How to successfully become sleepy

May 29, 2008 6:54 PM

Here ye, here ye fellow MeFites. I come in need of some suggestions on how to successfully tone myself down better each night for sleep.

I've always had a more rough time than others falling asleep. These days I recently have asked the doc for a muscle relaxer ("soma") and take trazodone sometimes to help me sleep. The trazodone is fairly effective, but sometimes I don't feel like taking it all the time and other times it seems like it works so so.

What does everyone here do to fall asleep? I should preface this by saying, almost no visualization or breathing exercise has successfully made me more tired than I started. I really mean it, lol.

I guess the responses I'm saying I prefer are either relating to some series of stretching exercises, concoctions any of you makeup, warm milk, etc type ideas.

posted by isoman2kx to Health & Fitness (21 answers total)

Something that's helpful for me is getting off the computer and away from the TV at least a half hour before going to bed -- but an hour's even better. I think I've read that there have been studies that show sitting in front of a screen (whether computer or TV) will stimulate certain parts of your brain, so that even if you're physically tired, it's harder to kill the "awake" switch.
posted by scody at 7:04 PM on May 29, 2008

I know this isn't always doable (what with real life and all), but when it's near sleeping time and I'm lying in my bed reading or on the computer, the moment I start to feel sleepy I shut my light off and go to bed. If I try to finish out the chapter or look at one more thing, I miss my Optimal Window of Sleep Time and unproductively thrash around for awhile trying to get tired again.
posted by phunniemee at 7:04 PM on May 29, 2008

Let me ask you something...Do you have a rigorous workout during the day (not just stretching right before going to sleep). I have problems going to sleep also (and on top of that i am very sensitive to sound and light while i am sleeping so I can wake up for the smallest amount of noise), however most of my problems have been resolved after i started working out......i am sooo tired nowadays that i am falling asleep by 10pm (which is now)...good night.
posted by The1andonly at 7:16 PM on May 29, 2008

I take it that you have an established working / sleeping pattern, structured days, and some kind of wind-down bedtime routine... here is what works for me
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) after Jacobson (first google hit cached) needs to be done right but really does the trick, could even replace your "soma". I've had a proper PMR session once with a therapist which resulted in feeling as relaxed as if floating in a tank, on drugs.
Sometimes I work off nervous energy by writing into a notebook, which takes an hour or so before sleep. Just re-running the events of the day in chronological order in my mind would be a shorter version of this. Somebody very successful I know gets up again and starts on their next day's work if he doesn't fall asleep within an hour or so, but I don't always dare to take the sleep deprivation...
posted by yoHighness at 7:31 PM on May 29, 2008

I read really easy, relaxing books in bed.

I flip all lights out except for the night stand lamp, and dive into a book that has an un-provoking (yet interesting) subject matter- could be historical fiction, a Bill Bryson book, bedside-philosophy book, or even something so inaccessible that you can't even get more than two pages into it- the important part is to find something that doesn't too actively capture your thoughts... I've trained myself (out of reading these kinds of books in bed) to easily fall asleep reading. It's a good way to distract an over-stimulated mind into relaxing.
posted by self at 7:33 PM on May 29, 2008

I keep copies of The Economist at the bedside. Not kidding - it works like a charm.
posted by gyusan at 7:39 PM on May 29, 2008

A warm bath about an hour or so before bed helps me a lot. I put LUSH bath bombs or bubble bars in the bath - Flosty Gritter is my favorite, it's lavender and vanilla; other good ones are Dreamtime and Waving not Drowning. All are made with combinations of essential oils that help induce sleep.

Also, rubbing lavender oil on my temples (just a teeny tiny bit, you DO NOT want to get it in your eyes) can speed me off to the land of Nod.

Finally, I can not sleep in a warm room. It has to be cool. YMMV, but many people find a pleasantly cool (not freezing) room helps with sleep.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 7:46 PM on May 29, 2008

I don't take much of my own advice, but...

Make your bedroom as dark as possible before you go to sleep. Darkness triggers melatonin production, and melatonin makes you sleepy.

Don't use your bed for anything but sleeping and sex. No television in bed, and certainly no computer.

