Sleeeeep

[somedude]

I can't do naps, if I nap during the day it offsets my sleep schedule almost exactly by the duration of my nap, have you tried not napping?

[tsmitho]

working out is probably the safest thing to do. its not just the fact that it tires you out but after you get into a routine it regulates your hormones and junk and helps to regulate your body. other than that there are different types of sleep medicine that work for different people. if OTC drugs don't work doctors can prescribe something stronger like a narcotic. but ya working out would be the easiest thing you could do to help

[metacide]

[quote="Flobee";p="234800"]When I want to go to sleep, I hop aboard the Choo Choo Train to Sleepyland. You'll need a valid passport stamped for Sleepyland, but it's worth the expense. The train rides along a rainbow through the clouds and outer space and everything! Pretty neat if you ask me.[/quote]

I think heroine works fairly well.

A shower can lower your core temperature, making it easier to drift off to sleep. Exercise is also a great strategy, just figure out a routine that will tire your legs, core and arms. It doesn't have to be a single exercise. The only problem I've ever encountered with this is sometimes I develop a large headache. Drinking a powerade sometime in the day usually prevents this, dont know why.

Avoid eating for up to 3 hours before you plan on sleeping. Alcohol and pot can also affect your sleep cycle so try to avoid those as well, especially near when you go to sleep. Yes, they will make you go unconscious but that's not the same as sleeping.

Mind games. This is one of my last ditch efforts to fall asleep. I just imagine something incredibly simple and repeat it over and over. Some people count sheep, I just imagine a ball slowly bouncing.

Drink a glass of milk. Isnt that what your mom always used to say?

[Dirty Dan]

[quote="Tungsten";p="234836"]A lot of you suggested exercise. What kind of exercise? Like...a full routine with aerobic exercise and weights?[/quote]

In my experience aerobic is the most effective. The more you get the more it helps, but even when all I do is ride my bike to and from classes (about 15 minutes going downhill, about 20 minutes coming back up hill) I find I feel better in general and sleep better. If you could push yourself and go on a nice brisk 1 or 2 hour bike ride I think it would help a lot. It's the "I'm ready to go pass out for the night" feeling versus "I'm going to lay down and think until I can fall asleep." I like playing some kind of sport or doing some sort of activity versus just a treadmill, which bores me. Badminton is also a good one, two hours of badminton where you really go for it is killer. Works well for me anyway, good luck.

[Gizanked]

oh man, i loved badmitton back in the day. one of the sports i could exhaust myself and not realize it untill i was done playing

[TheCarpe]

I have similar problems. I love being up late at night and hate mornings, the result of which is an extremely unusual and unpredictable sleep schedule. On the flip side of that, my body has been conditioned and can still perform rather well with little or even no sleep. If I really need to sleep and sleep hard, I've been known to simply not sleep the night before, and be careful about napping. Then I know that when I hit the bed, I'm gonna be out quick.

Funny thing is, I don't really have any sleep disorders (that I know of), I just like staying up. 80% of the time when I stay up way too late is simply because I'm doing other things (gaming, reading, etc) that I would rather be doing than sleeping

[Tungsten]

[quote="Dirty Dan";p="234857"][quote="Tungsten";p="234836"]A lot of you suggested exercise. What kind of exercise? Like...a full routine with aerobic exercise and weights?[/quote]

In my experience aerobic is the most effective. The more you get the more it helps, but even when all I do is ride my bike to and from classes (about 15 minutes going downhill, about 20 minutes coming back up hill) I find I feel better in general and sleep better. If you could push yourself and go on a nice brisk 1 or 2 hour bike ride I think it would help a lot. It's the "I'm ready to go pass out for the night" feeling versus "I'm going to lay down and think until I can fall asleep." I like playing some kind of sport or doing some sort of activity versus just a treadmill, which bores me. Badminton is also a good one, two hours of badminton where you really go for it is killer. Works well for me anyway, good luck.[/quote]I was thinking of joining an intramural softball team, but God knows I'm not that athletic. Maybe some time on the track might help.

