Men’s Health recently published an article featuring seven doctors’ favorite, and sometimes odd, tricks for falling asleep fast. Rachel Salas, professor of neurology at the school of medicine, recommends blowing bubbles, which acts as a deep breathing exercise and can help calm your mind and body. Do you have a special trick that helps you fall asleep at night? Share your thoughts in today’s Question of the Week.
16 CommentsWhat’s Your Best Trick to Fall Asleep?
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Mind setting that I need to sleep right away.
Seroquel!
A nice warm shower then envelope myself in a very soft calming fragrance.
I listen to High Theta music while reading (Steven Halpren).
A massage is the best way to relax and fall in sleep.
Ear plugs.
I change where I sleep, The head of my bed is under the windows, Instead I sometimes sleep with my head at the foot of the bed and open the curtains wide. I can stare at the stars, the clouds or watch and listen to a rain storm. Works every time! And I love the morning light coming in.
I've had insomnia for 20 years, so I know something about it. If you're anti-drug, try meditating and visualizing a favorite place (the beach, say). But if that doesn't work within 15 minutes, get up and do something else. Read an article with lots of statistics or do some Sudoku. If you're pro-drug, zolpidem (generic Ambien) is great, and not habit-forming. But don't mix it with alcohol - it makes for a very nauseating cocktail.
Speaking of Numbers (Diana's comment), that's one TV show that actually puts me to sleep almost immediately. Don't know why, because when I do stay awake during the show, I like it. Unfortunately, lately my local cable company is no longer broadcasting late-night reruns of this show. Maybe I'll have to buy a DVD with old episodes to help me fall asleep???
I read a couple of passages from a classic spiritual text (e.g., sermon on the mount, bhagavad gita) befoe going to bed. And I silently and repeatedly chant a holy name of God while falling asleep.
When I have trouble falling asleep, I try to focus my mind on something other than every day worries and problems. What I do as a Christian is to talk to the Lord and instead of counting sheep, I count my blessings and spend my waking moments thanking God for all of the blessings in my life. I use the alphabet and name them by letter…… A for being Alive, B for Belief in Him, C for Children, etc. I usually don’t get to Z.
I had insomnia for about three weeks at one point during a very stressful time. If you're losing sleep because of worries, you need to deal with the concerns first. That might mean meditation or talking with your doctor to help assist you in dealing with whatever concerns are keeping you up.
If it's not due to stress, regular routines all the way. Every night, I start to wind down around 10:30. I don't use my cell phone or my laptop in my bed, so when my body hits it, it knows it's sleep time. If I'm jittery, chamomile (real loose leaf chamomile, not stuff found in prepackage tea bags) puts me out before I can even finish the cup. I keep the routine even on the weekends, because I found sleeping in on the weekends made falling asleep on Sunday night almost impossible.
If you can't fall asleep, get up. Laying in bed, wishing you could sleep, actually creates more stress. Read, take a bath, have some tea, anything that's low level like that will help get you back to snoozeville.
Using background noise-ocean waters sounds, the TV channel " Soundscapes music" and the noise of the air purifier helps.
Hot shower, hot tea, fresh out the dryer sheets,and classical music. I am out in less than 20 minutes and sleep all night.
Instead of just counting sheep, I get in a comfortable position, close my eyes, and count backwards from 100 to 0 visualizing the numbers as I count. In the beginning, it was difficult to visualize the numbers on a 'wall' or 'chalk board.' Since I'm a voracious reader, seeing the numbers at the top of a page was a bit easier. In the beginning, sometimes it took two full counts, but after a few nights of practicing it worked well, and now I fall asleep before I get down to 50. Having to 'see' the numbers focuses my thoughts and takes them away from the every day worries and problems. My cousin, who is 20 years younger than I am, had trouble falling asleep every night for months and I told her about my trick. It worked for her too.
Giving myself a "deep personal touch".