Tips For Sleeping

[Bobby]

Well the title says it all.

I've been having troubles getting to sleep lately, and I really want to sleep. I love sleep, but I'm having trouble falling asleep. Any tips?

Please don't tell me to count sheep :P

[Serenity]

Yeah I'm having the same troubles. The only thing that works for me is to make my brain tired- an hour on the computer or watching tv really throws me into a lethargy, thus I fall asleep. Also get yourself some Mozart. Mozart heals everything!

[Bobby]

Mozart makes me vomit :P

I always watch TV before going to bed. And sometimes I go to bed with it on.

[MoveAlong]

if you have a weird sleep schedule, then you'll have trouble sleeping. To fix your sleep schedule, you'll have to force yourself to go to sleep at a certain time. That's all there is to it.

Here's what works for me

-during the day, do something like walk around the block, walk to a store, or just get outside and do something that you don't normally do to wear you out
-relax. Don't worry about things you have to do
-watch something boring or kinda funny like "the girls next door"
-don't excerise or listen to music that you want to dance to an hour before bed. That gets your blood flowing and wakes you up.
-masturbate. Ya, I said it, and ya, it works.
-make sure your bladder's empty
-have a fun day. You'll end the day in a good mood and a bit tired or worn out
-take a shower at most an hour before you go to bed to help relax
-a lot of times, you can't immediately get off the computer and then crash (unless you stayed up until 2). Get off the computer and then watch something on tv before you go to bed.
-write your thoughts down in a journal before you go to bed. I guess you would say that it clears your mind. it's also better than forcing yourself off of the computer.

these won't work if you want to stay up past 11. People think it's stupid, but you're just a happier person if you go to bed earlier, like 9 or 10 because you get more sleep and you don't have to keep yourself awake during the day. A good sleep schedule helps your mood, grades, self-esteem, and relationships, all of which are important to us teens.

edit: p.s. it also helps (for the first day of changing your sleep schedule) to one morning, wake up really early and have a groggy day. crash a lot earlier or when you feel like you should sleep, and then get in the habit.
for experts, use an alarm clock :P

[Serenity]

Mozart makes me vomit :P

I always watch TV before going to bed. And sometimes I go to bed with it on.

GASP blasphemy! :P

And yeah you falling asleep to TV is me falling asleep to music. It's a good lull.

[Bobby]

Thanks Zach, I'll try some of those.

I'm still open to more opinions though.

[ItsNotOver777]

If I can't go to sleep, I listen to really mellow music on my iPod, Like Angels & Airwaves or Hidden In Plain View.

Or I open the window, the sounds of trees and stuff makes me fall asleep easy.

[byee]

Hi Bobby, you know, being a New Yorker I just love your avatar. The view from the Brooklyn side of lower Manhattan was always a favorite of mine and simply spectacular. Sadly, since 9/11, there are no pics of lower Manhattan, anywhere, really. Which I think only makes us miss what we lost that horrible day that much worse. In a way, we lost half the City. Takes much longer to heal when the loss is that much greater than it already was.

OK, so much for the reminiscence. I think periodic bouts of sleeplessness is pretty normal, even if it's frustrating. I like Zach's suggestions, and I'd encourage you to think about the possible cause for the change in your sleeping abilities. Are you more stressed? Is something going on? Something new? Have you changed your diet? Your exercise routine? Are you waking at a different time? Has your activity level changed?

If you can identify the things in your life that might have changed, you might be able to account for the corresponding change in your sleeping stuff. It's easier to fix a problem when you can identify it's cause. Try to identify those factors which might be causing them, then come up with a solution. When you fix the cause, your sleep should return to normal.

[Sage]

What helps me a lot if saving half an hour before I go to sleep without being exposed to any bright lights. Computer monitors, the television, desk lamps... none of that. There's not much to do when it's late without light, so I just listen to some music from my laptop with the screen down.

[Sugaree]

Put like a music DVD on and put it on repeat all night long. That's what I do.

I just pop in Phil Collins and the gang and I'm asleep by the second song:D

[Bobby]

Thanks for that info everyone.

[AutumnDae]

To make myself fall asleep, actually, no I don't have any ways to make myself fall asleep. Anyways, having the tv on is going to actually keep you up. The bluish light is going to keep you awake. Try turning the tv off, or setting it on a sleep timer, if you can't fall asleep without it. Try to get in a normal sleeping pattern. I'm guessing you just went back to school from a vacation? Get about the same amount of sleep each night, go to bed at the same time, and wake up at the same time. When you come home from school, don't take a nap then, it will just make you wide awake? Maybe try not to do any homework right before bed either. If you have a computer in your room, turn it off of sleep or something. I find it hard to sleep with music on, but thats just me.

I basically repeated what everyone else said, but hope it helped.

[DouggyO.o]

-during the day, do something like walk around the block, walk to a store, or just get outside and do something that you don't normally do to wear you out
-relax. Don't worry about things you have to do
-watch something boring or kinda funny like "the girls next door"
-don't excerise or listen to music that you want to dance to an hour before bed. That gets your blood flowing and wakes you up.
-masturbate. Ya, I said it, and ya, it works.
-make sure your bladder's empty
-have a fun day. You'll end the day in a good mood and a bit tired or worn out
-take a shower at most an hour before you go to bed to help relax
-a lot of times, you can't immediately get off the computer and then crash (unless you stayed up until 2). Get off the computer and then watch something on tv before you go to bed.
-write your thoughts down in a journal before you go to bed. I guess you would say that it clears your mind. it's also better than forcing yourself off of the computer.

this list is god! All things in red are what i do before bed....gets me relaxed. if I miss even 1 I tend to sleep walk and not sleep well

[scatman]

I had the same problem a while ago but it has not affected me in a long time i know what your going through.

i really don't have any tips just stay calm and clear your mind you may think thats dumb but just try it.

[Graceland]

Make up a story. I'm currently having several stories (mostly complicated crime fiction, I'm a bit geeky) running each night and morning. One includes a rich guy who gets killed, but there are no footsteps around him. And a magician who suddenly dies on-stage. And by the way, the iPod approach is probably not a good idea, if you care about your hearing.