Chixe Thread: How do you go to sleep?

How do you go to sleep?

Scrivs — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:24:48

Apparently the only way I go to sleep is when I take some cold medicine with an antihistamine in it. Otherwise I'm up like I am now surfing the deserted web and working on nonsense.

How do you go to sleep?

Mike — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:09:07

I wait till I get completely exhausted, then I'm usually asleep about 30 seconds to a minute after my head hits the pillow.

How do you go to sleep?

Ardenlabroasunci — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:28:35

its pretty much not trying to force it. for me, forcing it will just give you a hard night. try watching tv, or reading a book, or seomthing, but do it in a sitting position. that way, once you get tired, you body will seek the comforts of your bed. that works for me at least.

How do you go to sleep?

mStudios — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 05:15:36

Long dead thread, but the answer is simple:

1) get an intelligent todo application like THINGS.

2) put all your ideas and should do's into single items into THINGS. don't worry about organizing, you just want them out of your head.

3) go take a walk for about 15 minutes - stop THINKING but ENJOY the walk and watch your environment...

4) returning from the walk you will feel your exhaution - now, go to bed. if you still resist it, DON'T put the TV on but instead warm yourself a glass of milk, drink it and go to bed - NO TV in the bedroom.

sleep well.

How do you go to sleep?

dieseldelicious — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:22:37

Every now and then I have problems sleeping, but for the most part, it's never been a problem for me. However, my mind is its own little busy body at times, and I can easily let a number of things creep right into my mind that only pop up and refuse to leave right as I'm trying to rest my eyes for the day. lol It's irritating.To take care of the problem organically, try music on for size. Some people are not into certain types of music no matter what, but what I do every night is put on some nice ambient/new age music. Enigma, Album Leaf, Enya, etc to bring me down from the day a little bit. I listen to it right before bed or put it on real low while I sleep. Using ear buds to listen to your music makes you feel more involved in the sounds of the music and can relax you better. If you're into trance, the beautiful sounds and rhythms that come out of the sub genre can really make you feel more relaxed.
Lighting always helps me too. When I get home from work, I like to shut my blinds, pretend like the outside world doesn't exist. I keep all the lights in the house dim lit. Candles with lavendar scents or just candles in general as a substitute for extra light are good for calming down your mind so you can focus more on relaxing.
A lot of people I know take showers in the morning to help wake them up. That's cool and I understand the need for motivation to get up on a work day, but I like to take my showers just before bed. I take steaming hot showers and I use shower gels that give off scents that I really love and that give off a calming feel.
Not that I'm encouraging use of alcohol to fall asleep, but I'm the kind of gal that likes to have atleast a beer or two after work. Even just one budlight right before bed will do just enough to tire you a little bit.
If all else fails, I always use t.v. to help me. Whether it be my old favorite shows on Nick At Nite, or something on a subject that either completely bores me or I understand nothing about, tv does the final trick come hell or high water.
On a good day, I get to do all of these things. :)

How do you go to sleep?

aadil — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:48:16

Try reading one of the 'Daniel Goleman' authored books on 'Emotional Intelligence'. Those can put anyone to sleep! :-)

How do you go to sleep?

darkmotion — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:39:09

I have to draw myself to sleep because I have too many ideas floating around. That's really the reason why I have just started accumulating such a large flickr gallery of doodles: http://www.flickr.com/photos/darkmotion/2333417536/in/set-72157600091461557/

How do you go to sleep?

edub — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:28:49

Don't sleep much - 3 to 4 hours - tops.

Couple things I've tried, and seem to be working:

It's helping.

How do you go to sleep?

mahesh — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:12:12

Sleeping very rare these days
i take just 4 hrs /day sleep.
My mind is just thinking a lot than doing things.

How do you go to sleep?

dreaming_awake — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 02:02:53

@jensized
Fill your room with kiwi plants... the Actinidia species plants will keep your cat in a perpetual state of euphoria... :)

@scrivs
watch an epic anime, particularly Dragonball Z. I just can't stand that one. Or maybe lie down, tie yourself to the bed and let your mind run at full speed thinking about what you gonna do with those ideas and thoughts. I sleep off almost every time I am in thinking mode AND lying down.

