[lovefool]

Is anyone having trouble falling asleep, laying on the bed for 2 hours before you fall asleep, or taking sleeping pills, whether it is over the counter or prescribed to help you fall asleep?

I'm not taking prescribed but i bought the tylenol over the counter ones to help me fall asleep faster. While they do work, it only makes me oversleep the next day.

How do you stop the mind from thinking too much? I feel that i'm most functional at night and even more functional when i'm about to go to sleep. It takes me about 2+ hours to go actually fall asleep.

Is anyone experiencing the same thing?
What is it that your thinking about while your laying on your bed at night?

[iridescent]

I had that problem for a long time. I didn't like sleep medication though, for the same reason as you (oversleeping), plus I don't like the idea of drugs in general. What helped me to change was keeping REALLY busy all day long, functional or no. Eventually the super fast thinking at night lessened enough that sleep came pretty easily.

All that is harder said than done though :-X and yes, I really do know how it is to be too functional at night, enough that you want to do your work at night instead since you seem to be much faster at it then... sometimes it does seem too much of a waste to do work during the day when it's only going to take longer? I always write papers and study for tests during the night; and it isn't even a procrastinating thing. The world's quieter at night.

I don't think about anything in particular. It could be about today, it could be about yesterday, or tomorrow, or the tree outside my window.

Have you had this problem for a while?

[jphase]

I do have those nights and I think it's also because I am thinking too much about things...

I try to do things to tire myself out like going to the gym and running, avoiding caffeinated drinks or drinks with a lot of sugar or read a really boring book.. like a text book.. and I'll usually start dozing off..

[Tuffcore]

Some things i find useful:

- don't eat 2 hours before you plan to go sleep.
- don't drink too much tea, iced tea, or green tea during the day.
- don't drink sugary stuff just before heading to bed.
- exercise in afternoon to burn yourself out.
- go to bed at the same time everyday regardless of whether you are sleepy or not, even on weekends.

if all else fails either,
- down a bottle of beer.
- or have sex, if available.
- or, swallow a pinch of salt, it helps relax the brain.

All tried, tested, and true. Hope that helps.

[taiji.]

i've had this problem for a long time. i think i'm naturally nocturnal. i'm able to concentrate and think better at night time. one time i tried taking sleeping pills but my body felt like it was paralyzed the next morning. i just couldn't move. after that, i stopped taking sleeping pills. i think the best way to go to sleep is to make your body want to go to sleep due to exhaustion. i've found doing 100 sit ups before going to sleep very effective. lol

[sushiwhore]

i sleep easily i just have a hard time tellign myself 'ok kim its time ti sleep now'

i slee at 2-3 am every night ang wake up 8-10 compaiinging i dont have enough sleep lol

[kuku]

I used to sleep lying on my side or my stomach. I would take hours to fall asleep. Then I changed by sleeping on my back. Now I fall asleep almost instantly (maybe 15-20 minutes, but that's negligible compared to my past).

Sleeping pills may work, but I think is a waste of money. Instead, why not work out rigorously at the gym before you sleep? You'll be so tired, going to sleep would be easy.

[lovefool]

thanks for the advice guys. I think i'm a sucker for the quick fixes so thats why i'm using sleeping pills currently. But i know i don't want to keep on relying on them in the long run. I've tried exercising a bit everyday but while that makes my body tired, my mind is still wandering to many different places when bedtime comes. I've also tried sleeping on my back, but then after 5 minutes i'll keep on turning to the side and then turn again nonstop until i do naturally fall asleep. But i will try to stop my caffeine intake during the morning..i think that should at least help a little. but thanks for the help guys =)

[kimbomynizzo]

i have a weird habit of waking up exactly 6 hours from the time i began sleeping, even when if i was completely smashed the night before...

[naoto]

sleeping pills are dangerous. Some will say no you are wrong they are fine. They are dangerous man. Unless you really do have a disorder, try to fix this naturally:

-try to fix whatever problems you have. Girl, work, etc. Figure it out. Talk to people. Therapy and yoga. Volunteering. That's what I do now.. maybe it will help you.

