NationStates Jolt Archive


I can't sleep..

IL Ruffino
12-12-2006, 06:32
I want to go to bed, but it's impossible for me to just fall asleep. If I tried just laying in bed till I fell asleep, I'd be up till 5 am.

I need sleep!

Please tell me, what can I do to make me fall asleep?

Oh, and I'm going to start stocking up on sleeping pills.
Rameria
12-12-2006, 06:38
I swear by this stuff (http://www.teavana.com/Night+Night+Herbal+Tea/edp_no=4467/shop.axd/ProductDetails), but you probably don't have any on hand. Chamomile tea might work. My boyfriend swears by warm milk with honey in it.
Allegheny County 2
12-12-2006, 06:42
I'm losing a week of sleep due to finals. I'm also wired on coffee at the moment.

Try hot tea.
BLARGistania
12-12-2006, 06:42
sleep is for the weak.
New Xero Seven
12-12-2006, 06:43
Don't bother going to sleep.
Night owls pwn early birds. (http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/12/11/nightowls_hum.html?category=human&guid=20061211111500&dcitc=w19-502-ak-0000)
Reconaissance Ilsands
12-12-2006, 06:46
I want to go to bed, but it's impossible for me to just fall asleep. If I tried just laying in bed till I fell asleep, I'd be up till 5 am.

I need sleep!

Please tell me, what can I do to make me fall asleep?

Oh, and I'm going to start stocking up on sleeping pills.

Think up some strage story and visualise it with great detail in your mind, it takes up alot of energy, thats my main way of putting myself to sleep.
Kiryu-shi
12-12-2006, 06:48
Back when I was totally insomniac-ized, the only way I could fall asleep was to listen to the same CD over and over and sing until eventually the alarm went off I seemed to have slept a bit. This took a few hours, but if I didn't do this, I wouldn't sleep at all. I tried many other things, but this was the only thing that worked with pretty often.
Allegheny County 2
12-12-2006, 06:49
If you live in the US, try watching the weather channel.
BLARGistania
12-12-2006, 06:50
If you live in the US, try watching the weather channel.

we have a channel 99 where I love, all it is is a graph of tv band usage. That will make you go to sleep every time.
Potarius
12-12-2006, 06:54
Do about fifty jumping jacks, run in place for a full minute, and then take a hot shower. After that, drink a glass of warm milk and get in the bed with no clothes (no, I'm not doing this to be a perv).

You'll fall asleep nicely. If you sleep with clothes, that could be a big problem, as clothing is binding, and it keeps you alert because you have to keep adjusting your position to get comfortable.

Oh, and sleeping with a TV, radio, or stereo on also causes sleeplessness. Never, ever sleep with any audio, video, or artificial lighting going.
Pepe Dominguez
12-12-2006, 06:59
Insomnia is a massive pain in the ass. I'll list my remedy, but don't do anything on my recommendation. I'm not a doctor.

Recipe for one Pepe Dominguez night-time cocktail:

1 750mg Robaxin (may substitute Flexeril, etc.)
3 Darvocet 500's (the white generics, crushed or quartered with a pill-cutter)
3 German-label Tramadol (capsules, white).
1 Glass tap water

Never fails for me. Probably not appropriate for anyone under 250lbs, and it's probably never good to take internet medical advice, but it may be a good starting point to consider if you've got the above materials lying around.

Also, mixing the above with several IBU800's will make you violently ill. Not a good idea.
Poliwanacraca
12-12-2006, 07:12
As an immediate solution, I suggest taking a nice warm bath, drying off, and going directly to bed. Having a glass of wine or something similar also couldn't hurt.

For more long-term solutions: talk to your doctor about prescription sedatives, buy a humidifier for your room (this will both make it easier to breathe deeply and produce pleasant white noise), or get a blindfold. The blindfold in particular helped me immensely - I had no idea stray bits of outside light were bothering me until suddenly they weren't anymore.
Potarius
12-12-2006, 07:15
As an immediate solution, I suggest taking a nice warm bath, drying off, and going directly to bed. Having a glass of wine or something similar also couldn't hurt.

For more long-term solutions: talk to your doctor about prescription sedatives, buy a humidifier for your room (this will both make it easier to breathe deeply and produce pleasant white noise), or get a blindfold. The blindfold in particular helped me immensely - I had no idea stray bits of outside light were bothering me until suddenly they weren't anymore.

