutes. Tryptophan in the turkey is known to make one feel like sleeping and hot milk I am not sure how but it helps.

2) Go to bed the same time and try to get up the same time each night. I have read in several health magazines that most often people who have trouble falling asleep is because when they do sleep they sleep in much too long or go to bed at all various hours during the week...this makes it hard for your body to get on a "sleeping clock".

3) How many hours do you usually sleep for when you do fall asleep? If your sleeping around 9 hours try only 6 or 7 hours one night and you should naturally feel exhausted and tired later in the day.

4) Make sure your getting at least 15 min of sunlight a day.

5) Try not to watch TV, listen to music, read books on your bed--for many these things do not interfere with sleep but if your brain associates the bed with a place you "hang out" often whether it be watching tv shows or what not, it may make it harder to fall asleep.

6) Avoid excess caffeine..not just coffee but diet colas and stuff....even if you drink these things in the morning they can make it harder for one to fall asleep (some people are naturally more sensitive to caffeine than others of course).

Answer 2

Personally, when I can't sleep, I either think about all the boring stuff that I have to do (which puts me to sleep) or read something that bores me to sleep (like my college textbooks).
If those ideas do not work (which is often), I lay down with all the lights off, close my eyes, and focus on my breathing. It takes about ten to twenty minutes for me to fall into this almost meditative state--like the state you're in when getting a tattoo, where you can hear what's going on around you but you can't react--before I fall asleep.
Let me know if it helps?

Answer 3

If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, try these suggestions.

Feeling crabby lately? It could be you aren't getting enough sleep. Work, household responsibilities and child care can make sleep hard to come by. Factor in other unexpected challenges such as financial worries, layoffs, relationship issues or an illness, and quality sleep may be even more elusive.

You may not be able to control or eliminate all of the factors that interfere with your sleep, but you can create an environment and adopt habits that encourage a more restful night. Try these suggestions for a week or two if you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep:

* Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day, even on the weekends. Sticking to a schedule helps reinforce your body's sleep-wake cycle and can help you fall asleep better at night.
* Don't eat or drink large amounts before bedtime. Eat a light dinner about two hours before sleeping. If you're prone to heartburn, avoid spicy or fatty foods, which can make your heartburn flare and prevent a restful sleep. Also, limit how much you drink before bed. Too much liquid can cause you to wake up repeatedly during the night for trips to the bathroom.
* Avoid nicotine and caffeine. These are addictive stimulants that can keep you awake. Smokers often experience withdrawal symptoms at night, and smoking in bed is dangerous. Avoid caffeine for eight hours before your desired bedtime. Your body doesn't store caffeine, but it does take many hours for it to eliminate the stimulant and its effects.
* Exercise regularly. Regular physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, can help you fall asleep faster and make your sleep more restful. Don't exercise within two hours of your bedtime, however. Exercising right before bed may make getting to sleep more difficult.
* Make your bedroom cool, dark, quiet and comfortable. Create a room that's ideal for sleeping. Adjust the lighting, temperature, humidity and noise level to your preferences. Use blackout curtains, eye covers, earplugs, extra blankets, a fan, a humidifier or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.
* Sleep primarily at night. Daytime naps may steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to less than one hour and don't nap later than 3 p.m. If you work nights, keep your window coverings closed so that sunlight, which adjusts the body's internal clock, doesn't interrupt your sleep. If you have a day job and sleep at night, but still have trouble waking up, leave the window coverings open and let the sunlight wake you up.
* Choose a comfortable mattress and pillow. Features of a good bed are subjective and differ for each person. But make sure you have a bed that's comfortable. If you share your bed, make sure there's enough room for two. Children and pets are often disruptive, so you may need to set limits on how often they sleep in bed with you.
* Start a relaxing bedtime routine. Do the same things each night to tell your body it's time to wind down. This may include taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soothing music. Relaxing activities done with lowered lights can help ease the transition between wakefulness and sleepiness.
* Go to bed when you're tired and turn out the lights. If you don't fall asleep within 30 minutes, get up and do something else. Go back to bed when you're tired. Don't agonize over falling asleep. The stress will only prevent sleep.
* Use sleeping pills only as a last resort. Check with your doctor before taking any sleep medications. He or she can make sure the pills won't interact with your other medications or with an existing medical condition. Your doctor can also help you determine the best dosage. If you do take a sleep medication, reduce the dosage gradually when you want to quit, and never mix alcohol and sleeping pills. If you feel sleepy or dizzy during the day, talk to your doctor about changing the dosage or discontinuing the pills.

If after a week or two you still can't sleep, see your doctor. You could have a sleep disorder, such as obstructive sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome. Identifying and treating the cause of your sleep disturbance can help get you back on the road to a good night's sleep.

Answer 4

Watch a golfing video on slow motion, or players that can't play at all. That would put anyone asleep. (No Offence to golfers) Its just if people can't play it makes it last forever then it get boring, and if your watching golf in slow motion, that is pro golf, then it feels like its not going anywhere and so it gets boring. Thats garenteed to make you fall asleep. If all else fails take a sleeping pill and go to bed.

Answer 5

10 Tips to Sleep Well
http://www.askaquery.com/question/10-Tips-to-Sleep-Well.html

Answer 6

I'm the same way. I go too bed and my mind just races so I might as well get on the computer. If you find something that works let me know.

Answer 7

The harder you try to fall asleep the harder it gets to fall asleep. When I want to fall asleep and can't I purposely try not to fall asleep and end up falling asleep much faster. Just do the opposite of what you really want and it will work like magic.

Answer 8

exercise in early evenings, have your dinner at least an hr before you sleep drink lots of water,avoid coffee or tea before you sleep and take a walk after dinner,
read something spiritual and do meditation if you can and sleep in cleaner and cooler environment

Answer 9

have a hot bath and relax and try to turn of your mind from thinking thats whats keepin you awake,oh yeah and get the clock out of the room, when you know what time it is it makes you anxious to get to sleep which only keeps you awake.

Answer 10

I have had this problem aswell.

I have found that listening to Acoustic songs on CD calms me down.

You could always take some NyQuil. That'll drop you like a bug.