Hi! Help with falling asleep?

[bmitch]

Hi all,

New here. Wondering if anyone has any tips for falling asleep? I feel like being worried about not being able to fall asleep makes falling asleep even harder! Does anyone have any tips? I have read a lot on the internet and tried many things (meditating, eating bananas before bed, listening to calming music, going to bed earlier than normal, keeping the room cool & dark, etc.) Does anyone have anything that WORKS for them that I could try?

Thank you!
-Bree

[darkavenger]

Greetings bmitch,

Whenever I manage to get disciplined, these things sure did help me in the past decade:


get as tired as possible from physical activity, it may not be the best solution for Your body, but it's a bliss for Your mind
don't write/chat to Your girlfriend/girls in general two hours before going to bed
don't make any phonecalls two hours before going to bed
after some time try to find equilibrium state between total exhaustion and feeling just fine, right before bedtime
try to "unloop" your thoughts, by locking sections of Your thought cycles into rooms and imagine You don't hear them anymore, this is very complicated to learn, but it kind of works
turn off all the electronics in Your room, try to have it as neat as possible before going to bed
try to make Your room "lightproof" by any means possible. Better light blockers on windows, no tiny lights, no nothing, OR
if You happen to have bad thoughts what might be hiding in the darkness, keep those tightly dimmed night lamps in corners of Your room. I'm 30, I'm not that afraid of physical pain, nor "death" itself, but these thoughts scare the hell out of me
If possible, try not to eat before going to bed [I can't do this, due to my anxiety states, I literally NEED to eat before going to bed, in that case it's good to find something like porridge, or soup, that won't mess with Your pancreas much
try to stay outdoors each day, being hit by direct sunlight at least for two hours
find a calming "ritual" before You fall asleep, read a Bible, or a book, pray, don't work out, don't do anything stressing for Your body!
try to get tired by biking, running, or hiking throughout a day, don't stay without physical activity for too long



Hope some of these helps!

[Kuma]

Some good suggestions above. If you decide to try medication (after consulting with a physician), I have found that doxylamine succinate works pretty well for me. It is available, in the US at least, over the counter. I use it rarely, only when I feel like I cannot fall asleep without it. [I am not a doctor, and nothing I write on this forum constitutes medical advice].

[joe_c]

What worked for me was taking "belly breaths"

It is where you take 100 deep and slow breaths. Exercise and physical activity can make it worse. Just try this relaxing technique.

good luck!

[Enduronman]

Melatonin works for me every night.
It's a natural supplement.
Produced by your adrenal/hormone system.
I take 3 mg.
If that doesn't help then try some diphenhydramine, or as Kuma suggested some doxylamine.
Good luck!

Enduronman. :)

[bmitch]

Thanks to everyone for your responses! I drank a cup of chamomile tea last night and it seemed to help me A LOT. I also just recently bought melatonin...enduronman, thanks for the recommendation! Anyone else every try melatonin? Thoughts?

[Dahila]

You are so lucky it works for you guys:( not for me