The stray light is a lot like having a TV on. It wakes you up in the middle of the night when you'd otherwise be fast asleep...

...Of course, when I sleep with no light whatsoever, I occasionally turn into a zombie and wake up on the other side of the room, wondering what the hell is going on. I used to panic like crazy when that would happen, but now, I just stay calm and collect my thoughts, open the curtains slightly to let a smidge of light in, and go back to sleep.
Alien Aspergia
12-12-2006, 07:18
I've been told that eating a baked potato at bedtime helps you sleep... never tried it so I don't know if it really works. I take Ambien when I want to sleep, but lately I've just been enjoying staying up all night.

Good Luck with whatever method you choose. :)
Saint-Newly
12-12-2006, 07:24
I suffer from horrible insomnia. However, I've just woken up at six in the morning after eight refreshing hours of sleep. How?

I didn't sleep the night before, or the night before that. Don't try it.
The Brevious
12-12-2006, 07:28
Consider taking advantage of yourself in a few different ways and try and hold off your climax.
Also, keep your door open when you do. Makes for mementos. :)
New Zealandium
12-12-2006, 07:35
3 German-label Tramadol (capsules, white).

I was once on those, isn't that basically diluted morphine? As such I wouldn't recommend that cocktail.



Valerian forté once a night 1-2 hours before you want to sleep, it's natural and wont mess with you.

As well as that, get sleeping pills to set a sleeping pattern, so that your body gets used to it.
Pepe Dominguez
12-12-2006, 07:49
3 German-label Tramadol (capsules, white).

I was once on those, isn't that basically diluted morphine? As such I wouldn't recommend that cocktail.



Valerian forté once a night 1-2 hours before you want to sleep, it's natural and wont mess with you.

As well as that, get sleeping pills to set a sleeping pattern, so that your body gets used to it.

Yes, I listed two different opiates/analgesics and a skeletal muscle relaxant. It just happens to work for me, not sure why. Sleeping pills have never helped me and benzodiazepines have a limited effect, even in conjunction with sleeping pills, so I basically have to use the combination I listed. I've messed with different combinatons for 3 years, but haven't found anything else that stops the shakes and knocks me out at the same time.
UnHoly Smite
12-12-2006, 07:50
I want to go to bed, but it's impossible for me to just fall asleep. If I tried just laying in bed till I fell asleep, I'd be up till 5 am.

I need sleep!

Please tell me, what can I do to make me fall asleep?

Oh, and I'm going to start stocking up on sleeping pills.

Drink a gallon of beer or hit yourself over the head with a blunt object. Either way you will be out for days.
Posi
12-12-2006, 07:51
I want to go to bed, but it's impossible for me to just fall asleep. If I tried just laying in bed till I fell asleep, I'd be up till 5 am.

I need sleep!

Please tell me, what can I do to make me fall asleep?

Oh, and I'm going to start stocking up on sleeping pills.

What's wrong with staying up till 5am? I've done it once. You are suprisingly alert with just an hours sleep. That said don't drive or go to your physics class.
The Brevious
12-12-2006, 07:54
Drink a gallon of beer or hit yourself over the head with a blunt object. Either way you will be out for days.

Would that be an "UnHoly Smite" ? :)
UnHoly Smite
12-12-2006, 07:55
Would that be an "UnHoly Smite" ? :)



No, everything is holy as long as you believe it is.;)
The Brevious
12-12-2006, 08:01
No, everything is holy as long as you believe it is.;)

By golly, i've got some serious self-adjustment to make.
*nods emphatically*
Sarkhaan
12-12-2006, 09:49
Valerian root. You can get it at any drug store or health food store with the dietary suppliments for pretty cheap. Works great, non-addictive, and doesn't mess with your REM cycle.

smells like foot, but you get over that. Just don't make it into tea.
CthulhuFhtagn
12-12-2006, 10:04
Get a nice, big, boring book. Hit yourself with it repeatedly.
Le Franada
12-12-2006, 11:56
Valerian root. You can get it at any drug store or health food store with the dietary suppliments for pretty cheap. Works great, non-addictive, and doesn't mess with your REM cycle.

smells like foot, but you get over that. Just don't make it into tea.

That's what I take for insomnia as well. It works very well for me, I don't wake up groggy in the morning and I remember my dreams more clearly in the morning if I take it as well. It is supposed to help with stress as well.

