How to get to sleep.

Everyone has had one of those nights. You get into bed, your nice and cozy, and maybe you watch TV for a while. Then, you roll over and close your eyes. About 10 minutes later you realized you aren't falling asleep. These are some tips to help you.

Step 1 Preparing for sleep - Consuming

Try not to drink too much caffeine. Do not drink much coffee, only drink it in the morning. And do not drink too much soda. First off, soda has a lot of caffeine, and second off, soda makes you have to go to the bathroom a lot.
As for eating, do not eat after 3 hours before you go to bed. This can cause aspiration (stomach acid coming up into the throat). I have acid reflux disease, so if I sleep flat, I wake up coughing up body fluids. It burns, and takes too long to get rid of. And another reason is because you may have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Comments

[darthbindy]

what i find helps is breath in, and when you breath out, pretend your sinking deeper and deeper into your bead with each breath out

[nutsandbolts_64]

Actually, we have a mattress with no spring or any sort of 'springy' thing in it, but yet people sleep comfortably on it. If you know the game Half-Life 2 (or maybe Garry's Mod) I picture the G-man talking to me (his voice is like, drowsy and stuff). Wanna know how to sleep? If you know the stereotypical hypnosis-inducing spiral, picture that, it can actually get you drowsy if you imagine in right.

TIP: Any exposure to artificial light might disrupt sleeping cycle (and that is why I need an EMP generator :D)

[wakojako]

IMHO spring mattreses are better. they're more supportive

[hhhttt]

like i said b4 i cant get to sleep on Christmas eve like every kid, ad i need help any possible answers are fine.



P.S. What are "lucid dreams"?

[Flumpkins]

Punch yourself as hard as you can and cry yourself to sleep. LOL jkjk. Do not drink soda, coffee, and do not consume anything with caffeine. Some people get together on Christmas eve, and exchange early presents. If you do anything on Christmas Eve, run around with a little boy, a doggy, or just be annoying so you will be tired when you go to bed. Try listening to music, preferably NOT christmas music, that will just get you more excited. Try to forget the next day is Christmas. Try to imagine it's a normal day tomorrow.  Or you can stay up all night watching TV lol NOT. That sucks. One time when I was like 7 I woke up a 2 in the morning, came downstairs, and stared at the clock until 7 so I could wake my parents haha.

Lucid dreams are dreams, where you know you are dreaming, yet you continue to see your dream.

[pixieliz]

Hey Flumpkins, I've been enjoying reading the posts here. Part of my job is to help people improve their sleep; I used to really enjoy advising people about it and problem-solving with them until 8 weeks ago... I've suddenly developed insomina. And now it really sucks to be helping people who are getting more sleep than me!!! Anyway, I've been giggling while reading your replies to people, and thought I'd share my lucid dream experience with you and your followers.
Ok, so for years I've been having recurring dreams about needing a poo in a public place and eventually find a toilet after much searching. Only problem is, everyone can see me. I know, it's a classic. Anyway, I usually just get on with it and feel mildly embarassed. Thing is, recently, it's become lucid. I've had the dream so many times that now when I'm in the dream I think 'Oh no, this is just like one of those toilet/anxiety dreams I have, only this time... it's real'.
Do you think that is a genuine lucid dream as I'm thinking about something outside of the dream?

p.s. I'm going to try the fake-REM type eyeball rolling you suggest. I think it's going to work wonders for me at 4am.

[Flumpkins]

Yea, most likely. I've never experienced one, but I've heard about them, and that sounds about correct. Odd dream, by the way ahaha.

since this was over a month ago, how did it work?

And sorry about the long delay, I've forgotten about this site haha

[pixieliz]

Well, the eyeball thing didn't really work for me... but it inspired me to try other 'tricks' on the brain so I've mastered the art of copying my boyfriends breathing when he's asleep, that really deep, slow, infrequent breathing people do when they're fast asleep. And, it seems to trick my brain into drifting off. Or imagining something really nice like floating around in a giant comfy duvet with stars around or something like that. It all works as long as the boyfriend is not awake. On those occasions I'm doomed - he fidgets and I get reallly annoyed. Annoyed = sleep impossible! I've also had to almost give up alcohol totally as that seems to be what wakes me up in the night if I've had a few glasses of wine in the evening. Doh!

[hhhttt]

lol about the punching, we dont do early exchange bc my brother will play with them all night,and Ive tried the forget xmas it doesnt work ill try the music and any othe suggestions will be good

[Ikkalebob]

Feather pillows are very comfy but every now and then pointy bits come out of the front and stab you in the face while your asleep. its not pleasant. Memory foam pillows, on the other hand, are amazing!

