Introduction: How to Get to Sleep.

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About: R.I.P. James Owen Sullivan Aka The Rev Drummer For Avenged Sevenfold February 10, 1981 - December 28, 2009 "Dear God, I pray James "The Rev" Sullivan is in a little piece of heaven in the afterlife making the…

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.

Step 2: Preparing for Sleep - Drowsiness - Before Sleeping

It is a good idea to make sure you are tired so can fall asleep. It may seem awkward, but before I go to sleep, I do stuff I do to waste time during the day. I may read a book, or use my laptop. I might draw, and maybe even watch TV.
I am putting the most effective strategy in a whole new paragraph. Listen to music. Just lay in the dark, with blankets over you, and listen to your favorite band. You will catch yourself dosing off after a few songs. Do not panic to say "YES, IT'S WORKING!". Then your excitement will wake you up more. Usually, when I do this, I turn off my Zune, and fall asleep within 5 minutes.

Step 3: Preparing for Sleep - One Consumption That Will Help

There is only one consumption that will help you get to sleep. It is white and thick, and creamy. What is it? Milk. It cools you down, and you get much comfier, and you start getting a little tired. Just make sure that after you drink the milk, you stack a few extra pillows so that you will not aspirate.

Step 4: Making Sure You Are Comfortable - Heat

Before you actually struggle to get to sleep make sure you are comfortable. One of the things that really bother me when I can't get to sleep is the temperature.
The absolute worst troublemaker for me is if I am hot, I do not want to take off my blanket because it is what help me get to sleep since it is comfortable, and cozy. So I installed an air conditioner in my window. If I get too hot, I turn the knob to maybe 7 or 8. If I get cold, I turn the knob to maybe 6 or 5. Results depend on the size and shape of your room, and how long the air conditioner has been running. Sometimes, for some reason if the Air conditioner is on a high mode and I am still hot, I turn on a floor fan. I usually turn it on 2 or 3. Or if I am hot but not too hot, I put it on 1. Depending on your gender, it may be comfortable to take off some clothes. Sometimes my shirt, but most of the time I take off a piece of clothing, it is my shorts/pants. But I don't do that often. One last thing that I almost never do but you may want to try is getting a drink. Anything nice and cold. I prefer ice water.

Step 5: Getting Comfortable - Cold

This doesn't happen often because most people have heating. But just in case you don't, or if it is below 0 degrees (Fahrenheit).
One way you can get warmer is turning your heat up. This is very simple, but it may bother other people in your home. Try putting on more blankets. Or, if I am cold at night, I usually put on some heavier sleeping clothes. Such as sweat pants, a sweatshirt, and a some nice socks. As you might tell, the most you can do for coldness turn your heat up, bundle up, and maybe drink some hot cocoa.

Step 6: Getting Comfortable - Matress

There are soo many different types of mattresses. Sleep Number, Tempur Pedic, and the very much hated spring mattresses. This is something I will NOT know much about. If I had to pick one I would have for the rest of my life, I would pick the Tempur Pedic (memory foam (by the way, I do NOT own any of these companies)).

Step 7: Getting Comfortable - Blankets

If it is hot in your room, and you just get it perfect, take off your comforter, and throw on a small fleece blanket. Usually when I do this, it is only from about my waist and below. It may not be as thick, long, and comfortable as a comforter, but it works like comforter.
If it is the perfect temperature, you will be able to use a comforter without any heat or cold.

On the other hand, if your comforter is just uncomfortable and itchy from so much use, try buying a more expensive and durable brand. It will last longer, and they are usually more comfortable.

Step 8: Getting Comfortable - Pillows

There are many type of pillows. Couch pillows, those weird long cylinder pillows, those squishy pillows, memory foam pillows, and regular bed pillows. There are 2 different types of pillows that I use. On the bottom I have 2 regular bed pillows. But on top of that I have a memory foam pillow. I definitely recommend using a memory foam pillow if you can get you hands (and head, haha) on one.

If you are a sufferer of acid reflux like me, stack 2 or 3 pillows. But remember, from so much use and age, pillows flatten out over time. So depending on how fluffed your pillows are, you may need 4 pillows.

Step 9: Play a Game With Time

Some weird thing I came up with is to find out how long you can keep your eyes closed for. Stare at a clock, and wait until the next minute starts. As soon as the time changes, close your eyes. Get comfy and stay still. Slowly move your eyes in a loop around your eye sockets so that you create an artificial REM. You will notice you start drifting away from your body (not literally). You will start seeing odd visions, almost like lucid dreams, and you will still realize you are awake.

Step 10: Any Questions?

When I was about 9, I almost NEVER got a good night of sleep. So I can be like a sleep guru, hehehe. Ask me questions that I can come up with an answer for! I hoped you enjoyed my tips!