What Do You Do When You Can't Sleep?

It's almost midnight here in the desert and although I'm fairly sleepy, I just can't get comfy enough to fall asleep. I know I can't be the only one with this problem, so I was wondering what other people do when they can't sleep.

Me, well, I obviously lurk around here. :) I'm watching CSI on FX, but come midnight, there's nothing much on. Over 100 channels and there isn't a darn thing on. Pathetic, eh? :rolleyes: My gf is at work til tomorrow morning, she'll then come home, pick me up, I'll drop her off at her 2nd job, and run errands. being home alone is boring. :) So I'll basically watch tv and browse the web until I fall asleep, unless I get a sudden wash of inspiration and decide to finish the 3rd chapter of my novel. Yeah... Like that will happen. :P

All the animals are asleep, and I keep getting looks from the cats that say, "What is she doing still up? Can't she get the hint?! It's bed time!" I can't help thinking they have the right idea. hehe

Stay up all night. :P

I stay up every night. I always tell myself "i'm gunna go to sleep early tonight"

But then I get caught up with doing stuff, and I end up not going, and by the time I know it, it's 4:30 and my mom is getting up to go to work. So then I stay awake until she leaves for work, and end up falling asleep around 6:00 in the morning, as the sun is coming up lol.




A friend of mine told me that if you count backwards from 60, it helps you fall asleep. Just concentrate on the next number. He said it's worked for everyone he's recommended it to but it's never worked for me. Too many things go threw my mind and i'm contantly thinking about something else.:p

On school nights, I go to bed around 2 but I can never fall asleep until 3. I just lay there and just think of things I have to get done the next day. :p

But since school's over, I'm usually on the computer until I'm sleepy. I do a bunch of web-design and stuff so I just work on some sites until I get tired.

Count backwards from 60?? I must have adult ADHD or something... I try to count and it's like 60, 59, I have to get my tire fixed tomorrow... where was I? 42, 41, 40.... am I hungry? I lost count... 60, 59, 58... I need a Gazelle... Low impact, good for my knees... Where was I? :rolleyes:

I used to be really bad when it came to staying up all night. I'd stay up til 7am, nap for a couple hours, then do it all over again. I think I burnt myself out. Of course, not working the past month hasn't helped.

*sigh*

read!

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Originally posted by Lillycat
read!

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yeah, reading does it for me , too. I get way under the covers and start reading. Usually the book is still there the next morning!:D

Reading keeps me awake! I'm so darn nosey that I remain wide awake to find out how its going to end! I have never ever fallen asleep to a book (unless of course its a boring ol' text book) and the opposite happens to me: I get wide awake.

So what do I do to sleep when I can't? I compose a book in my head. I have several really good chapters of about ten "books" that I alternately visit when I can't sleep. One is actually really good that I might try to put it down on paper - the others are so silly... really, they're BAD but they help me fall to sleep and they've been in my head for at least ten years so they are like old friends.

One other thing that works when I'm not in the creative mood - I list things that are regular household items, but we call them by their brand name - ya know, Windex, Q-Tips, Kleenex, Frosted Flakes, Oreos, Frisbess... I keep going until I get to 50 of them (trust me, I KNOW more than that from years of doing it.... but it gets harder as I go along because I start drifting off.) This is good for those of us who have that ADD sydrome! :D It keeps me from doing the same thing because I'm concentrating so hard on the next darn item that I don't wander away.

AND the last thing I do is try to list 50 Beatles songs. I haven't done that in a while and I'm mighty rusty - I might be able to do about 30 or so.

When I can't sleep (which is ALOT lately) I come PT, or play online Scrabble. I'll also read a book in bed which definitely makes me tired.

I stay on PT until I almost am asleep. Also, shapeshifter This is my most recent addictive game. It is so much fun and so different. Plus, Cubis on Yahoo and lots of stuff at www.shockwave.com.

I also make up a story in my head, usually Lord of the Rings themed, having to do with Legolas:rolleyes:

I come to PT or I read...it doesn't help me to sleep, just takes my mind off of what time it is. ;)