How do you go to sleep?

RiskyRabbit — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 07:44:09

How do you go to sleep?

shadowsun7 — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 22:16:30

Oh, that's easy. By closing my eyes.

How do you go to sleep?

pickagun — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 14:19:09

I love your sleeping hours.

I fall asleep in two methods, one used on certain conditions, one on a daily basis.

1. Certain conditions - When it involves jet lag, I force myself awake for exactly 27 hours. By this time, my body can't help but blink and fall asleep. Jet lag fixed within the first two days of arrival.
2. Daily - Since I sleep on a normal schedule (just about), I will hop into bed at around 10:30 and wake at around 4:10 to go swim, come back at around 6:30, sleep for another hour, and go to school at 8:00. When the body is on a schedule, it will expect sleep at that time.

How do you go to sleep?

andrew784 — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 13:24:05

Working out at night helps me fall asleep right away

How do you go to sleep?

rosspod — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:51:33

I'll throw in a dvd with the commentary track on. While i find it interesting if I just close my eyes and sleep will take over. The same thing works for books.

Also watch your sugar and caffeine intake a few hours before bed. You may not think you are sensitive to it while you are.

How do you go to sleep?

peroty — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:02:21

Lately it's been a glass of cider, Sigur Ros on the laptop singing quietly away and a fan blowing on low has put me right out.

How do you go to sleep?

RiskyRabbit — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 08:21:09

One little white pill and the world goes away.......for the night.

How do you go to sleep?

randomkay — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 11:45:54

Well I work late shift and graveyard shift on different days so I have to kick my internal clock from one schedule to the next and I have various ways of doing it.

Props to whoever posted this first. I have a subscription to 24hour fitness and it's within ten minutes walk of my house so I've been known to stop by there and after my work out go home to that peaceful oblivion known as sleep. Unfortunately sometimes it'll backfire and I'll be at the gym for three or four hours that I could of used to sleep. Oops...

Try listening to music and thinking of a music video to go with every song you hear. Try and imagine every little detail of the music video and before you know it you'll be off in la la land. Try and find a volume level that works for you.

If I'm desperate and I don't have to do anything for the next eight hours or so I brush my teeth and then once the taste is out of my mouth I drink a 12oz vodka and tonic. It works wonders but I try not to rely on any drugs to get to sleep and I consider alcohol to be a drug.

Hope that helps.

How do you go to sleep?

missginsu — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 07:53:21

There's some evidence linking internet use/computer game playing/tv watching to sleep disorders: http://www.cababstractsplus.org/google/abstract.asp?AcNo=20043166590

I quit the coffee at 6pm, get daily exercise and get into quieter activities just before bed. Seems to work for me.

How do you go to sleep?

Odile — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:17:10

A scientist gives the advice to think twice a day for 15 minutes.

Writing down is a way to get a grip on my thinking. Writing a book. Writing an article. Reading more difficult texts than I'm used too. You're understimulated, maybe. Mathematics? Biology? Problem solving? Creativity? Thinking Puzzles? Philosophy?

If it's overstimulation though, relaxation, bodily workout, music and/or quiet should indeed help. Especially the workout.

I like it when I have it. I get amazing ideas.

How do you go to sleep?

loism — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:33:02

I'll drink some milk then read a book till I feel sleepy. I'll do some yoga too.

How do you go to sleep?

a_romig — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:44:53

I just lay down and fall deep asleep within a minute. My wife hates me for it.

How do you go to sleep?

dotcommakers — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:02:50

Well ususally I fall in sleep while playing games in my mobile Nokia 6630!

But If i dont get sleep I try to do nothing and certainly .. various thoughts will come in my mind.. I will try not to think.. and will keep trying... I know mind is like a monkey! thoughts will come for sure and I will fight.. this way I will be tired and will fall in sleep!

How do you go to sleep?

