Ask Lemmy

Cut back on caffeine; don't drink it past noon.

Go to bed at the same time every night.

Keep your room cool and dark.

When you get in bed, turn the light off and go to sleep. Don't read or watch videos in bed.

Chamomile and Valerian root teas are magic.

If you suffer from anxiety, find and utilize healthy coping mechanisms to reduce it. Meditation can be helpful.

I usually fall asleep within 5 to 10 minutes, and sleep 7.5 to 8.5 hours most nights.

Any amount of sleep is more valuable when you’re well hydrated.

So if you’re lying there thirsty, but worried that getting up might mean being unable to fall asleep for another hour, know that being well hydrated for 5 hours of sleep is worth more than being dehydrated for 6 hours of sleep.

Working shifts in the aviation industry and living in a city center that can be noisy, my best investment was sleeping earbuds named Bose sleepbuds (v2).

It’s just earbuds that you don’t feel and can sleep on your side without pain, they only play white noises.

Now I’m waiting for the Ozlo Sleep which are basically the v3 of the Bose sleepbuds.

Those things saved my sanity when working night shifts.

I need to occupy my mind with something that isn't related to real life. Not just avoiding topics that are stressful or otherwise emotionally loaded, just thinking about anything I'm going to do or things in my life will stop me sleeping. So I think of stories and fiction worlds until the day dreams become actual dreams.

Since I got into the habit my sleep has gotten far more regular and I have had more control over went it happens.

Exercise a lot (and get sunlight exposure) during the day.

Also, never watch movies, read, scroll on a phone, etc in bed. You want your brain to 100% associate being in the bed with sleeping, as soon as it happens

I'm usually out within 5-10 minutes now, since starting to follow those two things reliably

(edit: also, minimizing light exposure in the last couple of hours of your day is good)

edit 2: Forgot the most important thing of all, which is to keep a consistent sleep / wake time every day. Getting rid of all alcohol is great too, if you want actually-decent sleep

Cold dark room to Lower your temperature and block visual stimuli, eye covers work wonders where not possible, also help once you're used to do naps on hard workout days.

Melatonin on days I stay half awake for over 30 mins after lights off, usually a small biye off a 10 mg helps conciliate sleep.

Happy toughts, no crazy killing TV series reading drama or action stuff sets you up for decent natural occurring dreams.

Eat at least 2 hrs before going to bed so I'm not having hard digestion competing with brain cycles, light dinners and green veggies help get you all the magnesium to rest well.

Ultimately we're routine animals, sleep in my own bed, at the same time is the basic. Do it and force you to get to sleep on time and your body will pay you back with excellent recovery and a sharp mind.

Even with all of this I'm thinking to start trying relaxation mushrooms to Kickstart the cycle.

Sweet dreams!

If you’re not sleeping if having sex, get off the bed.

When you’re tired, go to bed.

Basically train your brain into thinking that bed = sleepy time

A weighted blanket.

Don't get one too heavy though, I accidentally did and I gave myself sleep paralysis for a week or so. That was fun.

My husband has chronic PTSD related insomnia. Since he's been prescribed cannabis, he's been able to actually sleep better than with any of the harsh meds he's been prescribed in the past.

Caveat: He was told it can interfere with REM, which in his case is good since it also helps with the nightmares, but it's probably not good for regular use by the average person, or so we've been told by his provider. Ask your doctor, I guess.

I leave my phone in a different room, and read on my kindle. Prevents getting caught up in something and it's easy to just close it when you're ready to fall asleep.

Some good and some interesting tips here.

I'll add: Only sleep, read, and screw in your bedroom. Do nothing else. No TV, no games, etc. I also appreciate my blackout blinds. Daylight does not wake me up.

You should develop an awareness: When are you ready to fall asleep 'NOW'? This opportunity repeats about every 20 minutes.

Go to bed, then do your thing, whatever you do while waiting for sleep to come (I read a book). If you recognize that you yawn, then stop immediately with everything that you've been doing. Lights off, be still and just let it happen.

Get up at the same time every day.

