As long as I can remember, it's taken me hours to fall asleep. Maybe 3 hours on a good day, four on a normal day, six on a bad day. Basically, I usually go to bed around 10, but I can't fall asleep until around 2 am. I have to wake up at 6 because I have a 1.5 hour commute to school, so this is around four hours of sleep nightly. And it's really starting to mess up my life. The problem is that I can fall asleep in the day super easily, when I have a free period, I'll be out in about three minutes. And in class, though I've never fallen asleep, I've had to resort to drastic methods to do so. I end up having to draw blood with a pen that I broke in freshman year but is sharp enough to cut me. I've tried everything, and I just can't fall asleep quickly, ever. Does anyone else have this problem? Has anyone managed to fix it? If so, how? Or, if you're a normal sleeper, do you have any ideas? Thanks! And some people have said that if you don't exercise enough, then you won't fall asleep, but I do track practice for two hours a day and I think that eliminates that problem.
I know there are serious other conditions but I had anxiety a while back so bad that my skin like scrawled as I would try and go to sleep. I started seeing a therapist and gradually my "racing thoughts" subsided. I also had an addiction issue to pot and alcohol that was hindering my sleep and upping my anxiety. A few things my therapist suggested were - deep breathing / Deep Breathing - How to Do Deep Breathing - progressive muscle relaxation / there are some sort of complicated one you can google but I just started from my toes then feet then ankles and imagined each part of my body getting more relaxed and calm then moving up to the top of my head..sounds cheesy but it helped - imagery relaxation / Guided Imagery Relaxation Techniques | LIVESTRONG.COM - journaling / it sort of dumps all the swirling thoughts I would have so I felt like I didn't have to remember them or think about then..they were there in my journal. Again, it sounds like it might be anxiety..for me daytime was always calmer so I could sleep. Not sure what the drawing blood part was explaining...can you elaborate? Do you have a cutting issue?
I don't deal with stress well, so even a little bit will keep me awake. I haven't found what I would consider a "healthy" solution to the problem yet. Some folks swear by melatonin, which you can pick up anywhere, but it doesn't work for me. A couple glasses of wine help, but I would put that in the unhealthy category.
Really? Maybe I'm weird but I tend to find myself energized after this. I think you need to identify what is keeping you awake... Anxiety? This is my problem. If so you may want to look at controlling that, and new-girl gave some techniques. Some nights I will take some Benadryl and hope that knocks me out.
I have the same problem and I've tried lots of things to fall asleep. @_@ Some things work for awhile, but then they just.. don't anymore. Soo.. My weird recommendation on how to fall asleep? Meditation. I know it sounds kinda odd, but it usually works for me. On nights that I just really can't fall asleep I'll sit on the floor, close my eyes and let my body relax for oh.. 30 minutes or more? ~ Deep breathing works well with this too. Give it a shot!
also to OP, sometimes, to fall asleep i just keep my eyes shut (but not squint by putting pressure, just try to be natural), and keep mentally chanting "sleep" in my head. eventually i'll fall asleep this way lol. PS. check for temperature and things like itchy/comfortness. if you feel too cold or hot or sweating or like the air is blowing your hair or those mini hair on your face, might be hard to sleep and also check for things like bladder and hunger before sleep lol.
I have similar problems. I can't fall asleep if I go to bed before 1 am. And if I go to bed before that I will most probably just lay in bed for many hours before I go to sleep. So what I do is just stay up late and then when I feel really tired I go to bed, and I fall asleep in a kick. Try not to go to bed so early. I mean going to bed at 10pm is really early according to me at least. Just try to stay up a bit longer and see if you fall asleep easier and how tired you are in the morning. I mostly don't sleep more than 5-6 hours per night on a normal school week. And I am an athletic and do a lot of sports, and I usually have no problems with being tired. Just try it and see what happens.
Like newgirl31, I have trouble sleeping that is related to anxiety. Everything she recommended is very good. One thing that sometimes helps me when I have insomnia (which is often), is trying to get into a comfortable position and focus on my breathing. If my mind wants to wander to much, I try to count each breath. Basically, keeping my inner dialog busy counting, it'll find a hard time with all it's normal chatter. If necessary, I'll try to picture something comforting, nice, relaxing, and happy. Some other tips - 1. Walk away from the computer, TV, phone, and other electronics roughly an hour before bed. 2. Don't do any strenuous physical activity - like exercise - several hours before bed. For me, exercise wakes me up and gets my blood circulating. If I'm feeling tired, the more I move around, the more alert and awake I feel. I can go unhealthy amounts of time without sleep just by forcing myself to get up occasionally and be physically active. Ironically, sex and masturbation have the opposite effect, but as far as I know that's normal. 3. Dim the lights and read about an hour before bed. Make it a goal to read at least one chapter in a book each night. You're going to want to read something that isn't super exciting or intellectually stimulating for you though. Otherwise, you'd likely want to keep reading, or you'd find yourself thinking about it as you try to fall asleep. 4. Stay on a regular sleep schedule. Your nightly activities should almost be ritualistic. You should do certain things every night to prepare you for bed. By doing this, you're body and mind will automatically try to adjust. (Example: Shower, brush & floss teeth, other necessary grooming, read for an hour, turn out the lights for bed.) 5. Some relaxing sounds. It works for babies, and it can work for you too. It helps drown out excess unnecessary noise. For me, it's a fan. I like my room really cold, so that I can snuggle deep under the blankets. I sometimes have nightmares and sweat while I sleep. Keeping the room chilly helps me avoid waking up feeling hot and sweaty. 6. Invest in a good mattress. Yes, this is hugely important. If you're laying on something that isn't comfortable; invest in a good mattress. You spend a good chunk of your life in bed, make sure it is enjoyable. These are some things off the top of my head that will likely help.