Exercise (or any kind of physical exertion) during the day makes it much easier to sleep at night.

Herbal tea can sometimes help. The Sleepytime flavor (made by Celestial Seasonings?) will knock you flat on your ass. I think it comes in two varieties—one contains valerian. (Valium is made from valerian. It's not without health concerns, but unless you're drinking it constantly, it shouldn't be a problem.) Also—and I know this is weird—I occasionally drink a mug of plain hot water. Something about the warmth makes me all happy and content inside.

Speaking of melatonin, you can buy it in pill form at the grocery store; it's usually with the dietary supplements (i.e., the not-quite-vitamins). It's very effective, but the recommended dosage is at least twice the necessary dosage, and it can leave you feeling groggy in the morning.

Warm milk really does work. Ditto for a small amount of alcohol.

A good orgasm (self-administered or otherwise) is always helpful.
posted by greenie2600 at 7:54 PM on May 29, 2008

Oh, and I'm pretty sure Cozy Chamomile can be used as elephant tranquilizer. One cup of that (with a good amount of honey and milk), and I am out cold.
posted by phunniemee at 7:57 PM on May 29, 2008

Just a warning against an alcoholic approach...

It is wise to drink a small amount of alcohol (and has various benefits), but do not get get drunk to fall asleep- especially if tired. You WILL wake up when you sober up, and be much more antsy/hungover because.
posted by self at 8:06 PM on May 29, 2008

I have some stuff called Bedtime Tea - says it's valerian and chamomile - I got when I wanted to get away from Unisom and the like, and was really surprised by how well it worked; it makes me feel quite mellow.

I keep reading material which is both quiet in tone and somewhat thought-provoking by the bed and read a chapter a night - currently it's the essays of Charles Lamb. I find that books that are too light and 'easy' just allow my thoughts to wander, which starts a cycle of thinking and worrying about stuff that continues after I try to go to sleep.

I sleep best in rooms many would consider overheated - if you've been used to one temperature extreme you might try the other just to see.

I use the fan on my air conditioning unit as a white noise machine. It makes kind of a loud, steady hum and is able to block nearly everything else out. If I didn't have this option I would probably buy one made for the purpose, I think it's the single-most helpful thing I have in my getting-to-sleep arsenal.
posted by frobozz at 9:31 PM on May 29, 2008

Try soaking your feet in warm water, which is supposed to draw blood away from your brain and make you sleepier.

Or a hot water bottle against your feet, back, whatever. It's soothing.

Condition yourself with music. For most of frosh year I napped to a particular album. The first track of it ["Cello Song" by Nick Drake] still gets me into sleep mode instantly.
posted by hippugeek at 9:47 PM on May 29, 2008

Off-topic: greenie2600: Valium is made from valerian. Indeed? From which component? I can't find one that looks anything like diazepam, but then I can't find a very good list of them either. Nor do any of the diazepam syntheses online mention such a source.
posted by eritain at 11:44 PM on May 29, 2008

You know, I thought a lot of the "do such-and-such boring activity with your brain" ideas were completely bogus, but it actually works for me to pick a category and think of things in that category that start with all the letters of the alphabet. Sometimes I get all the way to Z, but I almost always fall asleep before that or shortly after. I recommend cities, countries, plants, animals, names...it's just about the most dull thing in the world.

I've always had bad insomnia but if I really force myself to just do the alphabet stuff and scold myself if I don't do it, I really do fall asleep faster.
posted by crinklebat at 12:25 AM on May 30, 2008

For me, it really was as simple as cutting out caffeine and getting some exercise.

Everything else is just window dressing.....

I also find being better organised (planning what i have to do tomorrow, using task management processes) meant I didn't spend half the night repeating to myself what I had to do the next day.
posted by TheOtherGuy at 12:36 AM on May 30, 2008

I've had bouts of insomnia before and its always been because I've not been active enough in the day. Sunday nights were always a problem.

The key to breaking it for me was to get some exercise and a routine, getting up at a similar time every day, even weekends. At the start of the process I was getting up a lot earlier than I really needed to and started swimming on Sunday afternoons to wear myself out.

