Guaranteed ways to quickly go to sleep?

[exiler96]

My waking hours are upside-down and counting sheep don't help.

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[MovieGal]

I had a pharmacist tell me to take allergy medication. If you take melatonin supplements, your body will stop making natural melatonin.

[Yoda]

There's a lot of over-the-counter stuff (NyQuil, Zzzquil, etc) that helps. But for pure behavioral stuff there's a handful of things that basically everyone agrees are worth trying:

1) No screens leading up to sleep. Ideally none for an hour before.
2) Some exercise during the day.
3) Getting in the habit of only getting into bed when you're ready to try to sleep.
4) Not eating badly and/or too close to bed.

Might have to do some of this stuff for a few days, too, if a lot of bad habits have really taken hold.

[Torgo]

Reading a book before bed helps. If you find yourself reading the same sentences over and over again or the book fails out of your hands, you're ready to go to sleep.

I've also found that playing fan fiction in your imagination can make you tired. In other words, make up an episode of your favorite show. Come up with a story. Think of some characters in the episode and give them backstories. Heck, create an entire spinoff and do the same things. Doing all these things puts your brain to work in a way that will make you more tired.

Similarly, if you're like me and memorize a bunch of useless trivia, like Academy award winners, World Series winners, Stanley Cup winners, etc., test your memory. That will tire your brain on the same way.

[Austruck]

I'll piggyback on what both Yoda and MovieGal said above. Add to Yoda's info also not watching TV in bed. It's just a bedroom, not an office or a living room.

Also, I take a half dose of an OTC sleep aid... which is really just the same ingredient as Benadryl, the allergy medication. (It's packaged as a sleep aid and ends up being way cheaper than buying Benadryl too.) I take one pill (a full dose is two), about an hour before I climb into bed. It not only keeps me from making an extensive to-do list in my head for the next day, but it also helps me fall BACK to sleep if I wake up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. (Also, I get up around 6 a.m. to make the husband breakfast before work, but I'm a night owl, so I need to grab a few more hours of sleep after he leaves. The sleep aid helps me get *back* to sleep even after being up for more than a half hour making breakfast.)

I also use the Alexa/Echo device in our bedroom to play "white noise" overnight. That helps to keep out the stray sounds of everything from the neighbors' yapping dogs late at night (or early in the morning) to the creaky sounds of a very old house.

[Citizen Rules]

Eliminate caffeine and you will sleep well. Try it.

[Austruck]

Reading a book before bed helps. If you find yourself reading the same sentences over and over again or the book fails out of your hands, you're ready to go to sleep.

I've also found that playing fan fiction in your imagination can make you tired. In other words, make up an episode of your favorite show. Come up with a story. Think of some characters in the episode and give them backstories. Heck, create an entire spinoff and do the same things. Doing all these things puts your brain to work in a way that will make you more tired.

Similarly, if you're like me and memorize a bunch of useless trivia, like Academy award winners, World Series winners, Stanley Cup winners, etc., test your memory. That will tire your brain on the same way.
The thinking behind a lot of this is that you are taking your mind AWAY from your daily life and chores and putting it into another world. The suggestion to read in bed is typically stated as reading FICTION for this reason. If you're reading nonfiction or a self-help book or theology or something, you're still too close to your real life and won't drift off as easily.

[MovieGal]

I'll piggyback on what both Yoda and MovieGal said above. Add to Yoda's info also not watching TV in bed. It's just a bedroom, not an office or a living room.

Also, I take a half dose of an OTC sleep aid... which is really just the same ingredient as Benadryl, the allergy medication. (It's packaged as a sleep aid and ends up being way cheaper than buying Benadryl too.) I take one pill (a full dose is two), about an hour before I climb into bed. It not only keeps me from making an extensive to-do list in my head for the next day, but it also helps me fall BACK to sleep if I wake up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. (Also, I get up around 6 a.m. to make the husband breakfast before work, but I'm a night owl, so I need to grab a few more hours of sleep after he leaves. The sleep aid helps me get *back* to sleep even after being up for more than a half hour making breakfast.)

I also use the Alexa/Echo device in our bedroom to play "white noise" overnight. That helps to keep out the stray sounds of everything from the neighbors' yapping dogs late at night (or early in the morning) to the creaky sounds of a very old house.

