What do you do when you can't sleep?

[goofygirl]

some "cures" for insomnia myself or others I know have tried:

going online for awhile

watching something boring on tv

taking a sleep aid

smelling lavendar- yes, this does work!

reading

having an alcoholic drink

getting up and walking around for awhile

body massage by someone, or massaging yourself in your head/temple areas.

making "whoopie", come on, you all KNOW this tires you out! LOL

eating something if your hunger is keeping you up

turning on the fan, air, heat, electric blanket- whatever the season calls for!

 

[KrnB]

I usually try to control my breathing. Breathe in slowly for 4 counts, hold it for a couple counts, breathe out for 4 counts. It forces my brain to stop thinking about all the other stuff and focus on the counts. It also slows down my heart rate and helps me to relax.

If that doesn't work (brain is too active to focus on counting...), I'll usually go heat up a glass of milk and read for a while. And I'll take some Tylenol PM.

 

[Jolie C]

I lie there and think about how annoying it is that I can't go to sleep. If it gets really bad, then I will get up and wander onto the dis and think about how annoying it is that no one else is up in the middle of the night like me.

 

[C.Ann]

I read this in a magazine somewhere:

Begin at your head and work your way down thinking "My head is SO heavy and SO tired, I can't even pick it up.." Then move to your left arm (repeating the same thought in your head - "My arm is SO heavy and SO tired, I can't even pick it up..") and so on and so forth.. If you concentrate really, really hard, you can convince yourself of this and actually feel the fatigue.. By the time you get to your feet, you're starting to doze off..

DD also used to lay flat on her back and hold one arm straight up in the air until she absolutely could NOT hold it up anymore.. Then she would do the other arm - and by the time she was done she was tired enough to go to sleep.. (Strange, but it was actually a teacher that suggested this..)

Also, if you have a lot of thoughts running through your head just keep repeating over and over and over, "I'll think about that tomorrow.. Sleep now.." - but you have to do it QUICKLY - before you allow another thought to enter your head - and you need to breathe deeply and slowly at the same time..

When all else fails, I take a generic form of over-the-counter sleeping pill (basically it's just an antihistamine) which costs a fraction of the name brand sleeping aids and contains the exact same ingredient.. If I only take one, I'm fine the next day - no groggy feeling in the morning.. It does tend to cause dry mouth though, so you should take it with a full glass of water and perhaps keep a glass of water by your bed as well..

Of course I can't sleep right NOW and I'm DISing rather than following my own advice.. LOL

Sweet dreams!!!!!!!!!

 

[Planogirl]

I have the most trouble falling asleep when my mind is racing. I sometimes imagine designing a home and other times, I list things in my mind, like countries or names in alphabetical order. The repetition usually helps me doze off.

If I'm really restless, I'll get up and play on the Internet for a while or I'll watch an old movie or Nick at Nite.

 

[Shellie722]

I'll either watch tv - usually Nick at Nite or sometimes Boomerang- or get on the computer and play Spider, Marbles or MahJong (I DIS alot too) until my eyes start to feel heavy. Reading works too as long as it's not the news paper- I've tried that a couple of times and the news just isn't relaxing.

I get insomnia alot and REALLY bad so if all else fails my doctor gave me a prescripion for Ambiens. They are great but you have to make sure your lying down w/ in about 10 minutes b/c at 20 I'm sound asleep no matter where I am- I woke up one morning sitting on the couch w/ my magazine still in my hands. The best thing about them though is that unlike alot of other meds (including OTC) there is no "hangover effect" and you don't feel groggy the next day.

 

[Disney Doll]

I read. It usually works after a while, and if not, then at least I feel like I've done something productive.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

Watch tv. After watching 30 minutes of boring tv at 3 or 4 in the morning, I zonk out.

 

[Nutsy]

I just lie there, eyes closed & think of things & soon enough I'm off to sleep