What do you do when you can't sleep?

[KayMichigan]

I pretend I have to get up in ten minutes. That usually works.

 

[snowwite]

I read and if that doesn’t work I get up.

 

[snowwite]

I pretend I have to get up in ten minutes. That usually works.

Lol

 

[JaxDad]

I wake up frequently in the wee hours, usually 2-3 times between 1AM and 4AM. I do go to bed very early (9PM) because I get up at 5AM. When I wake up too early, I think about anything but my problems. If I start thinking about stuff I'm worried about, I try to redirect my brain. I write stories, so I'll work on a plot in my head, or plan what I want to wear in the morning, or how I want to play a certain scenario in a game or two I like - anything but something that is bothering me!

I do something similar. I think of a favorite book or movie and go through the plot in my head with as much detail as possible. I’ve also tried reading, but keeping the light (and screens) off works best for me.

 

[DVCjj]

Get more & more frustrated by the minute.

 

[ronandannette]

I do something similar. I think of a favorite book or movie and go through the plot in my head with as much detail as possible. I’ve also tried reading, but keeping the light (and screens) off works best for me.

Yep - good, old-fashioned counting sheep (or whatever). According to every piece of research I've ever read, turning on a blue-light electronic screen is the kiss-of-death for getting back to sleep. It seems like so many people do it though; it's no wonder their results are poor. Myself, I don't even turn the regular light on if I have to use the washroom at night. My body can fumble it's way there and back in the dark without fully alerting my brain. It was also a trick I used with my DS when he was little - I never turned bright lights on to feed, change or care for him during the night hours.