Give me your best insomnia/fall asleep tricks!

[rainatnightlove]

I've just taken a melatonin (second try- first night I only fell asleep for 2 hours then I was wide awake from 1am!) so should drop off in about 20-30 mins.

How can I maximise my sleep? I've always been a night owl and enjoyed sleeping in late but it's not healthy for me and it makes me lazy. I find it such a struggle to fall asleep naturally.

Alcohol. Lots of it. 😁

Magnesium supplements knock me out after 30 mins of taking

Oh the irony of me posting 🤦‍♀️

If you're tying yourself in knots about not being able to sleep then it will make it worse. It sounds counter productive but when you've got yourself into a state whilst lying in bed you should get up and remove yourself from the bedroom for fifteen minutes or so. Avoid screens and other stimulants like coffee. Listen to some relaxing music such as something with a great memory attached to calm yourself down. When you've shaken off the anxiety over getting to sleep go back to bed. Change the goal from 'going to sleep' to 'relaxing in the dark' for a while, because you can reach that goal whenever you like, unlike falling asleep. To stop yourself thinking too much, repeat the word 'the' in your head or count. If you lose count it's a good sign, just keep doing it. It doesn't matter if you forgot the number just start anywhere.

Good luck

I have no idea, I'm also struggling to sleep. It's so frustrating as it makes me sluggish the next day. I think that I'm going to try and tire myself out with fresh air and exercise tomorrow.

Earplugs and an eyemask.

A friend with insomnia did an NHS sleep programme, she had to stay up v late, no screens or radio, get up at same time, then gradually take bedtime half an hour earlier. There were other things too that I can’t remember, think avoiding alcohol, caffiene.

My parents have a device that makes different sounds, eg running water, waves, white noise.

When I struggle to sleep I read something really boring or listen to a boring podcast.

This will sound so silly in comparison, but whenever I've been struggling to
Drift off I found I was scrunching my eyes up or frowning because of it and that wasn't helping. I'd relax my face and drift off straight after
Also, during pregnancy, middle of the night tea and toast really helped

@LockdownLemon

Alcohol. Lots of it. 😁

No!
Alcohol can help with the drowsiness but most people will sleep very fitfully and poorly once they get there. I have sleep tracking on my watch and I can honestly say, for me, drinking is the worst thing for sleep. Gives a high heart rate and very little deep sleep.

Routine is your friend. No caffeine past mid afternoon, no phone or screen past 9pm. Cut down on sugar. Blackout your room as much as possible.
I have taken Kalms sleep tablets before and found them effective. They smell terrible but small price to pay.

All the usual stuff- go to bed and get up at same time each day, no devices or tv in bedroom etc
Also choose a high number eg 965. Then count backwards by 7s. So 975, 958, 951 etc.

I have the Calm ap on my phone and find it really helps. There’s various sleep meditations, stories and noise effects. I think there’s a free trial available.

Try and keep to a routine where possible, no screens for an hour before bed and only go to bed to sleep, so you associate your bedroom with sleeping.

I find breathing exercises calming and help me drop off, in for a count of 4, hold for 7, out for 8.

For me the room need to be as dark as possible and really quiet so I have good black out curtains I wear ear plugs. Room temperature plays a big part too.

I had to relearn how to sleep at a later age because of some unusual life circumstances I won't go into. It was tough and took a while but I stuck with it and it's possible. Here's what I did:

++Light hygiene:
Only red lights after 8pm.
Set lights to dim and turn off by 10pm. You can do this with Hue or other smart bulbs.
No screens after 8pm.
Tape up all lights (like on plugs or digital clocks) in the room.
Blackout blind.
Sleeping mask - Alaska Bear brand is good.
Dawn clock -you can either set your own with a smart bulb or you can buy special dawn clocks - that light up the same time each morning over 30 minutes to a very bright white light.

++Bodyclock:
Get into bed at the same time each evening.
Get up at the same time each morning.
Spend 9 hours in the bedroom and don't leave it.

++Association self training:
I have a warm drink at bedtime, then wash my face etc and then brush my teeth. I try to do the same thing each night, within reason.
I put a big glass of water next to my bed.
I have a collection of audiobooks - about 5 - and I put them on at night. I stick with the same one for months. I set it to play until 7am so I know if I wake up in the night it's still sleeping time and I don't check the time.
I don't have a visible clock in the bedroom.
I don't have devices in the bedroom.

Oh and no caffeine after 4pm.

Thanks for the answers everyone, I fell asleep quickly after posting last night and only just remembered I'd made the thread!

Had a good nights sleep and don't feel too tired today but it was only about 5hrs ish as I kept waking up and fully got up at 6. Melatonin doesn't seem to keep me asleep very long.