[jim beam]

Dude its slow pitch softball a sport made for old men who are out of shape. Plus its fun as hell. But I normally prefer 6 hours of sleep just makes me feel really good and i dont do the nap thing either just cant sleep during the day. But you could also try racquetball also its fun and will wear you out.

[tsmitho]

Ha ya raquetball is awesome. Once you get good it's actually alot more fast pace than most people think

[MrBlah]

racquetball is pretty awesome. Everyone I've played with thinks I hit the ball too hard. lol.

[tsmitho]

Ha that's good tho. It's not a true game of raquetball if you don't get hit by a ball going 200 or so mph

[E.T. EddieTorrez]

What works for me.
1. Not ingesting caffeine after 3 P.M.
2. Sleeping with a fan on.(It drowns out noise which may have woken me up.)
3. A shot of whatever hard alcohol which I can find in the cupboard.
4. No naps.

[Cpt._Keyes]

warm millk with cinnamon...make sure its warm milk though...as the amino acids when heated act like a sedative...that and working for eight hours...running 5 miles in the morning, basketball for 2 hours at lunch...and weights for an hour after work...make sure im pretty sleepy

[Fraulein Arztin]

What really helps me fall asleep is slow, melodic piano music. Try that out, Tungsten.

Warm milk is good, too. I agree partly with Keyes there.

[Gearloose]

I've had some nasty run-ins with sleep problems. Have apnea for one - successfully treated, but I hope that's not you. I've also had a couple of episodes of insomnia and found them really hard to get over. Narcolepsy I know nothing about, but I might have ended up falling asleep spontaneously if I hadn't got the apnea treated..

A few things I've learned:

Maintain a regular sleep schedule. Always go to bed around the same time and get up around the same time, even if you're having trouble at either end. Eventually your body will get the message and expect to be sleeping during that time. Do not nap unless you're sick! It destroys your schedule.

Keep it dark before bed, and get bright light in the morning if possible.

No caffiene in the evening. I don't smoke, but I wouldn't be surprised if that has an effect too.

Warm milk half an hour before bed, or a calcium + magnesium supplement. Calcium and magnesium are the active ingredients in warm milk that make you drowsy and help you sleep more deeply.

Some people have trouble sleeping or staying asleep because of blood sugar regulation problems. If your blood sugar drops too low or drops too quickly it can cause an adrenaline response and make you wake up and feel alert for a while. Taking a combination of protein (meat, cheese or high-protein veggies) plus complex carbs (whole grain bread or crackers - NOT refined or sugary things!) before bed can help produce a flatter blood sugar curve during the night. If you wake up in the middle of the night, try having a piece of bread.

Needless to say, try to eliminate distractions. Stray light and noise can interfere with sleep. For dealing with some kinds of noise (ie traffic) I find playing white or pink noise at a low volume all night sometimes helps. Heavy curtains help with the light pollution.

Unwind before bed. Herbal tea and a book for an hour or so.

As a last resort, when I'm really having trouble getting to sleep I take a small amount of melatonin, which is the main chemical that triggers sleep. I use a product called "Tranquil Sleep" that contains melatonin and a few related chemicals. It works amazingly well, but be aware (1) it's not over-the-counter in some regions and (2) the dosage recommended on the bottle is too much for some people. My mother took half the recommended dosage and was catatonic for 12 hours. I take about 1/8 the recommended dosage. Also be aware it loses its effect if you take it too often - I only use it when necessary.

I also had stress anxiety from using a normal alarm clock. I would wake up early because I was afraid of the darn thing going off. Even things that sounded like my alarm would make my blood pressure jump at any time of day. I switched to a clock radio at low volume, and set it earlier than I want to get up so it's OK if I sleep through it for a while, and that has solved that problem. Luckily my work hours have some flexibility though - I do sometimes sleep in a bit.

Exercise is good, but I find I need a lot of it to feel tired. As in enough to make muscles tired and achey. I'm usually not willing to invest that much time in it, but it does help when I do.