[halp]

you can always masturbate yourself in tears to sleep

[lovefool]

you can always masturbate yourself in tears to sleep

it would greatly ruin the beautiful bed sheets, that is if your a guy

[ching22194]

i always had trouble falling asleep.
specially when i have too much tasks in the office
coz i bring my work at home.
if i didnt, then ill get grilled the following day.

i neve tried taking sleeping pills, im scared i might get addicted
coz my aunt did.

[Jaeho]

It's 3am here and I'm not sleeping. :[
Several times I've just been in bed for HOURS, thinking about this and that or nothing at all.
I read somewhere that I should write down the things I'm going to do the next day, and just write down everything that's going through my mind.
Tried it. Helped a bit.
Sometimes I just don't sleep at all and just wait until I'm completely exhausted the next day. Bad, I know...

[kimcheeone]

Try discipline 1st....try to sleep and wake up really early the next day....then you should be able to go to sleep.

I find most who people who can't go to sleep is due to their sleeping habits. Go to sleep really late and wake up late. I don't know if working out will help...for me it usually keeps me up later. For me I had to change my habits and lifestyle...also the fact that I work had a bit to do with it.

If none of those work, time to see a doc and see if he can help. I.E. Ambien...

or you can purchase melatonin anywhere...that will work as well

Oh probably the hardest yet best solution.....study...if you are going to school...that always put me to sleep

[fossilain]

I've found some type of exercise is supremely effective. And the sleep is so nice afterwards...

[hangook/korea]

Yeah, I have trouble too- I'm going to bed early so I can get to work at 5am... grrr
But no traffic though!

But here are some non-medication tips for sleeping
-Have a TV in the bedroom? Get rid of it
-Only sleep and have sex in your bedroom, don't study, don't read, don't work out- the bedroom is for pleasure only.
-If you find yourself unable to fall asleep after 20-30min, get up and leave the bedroom and do something for a bit. Then go back to the bedroom to sleep- again, this conditions your body to think that the bed = sleep, instead of bed = lying down wide-awake
-Try your best to stick to a sleep schedule- sleep and wake at the same time
-Avoid naps
-Avoid any caffeine, sugar after dinner
-Try to wind down before you sleep.
-keep the room as dark as possible
-if you live in a noisy place, try a cd or one of those machines with white noise

[kpxkimcheexyoja]

best i can offer is get a good mattress. we spend over a third of our lives sleeping, so it makes sense to invest in a quality mattress. but sometimes, sleep just doesn't come! don't take tylenol pm if you just have trouble sleeping. that's an awful lot of acetaminophen to put in your body (and as a lush, i know it's a big no no for my liver). i recommend just straight diphenhydramine (or benadryl! but the generic is super cheap!) if you're desperate. i've tried ambien, restoril, lunesta, etc. all crap. sometimes, you gotta figure out what your issue is and how to solve it so you can relax. it's not always external.

[Kristy Thomas]

I had sleeping problems for almost 10 years. I used to take Ambien but I started hallucinating from taking it after not sleeping for a few days. I really think sleeping problems are caused by stress and over thinking. Tylenol PM is the best quick fix I agree, or a glass of wine. I also heat my room super warm which makes it easier. Also thinking about things that can lead to dreams, going off on thinking tangents. I used to concentrate on thinking about CARVING A TURKEY which is the most boring image I can imagine. Don't think of anything interesting, fun or stressful.

[lazyfist]

well i started having trouble falling asleep around 3 yrs ago. at first it kept bothering me for i always think of how to fall asleep. of course that didnt help, made it worst. i even took sleeping pills to make me sleepy, well that did help a bit, but i got addicted and soon my body became immune to the pills, so i have to take higher dosage, which is baaaaaaaaaaaad. i stopped with the pills and nitequil. every night before i sleep, i would just lay on my bed and think of a situation, a story/fantasy, and eventually i'll doze off. trouble free and cost free =).