Yes, it is very stinky. Don't take for long periods of time because it builds up in your system and then you start to smell of it.

Don't take it if you have liver problems or regularly drink a lot of alcohol.
Lunatic Goofballs
12-12-2006, 11:58
Invite a pro wrestler to come over and put you in the sleeper hold. :)
Harlesburg
12-12-2006, 12:00
I want to go to bed, but it's impossible for me to just fall asleep. If I tried just laying in bed till I fell asleep, I'd be up till 5 am.

I need sleep!

Please tell me, what can I do to make me fall asleep?

Oh, and I'm going to start stocking up on sleeping pills.
Have a fap.
Laerod
12-12-2006, 12:11
I want to go to bed, but it's impossible for me to just fall asleep. If I tried just laying in bed till I fell asleep, I'd be up till 5 am.

I need sleep!

Please tell me, what can I do to make me fall asleep?

Oh, and I'm going to start stocking up on sleeping pills.I can't either. Damn Heroes on NBC.com...
Soviet Haaregrad
12-12-2006, 12:27
Pot, fap, sleep.
New Populistania
12-12-2006, 12:43
Did anything you drink the previous day contain taurine or caffine?

They are both mild stimulants, and their effects on consumption vary depending on the person. Some people are virtually unaffected, but for others the effects are quite substantial. I can't sleep at all for about 12 hours if I take taurine or caffine.
New Populistania
12-12-2006, 12:46
Coca Cola and coffee contain caffine and Red Bull contains both taurine and caffine.
Soviet Haaregrad
12-12-2006, 12:48
Did anything you drink the previous day contain taurine or caffine?

They are both mild stimulants, and their effects on consumption vary depending on the person. Some people are virtually unaffected, but for others the effects are quite substantial. I can't sleep at all for about 12 hours if I take taurine or caffine.

Taurine is actually an amino acid with no stimulant effect. If you wish to test this, eat cat food, get not-hyper.
Allegheny County 2
12-12-2006, 13:26
Oh, and sleeping with a TV, radio, or stereo on also causes sleeplessness. Never, ever sleep with any audio, video, or artificial lighting going.

Not true about the TV and radio causing sleeplessness. I sleep with my TV on all the time with the sleep timer on and fall asleep before my tv set goes off.
Nobel Hobos
12-12-2006, 14:45
Invite a pro wrestler to come over and put you in the sleeper hold. :)

A pro wrestler you really trust, that is ... ;)

EDIT: Yeah, that was your joke. Didn't really get it until I'd posted the punchline. Imitation, flattery, y'know...
Infinite Revolution
12-12-2006, 14:54
i tend to read a book til i pass out. if i try to go to bed undistracted i can't go to sleep for all the thinking.
Vorlich
12-12-2006, 15:02
try NOT to go to sleep. the more you want to sleep the more frustrated and uptight and further away from sleeping you get.

also have a bedtime routine. read for a while, wash face and brush teeth get into jamies, every night and this allows your body to relax and begin to prepare for sleep.

or try to watch the godfather trilogy in one sitting.......
HOOR
12-12-2006, 15:12
Valerian root purportedly works very well for inducing restful sleep and several friends and patients that I've cared for give the herb high praise indeed.

Tea made of the herb tastes rather poor but it's generally available in either a tincture or an extract that goes down a little easier. In either case take 400-900 mg. an hour or two before bed because the herb reaches peak levels in approximately two hours.

Do not consume alcohol, other sedatives or antihistamines while taking Valerian. Valerian may make you test positive for benzodiazepines if you are required to undergo drug screening.

As far as behavioural interventions you can implement to help facilitate restful sleep first stop consuming stimulants. Preferably stop entirely, but if you are adverse to this idea at least stop them 6-8 hours before going to bed. Do not eat three hours before retiring. Set a regular sleep schedule with a bedtime and a wake-up time. Use the bedroom only for sleeping and sex. Even if you cannot sleep make yourself lie in bed for the duration of your designated sleeping time. All these things work together in order to provide your brain with specific sleeping cues and help to establish a regular sleeping pattern. If you're so inclined use a scented linen spray, but only a scent that you smell when you sleep. Olfactory cues are especially potent.

As always, consult with your doctor before beginning any new dietary supplements.