I have two doctors who will prescribe Doxepin for me.

It's was originally used as an antihistamine, then they found other uses for it.

I hate when other doctors talk about depression when I say I use it. I tell them I use it for sleeping. Or I have in the past. I just use Benedryl now.

[Torgo]

The thinking behind a lot of this is that you are taking your mind AWAY from your daily life and chores and putting it into another world. The suggestion to read in bed is typically stated as reading FICTION for this reason. If you're reading nonfiction or a self-help book or theology or something, you're still too close to your real life and won't drift off as easily.That explains it! I never thought about it that way. Also, good point about sticking to fiction, although you can read history as long as it's far enough removed from where you live and/or the present day.

[Yoda]

BTW, I don't do several of the things I suggested. :laugh: But I also get a decent amount of sleep despite some of my poor habits. But those are the things I'd change if I consistently had trouble with it.

Oh, and they say "warm milk" or whatever, and that's true, but I don't much like milk, let alone warm milk. But something like cocoa works pretty well to achieve the same effect, especially in the winter.

The basic environmental/lifestyle things like that are, to my mind, way more important than little mental tricks. But if you want a little mental trick, I really like focusing on the point at which the body meets the bed. Specifically, thinking about the weight of your body, thinking of its heaviness and how it sinks into the mattress or pillow. I start to feel heavier, in a very pleasant way. I find that helps, weirdly, but maybe that's highly idiosyncratic.

[Takoma11]

I struggled with terrible insomnia for years, and something that really helped me was when I eliminated dairy from my diet.

But sometimes I still struggle and the things that help me most are:

1) About 2 minutes of box breathing (basically in 4, hold 4, out 4 hold 4, repeat)
2) I try to read about 10 minutes before bed.
3) I shouldn't have screens on . . . but I do. I will turn down the brightness on the TV sometimes.
4) Playing rain noises (you can search like "rain sounds dark screen no ads" on YouTube) really helps me.
5) Most nights I put on a YouTube video that I've watched a dozen times so that I'm not staying awake to hear what happens next (I've watched "Line Goes Up" and "This is Financial Advice" probably 100 times).

A tip that a friend gave one time that has really gotten me out of the "Oh, no I can't get to sleep. What time is it? Oh, man! I have to be up in ___ hours!!!" anxiety loop is to say, "I'm laying down. I'm resting. My body is getting rest. I might be awake, but I'm recharging." And I don't ever look at the clock once I decide to go to sleep because it never helps.

[Yoda]

I can't believe I forgot it (until I read Takoma's mention of a rain machine), but yes, white noise or something similar.

We got used to sleeping with a fan on (either a literal fan or an air conditioner or whatever), and at some point I saw a cheap and/or on sale white noise machine and tried it...and it was great. I think it worked for a decade until it needed to be replaced, and I immediately bought the exact same model. We take it with us when we travel, too. Absolutely love it.

[MovieGal]

I really should listen to the advice here. I love to read but will scroll through Facebook or here with a random TV show I'm not paying attention too in the background. I should just shut tv off and go to my kindle app and read for the last hour of my evening.

[hownos]

My wife listens to audiobooks.

[Takoma11]

You know what else has randomly helped me (unless it's a really hot night)? Wearing socks to bed.

[Takoma11]

My waking hours are upside-down and counting sheep don't help

I guess we should have asked earlier: was there anything that caused this issue? For example, did you pull an all-nighter and things have been topsy turvy since then? Did your schedule change in some way? Has this been a problem for a few days/weeks/months?

[Austruck]

The basic environmental/lifestyle things like that are, to my mind, way more important than little mental tricks. But if you want a little mental trick, I really like focusing on the point at which the body meets the bed. Specifically, thinking about the weight of your body, thinking of its heaviness and how it sinks into the mattress or pillow. I start to feel heavier, in a very pleasant way. I find that helps, weirdly, but maybe that's highly idiosyncratic.

Yes, I do this too! Like, I really concentrate on how great it feels to relax muscles, to let my head sink into the pillow (and I make sure to use a pillow I really like) and have the blankets arranged the way I like them. Then I just ENJOY lying still and being comfy.