I got so good at the routine I was getting up at 6.30 on a weekend without an alarm clock and swimming a mile a week (for someone who errs on the side of lazy, this was quite an achievement). I've relaxed the routine now, letting myself wake up naturally on weekends and I don't have to exercise myself into exhaustion anymore.

No counting/mind exercises worked for me, they just make me awake *and* bored. Ditto what phunniemee said about not missing out on 'sleep windows'.

I read in bed, I've now trained my brain so effectively to shut down when reading that I have trouble staying awake with a book in the daytime. It makes for slow progress on the reading list but I'm very well rested! Good luck.
posted by Ness at 1:39 AM on May 30, 2008

seconding scody on no TV or computer for an hour before bed. Listen to music you find relaxing instead.
posted by canoehead at 11:31 AM on May 30, 2008

no TV/computer for at least a half-hour before bed, and reduce all the lighting in the house, then HOT bath and going to bed in a slightly cool room. also, in my case, since I have occasional knee trouble, I sometimes take an aleve after dinner to make sure it's all calmed down before bedtime.

I like to read in the bath to relax, too, although I have to make sure it's not anything so exciting that I want to stay up reading forever. (someday I'm going to drop a library book in the tub, but that hasn't happened so far!)
posted by epersonae at 2:20 PM on May 30, 2008

Nthing the no tv and no computer advice - the screens are just too bright and will keep you awake. I don't particularly like the "buzz" from valerian - it makes me feel sedated, not sleepy, but ymmv. Definitely try to be outside sometime during the day, preferably in the sun and moving around (a nice long walk at lunch or after work is good). I've never had trouble falling asleep on a day where I spend a decent amount of time outside. Also, are you eating sugar late in the day? Once I cut out the night-time sugary snacks, my sleep improved tremendously. Finally, no caffeine in the afternoon! If I drink coffee at even 3pm, I will have a tough time falling asleep 8 hours later!
posted by The Light Fantastic at 3:35 PM on May 30, 2008

@eritain: well, by golly, you're right. From this site:

Some people confuse valerian and Valium, believing that their similar names imply that they are somehow related. They are not. Valium is a synthetic drug, a member of the benzodiazepine family, while valerian is derived from a plant.

There is a connection, however. The herb and the drug seem to affect the brain in a similar fashion, binding to the same receptors. The differences are that valerian appears to be nonaddictive, and its effects tend to be milder than those of Valium.

posted by greenie2600 at 12:30 PM on May 31, 2008

Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome is me in a nutshell. I tend to sleep from 2-10am, but I work 8am-5pm. I've tried lots and lots of things.

Medicines are good for a reset. If I take a sleeping pill around 7-8pm, I'll sleep all night. I may or may not wake @ 4pm. It seems to "reset" my sleeping schedule though. The next night, I'm sleeping around 10pm to 8am, or 10 to 6. It's nice. This generally lasts for at least a few days.

Part of my problem is that I work in an industry with after hours work. Some is self-inflicted (projects), other not so much (outages). If anything causes me to deviate from a standard schedule (such as 10p to 7a), then I'm immediately back to 2-4am bedtimes. So I'm always seeking anything I can to maintain a normal bedtime.

- computers and tvs are negatives. tvs, at a very low volume in the background, help me maintain sleep though.
- books put me to sleep almost every time. Less than 1 hour of reading usually. I'm not really a reader, I prefer nonfiction. So, fiction, for me, is a sleep inducer.
- warm milk works, but not if you're lactose sensitive or intolerant.
- big meals are negatives, even comfort foods. They'll keep your stomach churning.
- kill the churning mind. Pen some brain dumps with all that clutter (todos, projects, ideas, grocery lists, etc).
- have a shower as hot as you can stand it. I think the body temp change afterward knocks me out.
- shopping. skimming through catalogs and mentally wishlisting everything I like.
- journal. a paper journal sometimes help wrap up the day and settle my mind. Similar to the brain dumps, but less dumpy.
- earplugs. if you're hyper aware of your surroundings like I am, get some ear plugs. They're cheap. I don't need them all the time, because it's almost like they turnoff my hyper awareness.
posted by ick at 10:39 AM on June 9, 2008