Jia — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:12:06

i have a friend who suffer like this too. he lay down on bed at 12 and sleeps at 5 in the morning then he gotta wake up at 5.3o or maybe 6. so not sleeping sucks.

usually reading some textbook about the subject u detest kinda works. but if u're like my friend who have problems and keep thinking about them then that most probably ur main problem so deal with it. or else, it could be a non permanent part of ur life. =D

How do you go to sleep?

jchristopher — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 07:28:07

All it takes for me is a long day of work and something on TV -- I don't bother trying to go to bed until I'm tired.

How do you go to sleep?

gizmo1354 — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 07:11:28

Sometimes watching TV with the heater on and just vegging out works for me.

How do you go to sleep?

xirclebox — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 03:17:33

crash around 3am after studying and working on freelance projects then wake up @ 7am to do it all again. it's crazy! been like that since college.

How do you go to sleep?

wrttnwrd — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 07:46:43

Here's what works for me, seriously:

1. Close your eyes. Force your entire body to relax (sounds oxymoronic I know). Consciously make your feet, then legs, torso, arms, neck and face relax.

2. Picture a chalkboard or a piece of paper.

3. Then picture yourself writing a '100' on the board.

4. Erase it, then write '99'.

Repeat until you get to 1.

I'm a practiced insomniac but this works more often than not...

How do you go to sleep?

LancerReiNi — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 01:08:13

I agree with Tyme, performing tedious or redundant actions tend to bore me to sleep. I'd also recommend drinking some red wine its quite healthy, just don't go overboard. Getting drunk tends to lead to oversleeping.

I've found that lately when I'm in the insomniac mode, I just browse 9rules for a few minutes and I usually pass out(I have my laptop right beside my bed).

How do you go to sleep?

LondonGirl — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 20:42:47

Also - recently discovered that focusing on your breathing works. Sounds a bit hippyish, I realise, but honestly worth a try...

Failing that, sleeping pills.

How do you go to sleep?

gerardmcgarry — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 15:06:04

I find it easier to fall asleep in front of the TV when I get home from work than I do when I go to bed at night. Something about early evening TV, just after dinner knocks me out completely.

Like the rest of you, I go to bed straight after blogging/screwing around on my computer for a few hours, so my head is filled with nonsense at bedtime. Bit of easy music on the iPod solves that though...

How do you go to sleep?

Hedimac — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 07:37:14

I'm insomniac like 90% of the people who are using the internet.. and working too much.

How do you go to sleep?

Tyme — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 05:16:20

When my cats were kittens I made a bed for them close to mine. In the bed I would put an old shirt or scarf in there - something with my scent on it. Sometimes I would lay so my hand would be right by them. I would also talk to them for a few minutes in a nurturing voice (hahaha) after I turned off the lights. I didn't have to do it for more than a week. They soon found their own territories to sleep, sometimes in my room someplace (not on my bed), sometimes not.

Even if they woke up in the middle of the night, I almost never had the problem of them getting into things and waking me up.

How do you go to sleep?

maccasenior — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 01:18:53

You may have the well known blogging disease. After reading all these replies you will probably sleep for a week. So turn the computer off, make a cuppa then jump into bed with a good book. Turn the lights down low & stop thinking you can not get to sleep.

How do you go to sleep?

estarla — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 07:36:43

Haha, Jen, we have a new kitten in the household too! Same problems. I've found that playing with the kitten for about a half-hour before bed by intrigueing him with chasing a string and tiring him out has helped. He's slept through the night the past couple of nights!

I totally know what you mean, though. Talk about getting woken up by him pouncing on my body at odd hours of the night... ;)

How do you go to sleep?

jensized — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 06:34:23

It's been hard for me since we got the kitten.
First she was crying when one of us wasn't in her sight, so we couldn't sleep until she settled down.
Now she doesn't cry as much but she's gotten into attacking everything, including me and Brian, so while I'm trying to get to sleep I have a cat running sprints from one end of the bed to the other and pouncing on my leg.
And she wakes up WAY before I do. I had whiskers in my face at 3 am. And as a result, I am a total zombie. So if anybody has some advice for me, I'd appreciate it. Heh.

How do you go to sleep?

LorriM — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 06:12:42

I usually fall asleep very quickly, and have no problems. If, on the rare occasion, I can't sleep, I read, and am quickly feeling sleepy.

How do you go to sleep?

