Sleep?

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What helps you sleep.. fall asleep?

For some months now, I been drinking Neuro Sleep (only when needing to get up early). I'll drink 1/3, sometimes up to a half bottle, about an hour before planned hitting the sac. Works for me.
Also, I have a small portable radio on my side of the bed (plays 90-minutes then auto turns off) just loud enough for me to hear, not enough to disturb the wife.
Room gets totally dark except the little dim LED on the radio and the hands on the Seiko alarm clock. The radio alarm wakes me (it goes from so low to increasing volume - stops when I hit the power button) - The Seiko would come on 20 minutes later if I happen to miss the radio alarm.
Room very dark, and quiet neighborhood.
Only get up to leaky, or dogs needing out for relief or investigate the rare noise catching their attention, and any cat fighting as they have such shrill screaming which gets the dogs going like nothing else, & rare telephone calls at night.

Just wondering what else do folks do for getting to sleep.
Had no problem in younger years, maybe I wore myself out back then, last few years been a fight most times. Now I feel more alive from more/better sleep all week long. Fall asleep faster since I got this stuff on a regular schedule. Many other things just didn't work for me. When I'm out, back to the ol ways, so now I keep stock of this stuff in the fridge.
 
Nowadays, sleep timer on the TV. I sleep poorly if the TV stays on all night, but like some background noise as I fall asleep. I usually set the TV to turn off in an hour, on PBS or news or something, and it works pretty well. Not as good as what I used in college though.
 
Alcohol, and video games.
drink a beer or 2, play xbox(usually one of the Forza motorsport, or Lego titles) until i start falling asleep while playing.

Originally Posted By: michaelluscher
Melatonin ane ZzzQuil

That's about all I have that can force me back into my normal schedule from the nocturnal one that I adopt naturally otherwise


you realize that ZzzQuil is Just Benadryl(Diphenhydramine) right?

I used to take 50mg of Diphenhydramine twice a day for my allergies.
I'm one of the Lucky ones that is doesn't cause drowsiness with. which is also why most otc sleep aids don't work for me, as they are mostly just Diphenhydramine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphenhydramine
 
Drop the AC to 62, point a big pedastal fan at my side of the bed, play on my phone until 4 am...pass out. Rinse, repeat. If the wife is...well you know, I can skip the playing on the phone and sleep like a baby after.

What use to work for me in my younger days where I worked nights and then immediately switched to days was to enjoy 6-8 beers in the mornings when I got off.

Get off at seven, cook breakfast, drink my microbrews, sleep a few hours and get moving.

Alas, im not really made of rubber bands and dreams anymore
 
Natures Made product called Sleep.....and TV timer set. Only on nights I have to work the next day. For work I have to wake up at 0530, which sucks for me because im naturally a night person. But with this stuff and sometimes benadryl as well I sleep good.
 
I often take melatonin and sometimes benadryl. I've been sleeping with fans on for years, which helps drown out background noise and my tinnitus, which gets pretty loud sometimes.
 
Calms Forte from Hylands. Works well for me. A small glass of milk, and 2 or 3 of the Calms, I'm asleep in an hour, and usually stay asleep for about 6 hours.
 
No drugs or chemicals needed. We're in bed by 9:30, read until 10:00, and then sleep well until 5:00 AM. I use a snore guard to make sure I don't snore (if you're snoring you're not sleeping well).

I sleep a solid 7 hours and awake fresh and ready for the challenges of a new day.
 
Originally Posted By: Errtt
What helps you sleep.. fall asleep?


Wait until 27 minutes after the alarm clock sounds then shut it off. It's too expensive to do frequently, but when I really need to get some serious sleep this works 100%.
 
Diphenhydramine an hour or two before bed time. One time I forgot I already took it and took another one. A double dose works really freaking fast.

I always subconsciously fight going to bed. But as soon as my head hits the pillow I wonder why I didn't go to bed sooner.
 