[Flumpkins]

Haha I'd like to try a feather pillow sometime. The only thing I've had with feathers is a comforter....haha. That was SOO warm.

[Ikkalebob]

This is a good idea but I strongly advise not reading because it stimulates your brain and can even make it harder to sleep.

[Cheezpaper]

I had a lucid dream once where I was doing chores and I pulled out a bed from out under the kitchen sink and I had a remote and changed the room by pressing the room up button and I fell asleep. It was weird.

And then in my real dream, I woke up for school had breakfast, ate a banana and did no work at all and when I really woke up, I thought I really did that stuff.

[mr.noris]

i hate it when that happens!

[Cr4zy_Dud3_0n_F1r3]

I know what that feels like, the drifting feeling. Its almost like a ghost flew through you and your soul gets knocked out of your body, and then you feel your soul going around you until it gets knocked back into you, at that point I usually fall asleep.

[zack attack]

my mom say's that hot milk makes you sleep better. ( it taste's disgusting.)

[Flumpkins]

Hmmm... never tried it. I might some day though!

[zack attack]

I wouldn't if I were you. ITS SO DISGUSTING!!!!!!! but if you want you can try it.

[Flumpkins]

lol thanks for the tip

[Cr4zy_Dud3_0n_F1r3]

Its okay, but then again it depends on how long you microwave it, my mom does it for about 5 seconds so its just slightly warm to the touch. But it doesn't really help me.

[zipzapper859]

hey i wake up a lot when i sleep and it gets annoying and i roll over a lot is there a way to stop that? when i wake up it usually takes me about 30 min to a hour to fall back asleep. i got a really nice mattress and pillows and i still have troubles sleeping. i have found if i just listen to the beginning of a movie that i have seen over a million times than i usually fall asleep pretty quickly

[Flumpkins]

Happens to me too... I've been experimenting and nothing has worked :(

[zack attack]

last night and the night before i think i got a totel of FOUR HOURS OF SLEEP!!!!!!!!

[Flumpkins]

Well recently I have had about a week with no sleep at all. Its too hot, and I tried everything. I had 2 fans on, no blankets, my window was open, and I was half naked. I was still sweating like a mad man. I tried everything in this instructable and nothing worked. Trust me, you are lucky to have at least 1 hour of sleep

[zack attack]

but i hope this awsome instructable will help me.

[Flumpkins]

I didn't see this comment, so did it help?

[zack attack]

ALOT!!!!!!!

[Flumpkins]

Good! I'm happy I helped you :D

[I_am_jesuspeanut]

I really only go to sleep in cold tempratures

[_Scratch_]

lol for me it's like 1 hour and i dont fall asleep

[_Scratch_]

P.S (a response to "lucid dreams")  how come all of my dreams are like that???
I dream in vivid detail, and color, and i can think of what to do in my dream, but almost always forget main details when i wake up.... like i know what im dreaming and i can think almost for my self of what to do.

[hhhttt]

please help me i need to get to sleep on Christmas eve. my body is too exited for "Santa" and i cant get to sleep pleez help

[Sunbanks]

My room is almost ALWAYS way too hot. It seems like it's way more difficult to get to sleep when you're too hot than when you're cold.

[komecake]

  I've dealt with this my entire life as I have a mother who doesn't use the AC until it's 95 degrees or above.

 Get a cold rag and lay is on your back with the van blowing on it. An alternative that works well to this is to run cold water over your feet or get a spray bottle with water and get them wet. Make sure to get in between your toes. Put the fan right on your feet and also put a cold rag on top. You'll cool off immediately and it usually lasts long enough  so you can doze off.

[Flumpkins]

I know. Couldn't agree more. Do you have an A/C, Fan, or ceiling fan?

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

i have a fan,keep the window open use no blankets and wear shorts and a t-shirt in what is this ummmm  oh right november ,,watch out turkeys hehe,, and i am still hot. what sould i do take a bath in dry ice?!

[Sunbanks]

Nope, we just have heaters :\ I've told my mom we need to get screens for the windows but we haven't yet.

[DJ Radio]

Milk does help you to fall asleep. You should also add that fooling around with electronics and gizmos keeps you from falling asleep after you put em away.

[Flumpkins]

Milk is the stuff. I don't understand that second sentence...

[DJ Radio]

If you fool around with your cell phone for a few mins then put it away, its very hard to fall asleep. Ive done this, Ive put my phone away at 2 am, then I cant fall asleep until 4 am.