Last time I have problems with my sleep. Can you share some tips how can I do it better?

5mg of melatonin every other night has worked well for me. And also no caffeine after 2pm and go to bed at the same time every night.

For me it's a very cool room and clean sheets.

Don't look at any electronic screen (TV, computer, laptop, tablet, phone, etc.) for an hour prior to sleep time.

L'Ornithine works and is all natural.

Wife has anxiety issues and doesn't sleep well most of the time. I can usually turn my brain off and get good sleep. If that doesn't work, a shot of bourbon or two does the trick.
Don't eat close to bed time

1) Beginning from your toes and ending at the top of your head, cumulatively clench and relax your muscles. As you clench, take a deep breath and hold through the clench. As you relax, breathe out. This should relax your body and clear your mind enough to sleep.

2) I like to watch survival shows. My favorite was Survivor Man. He had several episodes of him setting up camp and sleeping. Two of the episodes I use was when he was sleeping on a ledge with his back to a cliff facing a fire. He talked about using the cliff to reflect back heat to his body. A second show had him crossing some frozen Canadian lake being pulled by dog sled. He camped one night piling pine branches that reached past his belly button from the ground. He did that for insulation as he laid on top and sleep. I think back on either of these two scenes, usually the frozen lake, and imagine what it's like to be there. How it would feel. And pretty soon, I'm dozing off.

3) I remember personal incidents of me sleeping and I've slept in different places. My usual nowadays if I have to use it is thinking back to when I would leave home at 4:30 AM to miss the commute and arrive at my work. But I still have time so I lay my seat back in my car, prop a pillow, pull up a blanket, and catch some z's before I start work. I would think back on how sleepy I was and how it felt like, and then I'd fall asleep. Sometimes, if this isn't working sufficiently fast enough, I think back to a time I was trying to sleep in the car by thinking back to another time I was trying to sleep. And pretty soon, I'm asleep.

A bit of sex seems to be very helpful for a good night sleep. It's even more better if you have a partner, IIRC.

Clean sheets, empty tummy. I always shower before bed. Get the sunscreen off my face, neck. White noise.

Second some of the suggestions above, especially a cool room and white noise. I have a fan running 365 days a year for the noise.

If I'm having trouble clearing my mind, one trick I use is what I call a "kinesthesia inventory". I'm laying there in whatever position I happen to be in, and without moving or touching anything, I mentally describe the position of my body. IE "I'm on my left side. My left leg is straight, toes pointed slightly down. My right leg is drawn up, hip angle about 45°, knee angle about 30°, ankle straight" and work my way up. I rarely make it past my arms before I doze off.

Yeah try to not eat at least 3 hours before you hit the pit.

Complete darkness should be the goal.

Getting any electronics away from you is recommended also.

Exercise right before bed is kind of like eating just before also - same detrimental effects.

Some say magnesium helps - Natural Vitality Natural Calm is what I got. I use it for constipation though - 1/4 tspn and I'm a clock again.

Stress can also be a problem. Various meditation strategies can work wonders. Stress releases cortisol, which tells your pancreas to release insulin (the bad boys that store fat in your cells, around your organs, in your gut).

The Role of Cortisol in Sleep 6-2010

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Shugart:
A bit of sex seems to be very helpful for a good night sleep. It's even more better if you have a partner, IIRC.

quote:

Originally posted by Angus the Kid:
Don't look at any electronic screen (TV, computer, laptop, tablet, phone, etc.) for an hour prior to sleep time.

That doesn't seem to bother me, but turing down/off the lights an hour or more before hand definitely helps me.

I've found listening to something that doesn't make sense and isn't interesting and something I don't care about makes my mind just tune out. And then I get sleepy.

Certain audio books, TV documentary about some topic I don't care about, etc.

In terms of 'noise' instead of white noise, I've found the sounds of ocean waves works for me.

Wake up earlier and do not nap during the day.

I like to read before bed.

Sometimes if I need to ensure a good night sleep, I will take some NyQuil to knock me out.

Cooler room, very dark room, Robert Miles Dreamland album playing just loud enough to hear it.
Fall asleep quickly and sleep like a rock but have some crazy vivid dreams.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Shugart:
A bit of sex seems to be very helpful for a good night sleep. It's even more better if you have a partner, IIRC.

You may be kidding, but it works for me. Usually I use alcohol (not wise). I also have a prescription for Trazodone that I take once every month or two, but I hate the groggy feeling in the AM.

Going for a walk helps at times. Reading helps, print is way more effective than LCD screens. Exercise, hours before hand works.

If I knew the real answer, I wouldn't be such a miserable person.

ETA This works for me, but is highly discouraged in everything I've read... I watch shows about space or watch space/science YouTube videos. These are major interests of mine. I think the distraction of thinking about and trying to understand how things, space, quantum mechanics, gravity, etc work gets into the deeper/higher level thought processes and drowns out the minutia of life.

Lots of good advice here.


Though not recommended I often watch something mindless on my kindle. I just make sure that it will shut down some time after I fall asleep.

If you fall in the no electronics realm and have problems with turning your brain off I find building things in my mind helps. Sometimes I prepare for an extended hike and pack my stuff mentally. I suppose you could do just about anything really. My wife like to plan gardens to fall asleep. I must say I'm a much better carpenter in my mind than I am with my hands. Just so long as I'm not thinking about my day today or what my day tomorrow will be, I'm good.


Do NOT think about Shugart having sex.

2 chicks at the same time always works.