LondonGirl — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 02:15:47

Write a diary. And keep a pad and pencil by the bed. The diary gets a big chunk of worries out of my head and in case I'm drifting off and think of something "mustn't forget x" I just write it down and off I go...

hope that helps.

How do you go to sleep?

Oli — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 09:58:45

Stephen Fry serenades me with chapters of Harry Potter every night... I just concentrate on the story (even though I've heard it a million times before) and I drop off within a minute...

That does become a hazzard when I'm driving and the shuffle whatsit on the iPod selects some Harry Potter >_<

How do you go to sleep?

StevenCampbell — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 09:51:37

If I can't fall asleep, I find the following works:

Stare at yourself in the mirror. For a really long time. This should make you sleepy if you stay focused and don't think about anything.

If that doesn't work, take an ice cube and rub it all over your face until it melts. A little strange, yes, but it makes me sleepy (although it wakes some people up).

Mike: Lucky. It usually takes me 5 or 10 minutes to fall asleep. And that's if I don't think about anything.

How do you go to sleep?

Justin — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 08:08:25

I close my eyes. :)

It really helps to focus on making your breaths as relaxed and even as possible. You have to do it for 5-10 minutes to really get into it. I'm always amazed how tense and shallow my normal breathing is.

How do you go to sleep?

Reggiiee — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 07:39:15

i need a hoe

How do you go to sleep?

Reggiiee — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 07:36:36

20 angels are alive
10 are sleeping
9 are playing
and 1 is reading this

send another shoutout in 4-15 mins and you will
find your true love.

How do you go to sleep?

Karsh — Fri, 11 May 2007 08:31:03

I've been using pzizz lately, and it works like a dream.

How do you go to sleep?

dook — Fri, 11 May 2007 08:29:22

Work out?

How do you go to sleep?

Mike — Fri, 11 May 2007 08:04:00

I put my head on the pillow and fall asleep in under a minute, pretty much every single night.

How do you go to sleep?

fuscom — Fri, 11 May 2007 04:01:31

I know it's been a while since you've posted this Paul, but in case it's something you're still dealing with, let's try something practical instead of all these synthesized, outside solutions.

You were obviously conflicted by this lack of sleep in your post, noted by the title of your post and the wish that you could sleep while the sun wasn't in the sky.

Practically speaking, while it's great that you have a million ideas floating around, no amount of herbs or drugs or wine or baths or intense workouts will work for you until you come to the realization that your great ideas are being diluted by the never ending conflict of sleep or work in your mind.

You're an athlete, think about it like this. In order to win (make these ideas into successful reality) you've got to have your head in the game and not be distracted by everything else going on (should I go to sleep...no I cant sleep, must work...but it's late...I wish I could sleep when the sun wasn't out...crap, I need to get back to work).

It's all strategy in how we deal with the inner battles.

How do you go to sleep?

SmileyFreak1981 — Fri, 11 May 2007 03:15:41

If you're talking about druggage, Tylenol PM works well for me. Benadryl is good too, but with me it makes my head all foggy for 4 or 5 hours after I wake up, which kind of defeats the purpose. I only take Benadryl for allergy situations if I'm desperate.

Hot herbal tea with honey is good to relax with, and is good for congestion and scratchy throat. Writing helps me wind down as well.

How do you go to sleep?

rick — Fri, 11 May 2007 02:30:48

I sleep with a vengeance.

I laughed my pants off with that one...

There are times of the year where I'm sleeping at most 4 hours a night and function pretty well. But then there are periods when I have to sleep at least 10 hours a night to even think straight.

A trick for me is to read in bed. It slows me down and I crash within a page or two.

How do you go to sleep?

auburn — Fri, 11 May 2007 02:04:39

Mind going a mile a minute happens to me often. I keep paper and pencil near the bed so I can write down some teerrrifc idea that won't disappear. Somehow, putting the idea down on paper is like deflating the balloon so it doesn't stick with me, preventing sleep. Of course, the next day I can hardly read my own writing!
If all our ideas don't help (including drinking no coffee or sodas with caffeine) then go to your nearest Wal Mart and grab Benedryl.