Also, the cocoa might be a good idea, but you do have to be wary of its caffeine. I've used sugar-free Swiss Miss packets on c-c-c-cold evenings like this one, and the caffeine doesn't bother me. But it might bother other people.

[Austruck]

I can't believe I forgot it (until I read Takoma's mention of a rain machine), but yes, white noise or something similar.

We got used to sleeping with a fan on (either a literal fan or an air conditioner or whatever), and at some point I saw a cheap and/or on sale white noise machine and tried it...and it was great. I think it worked for a decade until it needed to be replaced, and I immediately bought the exact same model. We take it with us when we travel, too. Absolutely love it.

I mentioned white noise above... I just use my Alexa Echo Dot in our bedroom and tell it to "turn on white noise." Some app company named Sleep Jar puts out out a nice, fan-sounding white noise that will mostly play all night. Sometimes I wake up and find it has stopped so I just instruct Alexa to turn it back on.

Before I did this I was using an air purifier and realized it made a nice white noise.

Also, the nice thing about using the Alexa device is that I can adjust the volume (unlike the air purifier). I can be lying in bed and don't even have to get up: "Alexa, volume UP two..." or "Alexa, volume down one..." :)

And the Dot is really small and easy to take with me anywhere... as long as I'll have access to internet/WiFi to get it going. (I could probably use hubby's phone as an access point in a pinch.)

[Austruck]

You know what else has randomly helped me (unless it's a really hot night)? Wearing socks to bed.
Three seasons of the year I wear socks to bed, for sure. If my feet feel cold, I can't sleep. It's currently in negative temps here overnights (Fahrenheit), so the wool socks are a MUST.

Of course, we also have a heated waterbed, so man, is that comfy to climb into on cold nights!

[Austruck]

Oh, one thing that also might help is a weighted blanket. I don't own one, but I realized inadvertently that the theory works for me. It was so cold here one year (and the waterbed mattress had a tiny leak so we had to empty it out till the new mattress arrived) that I wore sweats and socks to bed, with a top sheet, a blanket, the quilt, and then a heavily crocheted afghan on top of all that. The sheet, blanket, quilt, and afghan added up to a significant weight that I could feel on top of me as I lay down. And it was fabulous. That slight extra weight makes you feel safe and cozy and wrapped up almost in a loose coccoon. Really nice way to fall asleep!

[MovieGal]

Three seasons of the year I wear socks to bed, for sure. If my feet feel cold, I can't sleep. It's currently in negative temps here overnights (Fahrenheit), so the wool socks are a MUST.

Of course, we also have a heated waterbed, so man, is that comfy to climb into on cold nights!

I'm the opposite, a cold bed is comforting to me, even in the winter.

[Austruck]

I'm the opposite, a cold bed is comforting to me, even in the winter.

Our bedroom (and my home office) get down to about 54 degrees overnight. I'll leave the socks on! :D

[MovieGal]

Our bedroom (and my home office) get down to about 54 degrees overnight. I'll leave the socks on! :D

My grandparents lived on a farm in Southern Missouri. I remember the bed sheets were always cold, even during the Summer. They had no air conditioning. I think this is why I find cold beds comforting.

[Captain Steel]

Also piggybacking on others...

First, I came to realize whatever is in Zzzquil does nothing for me, while NyQuil makes me drowsy (that's because it's the antihistamine in NyQuil that has the effect, while Zzzquil has no antihistamine). I also realize that regular use of NyQuil is not good for your insides.

Fantasizing stories - I've been doing this since I was a kid and now I have a huge cast of characters to try to keep track of in my head from a variety of genres. Putting my characters into different stories is pretty much a ritual before going to sleep. I guess it gives my mind an escape from the problems of reality and allows me to relax more deeply.

Reading is another ritual for me before going to sleep.

This one's a bit silly, but if I'm having trouble falling asleep I like to imagine all the times my alarm went off, when it was still dark, perhaps raining outside, and I had to get up for work, all the while wishing desperately to go back to sleep. Trying to recreate those thoughts and feelings often works when I realize I can go to sleep and don't have to get up.

Prayer and meditation work sometimes.

As the old song says, try counting blessings instead of sheep. Concentrating on gratitude is a great mind-calmer.