Melatonin, long work hours and long commute, and downloaded John and Ken show clips. Usually won't stay awake more than 10 minutes.
 
Originally Posted By: JustinH
Sleep apnea mask for me.

Sleep so much better now that there is oxygen flowing to my brain during night time.

This and a noise machine to drown out ambient sounds. I sleep great. Of course working 12 hour days also helps.
 
In NYC it was the steady drone of a massive city.

In rural PA its the steady drone of nature.

Sometimes I cheat, I had many surgeries on my Ankle and when it hurts a lot I pour myself a glass of Cognac and drop a prescribed opiate with it.
 
I used to have problems with sleeping while in college. I visited a sleep specialist at the student health center (we were fortunate enough to have a very well-regarded sleep study center on campus, and the researchers also worked as doctors). Below is the advice they gave me that definitely worked, and I have seen referenced by many other experts. Hopefully it will help.

I had and still have great success thanks to #2, 3, 5, and 6. Some didn't apply (such as #8, because I have a massive tolerance) or I was already doing them (#1).


1. Use the bed only for sleeping. Do not read in it, watch TV in it, use the laptop, eat, etc. By using it only for sleep, it conditions the brain to say, "I'm in the bed, I should sleep."

2. Sleep in a dark quiet room. Use blackout shades or whatever is necessary to reduce the light entering the room. Darker is better because it prevents the body from being confused on when you should wake. Make sure your housemate(s) know to be quiet if they stay up later than you or wake before you. I'd bet this is why a lot of people don't sleep well in hotels.

3. Go to bed in a good or neutral mood. If you are in a bad mood, emotional, etc, it will prevent you from falling asleep. You should spend 20-30 minutes before bedtime letting your mind wind-down a bit. It also puts you in a better mood when you wake up.

4. Avoid bright lights right before bed, such as TVs, computers, cell phones, and reading lamps. This is similar to the above idea about sleeping in dark rooms. Bright lights stimulate us and signal the brain to supply the body with energy.

5. You should go to bed when you are tired. If you cannot fall asleep within 15-20 minutes of getting in bed, get out of bed until you feel tired. Laying in bed for two hours staring at the ceiling disrupts your circadian rhythm. This is similar to point #1 about only using the bed for sleep.

6. Try to wake up and go to bed at the same time every day, even weekends. If you wake up at 7am during the week, do that on the weekends too. People like the idea of sleeping in on weekends, but it will reduce the quality of your sleep during the week as your body attempts to readjust. It's why Monday mornings drag on.

7. Quality over quantity. Getting 6 restful hours (with all of the cycles) is far better than 8 hours of non-REM sleep. Many of the above points are related to this, such as sticking to a schedule 7 days a week and going to bed only when you feel tired. Alcohol might make you feel sleepy, but it will not promote restful sleep. Don't drink a glass of wine right before bed.

8. Avoid caffeine after lunch. The half-life of caffeine is 5 hours, meaning that a 2pm cup of coffee still has half its potency at 7pm, and one-quarter of its potency at 1am. Everyone handles caffeine differently so find what works, but the noon rule-of-thumb is safe for most people. Note that some foods have caffeine in them.

9. There is no magical number of hours you need. Some people will feel very well rested with 5 hours whereas some need 9 hours to get the same feeling. You need to find what works for you and adjust your schedule accordingly. Keep a journal for a few weeks of your wake-time and bedtime and your energy level at various points in the day. A pattern will emerge.

10. Make sure your bedroom is a comfortable temperature. Humans sleep best if it is slightly cool. In the winter, this might mean dropping the heat slightly in the evenings. In the summer, you might need to run the AC a bit more.


Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and this is not a substitute for medical advice. I am merely passing along information given to me.
 
Do zombie preparation exercises like running up and down stairs with a case of water. After that, start juggling all the pennzoil synthetic bottles and finish it off with washing/waxing your car and think about how many Bitoger's have more cans of Mos2 than you do. After all that, touch your nose with your tongue
 
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