• Lights: Switching to light sources/bulbs with lower brightness/warmer light temperature (lower Kelvin/K-value) 3 hours before bed. (Light affects our sleep-wake cycle, aka the circadian rhythm. Our brain processes bright light as "the sun is still up so it's not time to sleep yet")
• Screens: Gradually dimming electronic screens until bedtime (Computer: using F.lux and lowering the brightness gradually in the graphics card's control panel. Phone: with a built-in Night/Dark Mode option that you can schedule or by using an app like Twilight). // Don't take your devices to the bedroom, or keep them far away from the bed and set them on silent/shut them off.
• Sleeping in a closed and completely dark room (including covering LED lights on electronics, or using a face mask) with something that makes a white noise.
• Food: Having a light meal 3-3.5 hours before bed and light snacks 1.5-2 hours before bed, to not put the body into overdrive digesting a heavy meal or cause heartburn/indigestion, and also to not go to sleep hungry and get distracted by that.
• If you sleep on your stomach with your head to the side, you can use a thin and narrow side pillow (but firm) along your torso to support your shoulder on the side that your head is pointing to. (you can also use a thin pillow for your head to not strain your neck/spine - there are ones made for kids if needed)

I usually put on one of darkness prevails compilation videos from YouTube. The dude is a prolific poster and has probably hundreds of five plus hour long videos which are just audio with a screenshot for the video. I don't even particularly care about the spooky scary stories or creepypasta or whatever the hell it's called, but something about that dude's voice and the way he reads those stories just knocks me out. Although I can't recommend it for everybody because it could end up giving you really fucked up dreams.

For many years I was getting maybe 2 hours sleep a night. The slightest sound would wake me up and then I'd lay there trying to get back to sleep. Which spiraled into me getting up to pee 3 or 4 times a night. I read about Valerian root being great for helping fall asleep so I tried it with little hope. 2 capsules half an hour before bed. I nodded off easily and woke up a few hours later. 3 straight hours of sleep was unheard-of for me.

Then I added a couple 25mg Benadryl to help me stay asleep or go right back to sleep if something woke me up..... like my bladder that was now completely trained to need emptying every one and a half to two hours.

Just prior to Covid I got a cpap. It took me a week before I slept thru the night. Happened again the next week.... then a couple nights a week. A few years using my cpap and now most nights I sleep right thru or if I do wake up I can nod right back off. I still use the Valerian root and Benadryl every night but neither of those build up a tolerance.

Word of warning: Actually 2.... you will not get "high" on Valerian root and the dreams you have will be in ultra high Def technicolor Sid and Marty Kroft bizarre fun dreams. Actually 3..... the Valerian root smells bad. As in 6 week old gym socks marinated in the trunk of your Chevelle during the summer mixed with dog shit. But they help and you only smell it for a second before swallowing.

I also added a sleep eye mask with Bluetooth headphones built in and I listen to positive affirmations blended with mild rain sounds.

So.... pills, cpap, headphones mask.

Do a sleep study. If you have apnea try the CPAP.

Go to bed at the same time every night and create bedtime rituals to tell your body that it's time to sleep. These can be elaborate as a certain tea and a favorite comfy chair, or simple as washing your face and brushing your teeth, just perform them consistently before getting in bed for about two weeks and your sleep patterns should improve.

Having something to laugh about right before bed helps a lot. Oddly I know this due to being a sufferer of the pseudobulbar effect.

Rub one out.

For me it's watching steve1989 MRE reviews on YouTube. Dude has the chillest voice and demeanor, and the content is just engaging enough to keep my mind from spiraling off onto random shit, but not exciting enough to keep me awake. The only problem is waking up to my phone on the floor or buried God knows where in my sheets.

And just in case Steve browses Lemmy, I also like watching his videos while awake too! 😄

Ear plugs and Benadryl

I have pretty bad insomnia and have tried a lot. Several things have worked.

Meditation…with lots of practice. Trazodone And my current favorite…zero caffeine all day and 5mg melatonin with 2 mg of THC/20mg CBD oil at bedtime.

Lots of other things can get me to sleep but nothing works as well as melatonin and some thc to keep me asleep.

Usually weep

My partner has trouble sleeping due to anxiety. She takes Melatonin at night as a sleep aid that's not a prescription

Good sleeping/eye mask

The one Tim Ferriss recommends. It fits really well even at the nose and its material is satiny soft

Smoke indica instead of sativa before bedtime.

Close my eyes

No screens an hour before bed, noise machine, cool temperature, darkest possible lighting and slow breathing.