I don't want to tout drugs, but Ambien is the most effective chemical sleep aid I've found. Problem is it works too well. When I stop taking it, insomnia reoccurs. Plus you need a prescription. And I admit, the feeling before you fall asleep is quite euphoric.

Most effective (but requires discipline) is: get up early, work hard during the day, don't nap too much, get a lot of exercise and fresh air, do good deeds - all these will make you tired and able to relax easier upon bedtime.

[Austruck]

It does help me, I'm sure, that I really don't nap. I don't like naps, and I really hate waking up from naps, so I avoid them. If I am flagging at my desk in mid-afternoon, I find something fun to do for a while till I'm more alert. But I won't nap.

I definitely agree on the gratitude/blessings thoughts. They always help me. I start the day this way too (along with devotional reading). I also like to fall asleep praying for friends and family individually. Or pray thanksgiving and gratitude to God.

As a teen and young adult I had a VERY tough time falling asleep. Like, HOURS when I was young. I have vivid memories of lying in my four-poster bed in our house in Easton, staring at the ceiling and not being able to sleep. The mind would NOT shut off. But it was the early 1970s and I was certainly not able to solve these issues at age 10+. Plus, I am a night owl and always have been, so having a forced bedtime way earlier than my mind and body wanted to be asleep was always going to be a losing proposition. I was definitely the type to count down the hours left till I had to get up and then would get increasingly upset over the minutes (and then hours) I was losing.

[Austruck]

My grandparents lived on a farm in Southern Missouri. I remember the bed sheets were always cold, even during the Summer. They had no air conditioning. I think this is why I find cold beds comforting.

I wouldn't mind that in the summer, of course, but the bedsheets in the waterbed are nice and warm because of the heater under the mattress. :)

[Death Proof]

Watch a couple of Bob Ross videos. Those happy little trees knock me right out.

[Holden Pike]

Sex. Or, if you don't have a partner(s), self pleasure.

*somebody had to say it

[Austruck]

Sex. Or, if you don't have a partner(s), self pleasure.

*somebody had to say it

Glad it wasn't me, though. Yoda doesn't want to spend his baseball camp money on therapy. :D

[Captain Steel]

Watch a couple of Bob Ross videos. Those happy little trees knock me right out.

When I was in college, Bob Ross was on one of the UHF (or PBS?) channels. I'd come home from class, turn on Bob, and usually about half way through I'd be sleeping blissfully!

[FilmBuff]

Have you tried watching a Zack Snyder movie?

[nyctc7]

I rarely use sleep aids but Unisom (Doxylamine) worked for me.

[doubledenim]

https://media4.giphy.com/media/FQJc7IpnrsHle/giphy.gif?cid=6c09b9528g2qrqedsziti7xjlnr4gkptqago2pxsuzqlf7lo&ep=v1_internal_gif_by_id&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g

[Death Proof]

When I was in college, Bob Ross was on one of the UHF (or PBS?) channels. I'd come home from class, turn on Bob, and usually about half way through I'd be sleeping blissfully!


I put him on in the background when I'm working on model kits. But if I have him playing while I'm playing a game on my phone it zonks me right out.


Also, from MTV's better days:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuGaV-BvPlE

[Dead2009]

I heard banging your head against a wall works wonders

[cricket]

I get up at 4:20am
Get to work at 4:50am
It's now 8:51pm and I'm drinking an ice coffee lol

[I_Wear_Pants]

Stay awake all night. Then when morning comes you'll be dead tired and can go to sleep.

[I_Wear_Pants]

My waking hours are upside-down and counting sheep don't help.

https://y.yarn.co/2b113e95-d338-4df0-8f49-b87e065df091_text.gif

Was my advice adviceful?

[exiler96]

Was my advice adviceful?
No.

[I_Wear_Pants]

Put a hit out on yourself. Then all of those hitmen and hitwomen will try to kill you. You'll get so tired staying alive, you'll have to rest and rejuvenate. Just be sure to hang a "DO NOT DISTURB" sign on your door. We can't have them killing you before you've had a good sleep.

How's that?

[John McClane]

watch a Sony's Spider-Man Universe*(SSU) movie

and thank me in the morning