J.
Kanabia
12-12-2006, 15:24
Don't bother going to sleep.
Night owls pwn early birds. (http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/12/11/nightowls_hum.html?category=human&guid=20061211111500&dcitc=w19-502-ak-0000)

Awesome.
Smunkeeville
12-12-2006, 15:30
if you can't sleep don't, in a few days you will crash and it will be okay.

Don't just lay there either, get up and clean house or something, anything active yet boring.......it might put you to sleep.
The Brevious
13-12-2006, 09:04
Pot, fap, sleep.

No, no, no .... something DIFFERENT!!!
:)
New Granada
13-12-2006, 10:03
Al-co-hol, over

fire for effect, over
Branin
13-12-2006, 10:11
I recomend chamomille tea. Works wonders.
IL Ruffino
14-12-2006, 06:18
So..

I may, or may not have taken something that may or may not be called Seroquel yesterday, and I may, or may not have been knocked out for 12 hours. So I may, or may not be in love with this thing that may, or may not be called Seroquel.
Posi
14-12-2006, 11:46
So..

I may, or may not have taken something that may or may not be called penis yesterday, and I may, or may not have been unable to sit for 12 hours. So I may, or may not be in love with this thing that may, or may not be called penis.

http://209.85.48.10/html/emoticons/unsure.gif
Ifreann
14-12-2006, 12:05
http://209.85.48.10/html/emoticons/unsure.gif

http://209.85.12.227/1381/85/emo/laugh.gif
Fatura
14-12-2006, 12:20
I want to go to bed, but it's impossible for me to just fall asleep. If I tried just laying in bed till I fell asleep, I'd be up till 5 am.

I need sleep!

Please tell me, what can I do to make me fall asleep?

Oh, and I'm going to start stocking up on sleeping pills.



Blue light charged water. Sounds crazy, but it works. Get a dark blue bottle and fill it with water, let it sit on the windowsill or outside in the sun for 8 hours, (you can refrigerate it after that if you want) and drink it 45 minutes before you go to bed. Homeopathic remedy that incorporates the healing essence of color... works like a charm everytime.
Ifreann
14-12-2006, 12:28
Blue light charged water. Sounds crazy, but it works. Get a dark blue bottle and fill it with water, let it sit on the windowsill or outside in the sun for 8 hours, (you can refrigerate it after that if you want) and drink it 45 minutes before you go to bed. Homeopathic remedy that incorporates the healing essence of color... works like a charm everytime.

There's a word for how much sense this appears to make. That word is "none".
Darknovae
14-12-2006, 12:30
I want to go to bed, but it's impossible for me to just fall asleep. If I tried just laying in bed till I fell asleep, I'd be up till 5 am.

I need sleep!

Please tell me, what can I do to make me fall asleep?

Oh, and I'm going to start stocking up on sleeping pills.

Do you take ADD meds? If you do, take them earlier (I'm not in a position to tell you to stop takign them).

If you're just an insomniac, then I recommend doing a lot of energetic stuff, or working a story over and over in your mind. Both work for me every time. :)
Soviestan
14-12-2006, 20:54
I want to go to bed, but it's impossible for me to just fall asleep. If I tried just laying in bed till I fell asleep, I'd be up till 5 am.

I need sleep!

Please tell me, what can I do to make me fall asleep?

Oh, and I'm going to start stocking up on sleeping pills.

ha. I had same problem last night. I couldn't to sleep to til 6am, which is a problem since I had to get a short time after that for prayer:p I should have just stayed up.
Potarius
15-12-2006, 03:43
Not true about the TV and radio causing sleeplessness. I sleep with my TV on all the time with the sleep timer on and fall asleep before my tv set goes off.

Yeah, but that's with your TV on. Try going to sleep without turning it on. It'll be a big problem.

I had that problem for the longest time, because my dad would demand that I sleep in his room... Of course, he kept the TV on.
JuNii
15-12-2006, 03:57
I want to go to bed, but it's impossible for me to just fall asleep. If I tried just laying in bed till I fell asleep, I'd be up till 5 am.

I need sleep!

Please tell me, what can I do to make me fall asleep?

Oh, and I'm going to start stocking up on sleeping pills.

What I find works for me is classical music. not the heavy and fast beat ones, but the smooth soothing ones. and set the volume down to 1 or something where you can just barely hear it. then lie down and just let your mind drift.

becareful with sleeping pills. I found that half a pill zonked me out for 8 hours. ;)