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personal tricks to falling asleep fast and sleeping hard and long?

Discussion in 'Physical & Sexual Health' started by thebrightficus, Feb 22, 2013.

  1. hi could anyone share me any of their tricks for these? i really need to optimize on energy input throughout the weekend to deal with school and work

    thanks!
     
  2. Owen

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    Make sure your bed is comfortable for you. If it's too cold, add some blankets, and vice versa. I personally find that having a lot of heavy blankets on my bed helps me be more comfortable. Experiment and find what works for you.

    I find I sleep best if I can go to bed when I'm genuinely tired, even if that means staying up late into the night. I fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night if I can do that. Of course, that only works if you're able to wake up later to compensate; if you have schedule conflicts or something that like that that keep you from being able to stay up late, then obviously going to bed late won't help.
     
  3. MyJunkIsYou

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    Avoid late night screen time. Stop using your computer and phone at least an hour before you want to fall asleep. Turn your phone off (or at least to silent) and don't sleep with it near you.

    Avoid caffeine in the evening and things high in sugar like chocolate. Don't eat your dinner too late either.

    You should try to sleep in a warm bed in a cool room.

    If you can take some exercise during the day (even just a walk in the fresh air) you should find it helps you sleep well. Make sure you don't exercise late in the evening though.

    Also I remember reading a study somewhere that people asked to daydream about a nice holiday they had drifted off sooner than people counting sheep or other things like that.

    Good luck. I'm trying to do the same as have got to get some serious revision in for exams.
     
    #3 MyJunkIsYou, Feb 23, 2013
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2013
  4. nydtc

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    For years I had trouble failing asleep. I had always heard about setting a bedtime and a wake up time and sticking with them but never tried it. About four years ago I did - now I get a great nights sleep, wake up without a clock and fall asleep quickly. Try it!
     
  5. MilansMele

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    I find there's a strong correlation between the amount of excercise I get during the day and how soundly I sleep at night. If you need to study this weekend maybe you should take a break for an hour in the middle of the day and go out and do something physical. Might also improve your study time!

    Hope this helps. Good luck to you!
     
  6. Renge

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    I fall asleep fast when i'm really really tired. Usually when it happens, my body would go travel all around the bed! xD
     
  7. Rayne

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    Turn off all blinking led lights this interferes with relaxing. Comfy bed , low light contact a few minutes before bed, no laptops phones tv etc. i find playing a little soft music helps me sleep and when all else fails i use some sleep aid pills
     
  8. Gen

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    Dont listen to music unless you are able to make sure it turns off right after/before you go to sleep. Many people find listen to music as they drift off, peaceful. However, your mind is going to continue to interpret this music while you sleep and that can interfer with the brains ability to rest.
     
  9. Praetor

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    It is a proven fact in psychology that lights promote wakefulness, due to how the circadian rhythm works, so if you like to use a laptop or something before bed, perhaps don't.

    If you're desperate enough, there actually exists light therapy for those who have dysfunctional sleep patterns.

    Exercise during the day will help you get a better sleep usually.

    If you really need the sleep, you can buy some melatonin tablets and take one. Melatonin is a naturally occurring chemical found in the body that encourages sleepiness. It's not an extremely "harsh drug" and its effect builds up gradually over time after taken. Like anything, it may not be a good idea to take it regularly, but every once in a while, if you really need the sleep, it's a good natural way of helping with that.
     
  10. SmokeandMirrors

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    Funny, I thought someone would have have mentioned reading. I love delving into a book for 1/2 hour to a hour at least in bed. Great way for me to relax my mind plus one of the rare times in thr day I can get a good reading session so usually I will actually get in bed a bit earlier than planned.
     
  11. FemCasanova

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    Yeah, make sure you are comfortable. Temperature in the room should be chilled, but not uncomfortably cold. I think they recommend about 20-22 degrees `C in the bedroom.

