What Do You Do... When You Can't Sleep

I don't know about you all but quite often I seem to find myself lying in my bed at night, wide awake, staring blankly at my ceiling. Tonight is one of those nights... its 2:38 am, and I can't seem to fall asleep (and I have to be up at 7 :o). I just myself a cup of camomile tea, but it didn't help.

What do you do when you can't get to sleep?

I already tried counting sheep... that didn't work either! ;)

This may sound daft but it works for me! I tell myself that sleep is the last thing I need and imagine I'm in a situation where I have to fight to keep my eyelids open......

Rarely do I get into one of the situations you describe, but when I do, I'll admit it is horrendous. The things I would try are:

1. Eating something
2. Turning on talk radio
3. Just tell myself, if I can't sleep, I will just lay here with my eyes shut and get as much rest as I can that way. Generally I do drift off eventually. Once I start this process, I do not look at the clock.

I agree with Rachel on her third suggestion especially. Try to avoid looking a the clock. That makes it worse because you keep reminding yourself that you have to be up at such and such hour and it adds to the cycle. I usually read, flip on the TV or go on the computer. I can't walk around too much or the dogs think it is morning and time to go out. Three AM is not a good time to let them out as that's when there are critters in the yard that *need to be barked at.* :p :rolleyes:

I play lists in my head. Some favorites are:
* Name 50 Beatles songs
* go through the alphabet naming TV shows that begin with that letter, but I can't repeat the same show. For example, if I said "Brady Bunch" for B, I'm never allowed to use Brady Bunch again. I've used this game so many times, I fall asleep wracking my brain for As and Bs :D
*Name 50 household items that are actually brand names... Qtips, Kleenex, Windex, Frisbee, Walkman, Rollerblades, etc.

All are silly games but I always fall asleep fast while thinking them through. I don't believe I ever got to Z on the tv show name game.

I also have a story idea in my head for a murder mystery. I have the characters all worked out. Who did it, how, etc. But I'll never put it to paper (mainly because I don't have the talent or inclination) but its a darn good story, and I've been falling asleep to it for at least 5/6 years. It changes every so often too... started out as a love story after my boyfriend asked me what I'd consider the ultimate romance novel. Then I got dumped, so it turned to a muyrder mystery! LOL At any rate, I still fall asleep making plot twists and surprise discoveries. :D

I wish I could add some good tips, but I am the worlds worst sleeper. I am happy for this post, I will try some of the suggestions.

Amanda - I do the same thing YOU do....log on to PT!:D

Then, I read from whatever book is currently on my nightstand and that usually makes me sleepy enough to fall asleep.

I rarely have that problem, but when it does happen I do
what Rachel said in #3. Just think that your aim is to rest, not
sleep. Eventually you drift off to sleep. Also, resist the urge to
look at the clock.:D

I read. But it can't be a book I am really interested in cause that just keeps me awake. I usually have a couple of books going at once. One I really like and one I am not so interested it. Moby Dick is my sleeping book now. I am not enjoying it and I love classic literature. So let me read 5 or 6 pages and I am ready to drop off. :)

I usually just log on to PT or just watch Television, but I don't have much problem going to sleep. I do wake up in the mid morning and have a hard time going back to sleep so usually I will watch TV to get sleep.

Willie:)

I pick up a really boring book, if it is interesting at all I won't be able to put it down! So I read and eventually tell myself that my only options are to read the boring book or sleep, I usually end up falling asleep pretty fast! Or I turn on the TV to an infomercial or something.

Worse case, I take 1 pm, never 2 like the bottle says, drink something warm. like tea or hot chocolate and pretty soon I'm asleep.

I turn on Cartoon Network or Toon Disney, sense it's something that I'm not really interested in, but still can watch, I usually drift off to sleep, watching it. It's like watching a boring movie or something, you always seem to fall asleep.

This one might just be me, but I go into the living room and lay on the couch. Something about a chance of place does help, for me. Turn a small fan on me and between the breeze of the fan, the sound and being out of my room............I'm going to fall asleep. Don't know why, but it works for me. :confused:

I usually have this problem as well. LOL! PT is so addicting! Maybe thats why I get to sleep late. But I usually think of something that I have to do tomorrow and tell myslef, I can't do it tomorrow if I'm not asleep. I also just close my eyes, and rest and not look at the clock like Rachel says.

Good luck!

i either force myself to sleep or read til my eyes close.

I usually end up talking to my husband lol. If I can't sleep, he can't either and vice versa. We end up cuddling and falling asleep talking about something or other lol. Even on really hot nights, cuddling up always relaxes me.

I seem to have hit the insomnia portion of pregnancy but I'm afraid I won't be much help with ideas. All I do is lay in bed, pout and get mad at my husband who is soundly snoring next to me.

I was just thinking this last night! I'm exhausted every morning (like right now) because I can't fall asleep at night. I was up until at LEAST 5am last night and I've been able to stay up until 7 too. Every night my resistence is pushed back.. 3am used to be really late for me.. now it's early. It's ridiculous.. but I've always been a night owl.

I don't have any advice (obviously) but I'll try some of the suggestions too.. :p

Ha! I never have this problem! :D

You most likely will laugh. (Or cry lol).

If I can, I'll go on the computer, but thats usually not an option.

One other option is continuing my story that I'm currently writing.
Just thinkin up how I want it and imagining it and such.

The third, and most used optionis where I make up a completely new story (unless I had a REALLY good one the last time). The story line is always the same. Me and a guy I like get together and fall in love. Lmao. :p :p :p :p :p

I always listen to music on my CD player/stereo, and it puts me to sleep, it always relaxes me, and I drift away to dreamland.

As an insomniac I can't offer much in getting to sleep but what to do if you can't. I do my best knitting,spinning and quilting between 1AM and 4Am .

I have a few favorite books that I have read so many times I can pick them up, open them anywhere, and read for a little while. I usually tryo to pick up one of those when I can't sleep.

If I still can't sleep afte reading for a few minutes, I try this:

Start with your toes, and mentally tell each part of your body to fall asleep. I picture each part, as I tell it to fall asleep, getting loose and limp and warm. Generally, by the time I get up to my shoulders, I fall asleep. :)

haha, don't get me start... :p this is my worst frustration.

I rarely could sleep good! I get about 7 good hours of sleep once two weeks or so.

most of time I would do is log into pet talk (glad I have mobile so I'd not have to get out of cozy bed -- buried in cats -- and connect the computer...) and read a lot threads, post some then fall asleep but sometimes I don't know.. I've tried everything.

For the past week or so, I have not been able to sleep...

I usually watch tv for about 4 hours, till about 2 - 3 A.M :o (nawtee me:o), then I read for a little bit. If I still cant sleep, I usually just shut my eyes and think about sleeping, and that usually works at about 4 in the morning.

I think the reason I can sleep is because I am worried about everything, things arent exactly perfect right now, so I worry a lot, and since when I am trying to sleep is when I start to think it makes it a lot harder to fall asleep.

If I start thinking about time I say to myself Think of nothing exept this thought and I fall asleep 16 mins.after



( I think tonight going to be one of those nights)

I am really tired tonight for some reason.
Going to bed early ....
Zzzz
I know i't not even 9.30 yet.

PS: When I can't sleep, I usually read until I'm sleepy.
Night everyone!

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions you guys! :) I don't expect I'll have a problem sleeping tonight. I've been shopping all day and just got back from the theatre (we saw Batman), needless to say I'm exhausted. :o