    Also, remove or cover mirrors. That one sounds weird, but it`s an old asian thing, which I follow. Even though I am not asian, lol.

    Don`t eat big meals before going to bed, don`t drink a lot of liquid right before going to bed. Your body should be as little active as possible, if your stomach is working hard, then it is activating for your body and can disrupt sleep.

    Make sure your sleeping pattern is a pattern. Go to bed at approx the same time each night, get up at approx the same time in the morning.

    Leave work, at work. That is, at late evenings, you should not have thoughts about work or money in your head. It causes subconscious stress. When you are home, you are home. If you get stressed a lot, give yourself 15 minutes of free stressing time, where you actively think about the things that stress you, preferably at work and in the last hour, so that your mind can settle, and you don`t have to feel subconsciously guilty avoiding your troubles. It actually helps.

    As for the actual falling asleep, I have several tricks. I never to to regulate my thoughts, but try letting them come and go freely. However, I do try to "empty my mind", by focusing on the blackness behind my eyes when they are closed. Often, you`ll see a weak shape of something. If you try to look at it, and guess what it is a few time, you might see the shape clearer, and then it starts changing into something else. The first few times, say it in your mind, "giraffe", "car", but then just let it change shapes, and just watch it change, while remembering to breathe in, and out, in and out. It`s a calming exercise, and often when I am tired, it`s enough to help me fall asleep.

    Or, if the first don`t work for you, do just the breathing. Deeply in with the nose, then softly out through the mouth. Listen to the sounds of your own breathing. If your mind start working, and you experience something similar to dreaming in an awake state, which can be simply you thinking about some scenario and letting yourself drift into it, then let it. Don`t try to force your mind quiet. And try to enjoy the feeling of just lying still, comfortable, resting.

    And if nothing works, Melatonin is a nice drug, that isn`t really a drug, but supposedly naturally in our body, but also in a few plants, that can help you fall asleep and sleep well. My sister takes it as she has troubles falling asleep. It`s helped her a lot. I don`t recommend other sleep medication, as often our sleep issues are related to our habits, and our environment, and taking medication can be a short cut that doesn`t fix the real issues behind the sleep problem. Melatonin is something that is already supposed to be in our bodies, but sometimes the body doesn`t produce enough of it.
     
  12. Ridiculous

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    Red light supposedly promotes sleep while blue light promotes wakefulness. They are trying it on the space station a the moment: BBC News - Nasa to test space-sleep colour-changing lights

    There's a utility you can download for your computer that slowly shifts your screen display towards red hues as it gets later at night, in order to help promote sleep, but I've never used it so I can't speak from personal experience.
     
  13. BudderMC

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    I've used it (or something like that), I think it was called "f.lux". I don't know if it really made any notable improvement, but I don't think it hurt any.
     
  14. Chloe

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    Some great advice here! I'll add my technique for relaxing my mind: I re-read or edit my fiction in my mind (I write short stories). That sounds like it would keep my brain busy, but it keeps me from thinking of all the annoying crap that would have kept me awake.

    You could substitute re-playing scenes from a relaxing movie or something else non-threatening. The point is to give your mind something to do that won't disturb you - for me, it's much better than trying to think of "nothing". Concentrating on breathing can work, but I tend to wander away from that.
     
  15. fuzzywuzzy

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    A few days ago I tried green tea with valerianae after dinner. In 2 hours I could barely keep my eyes open. I slept so hard, I almost overslept the other day.
     
  16. DoriaN

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  17. returning

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    I take melatonin.
     
  18. Elicitra

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    Nowadays I've started to talk to my tulpa while I lie in bed, and I just kind of drift off... I don't know if that's any help...
     
  19. Suile

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    Try using one of those things that block out the lights.
    Cause sometimes the moonlight makes it insanely bright outside.
     
  20. starfish

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    I have a big problem with shutting my mind off at night. I try to focus on flying an airplane on a nice clear day. Just floating along, nothing but clear blue sky. I find that usually helps me fall asleep.