Well melatonin isnt that bad actually.Me and few other members here use it occasionally( though its to be taken regularly for best effects) and i didnt notice any problems with falling asleep without it.Its allways better to have a pill and good night sleep than no sleeping at all when theres an important day ahead of you.
Theres a whole topic on melatonin anyways if you`re willing to check it out(shortcuts to lucidity section)
And for an advice- try sleeping regular times.Most problems with falling asleep have people who stay up long at night and then sleep through half of the day.
take care:)
I have this problem where one week where I have insomnia, then I’m fine for a couple of weeks, and finally I sleep too much. These days I’m alternating between the two extremes.
Yesterday, I finally managed to sleep at 10:55 (rather than 5 A.M), but I had to take a nap during computer class; woke up 5min after school ended.(more like knocked-out, I had strange dreams about my homework) I normally go to sleep around 8:40-9:20 so this is a serious problem.
Omega3:
Judging by the fact that you go to school and go to bed at 8:30 - 9:20, I figure you’re just a youngin’, like 15, 16? First I wouldn’t worry about sleeping too much; is there really such a thing? If you’re an adolescent or highly active, you need loads of sleep to grow and recoop. How much is too much according to you? 10 hours? I could easily sleep for that, and I know a buddy of mine who I work with who slept for 14 hours the other day. I guess the factors that exist in our cases are that we get up earllllly (myself @5:45, him around 5:00) in order to be at work on time. Since we’re scheduled irregularly, our internal clocks are haywire. Basically, if your body is telling you to sleep, sleep! If you slept for 10 hours one night, you needed that much rest. Sure you could have gone through the day on 8, maybe 6, but your BODY (not your mind) needed the rest.
Also, what state do you go to bed in? Are you pumped up on Coke before you hit the sheets? Do you stress over things while you lay there?
Please post your age, and the normal circumstances that you go to bed in, like your routine. Having insomnia for a week may not sound normal at first, but looking back I had a few instances of it, and many instances where I “overslept.” So let’s talk.
i try to WILD and go to sleep pretty easily! unless i get kicked out of the dream and get frustrated and force my self into the dream, that’s when i become more awake!
well, nevermind.
try doing YOG NIDRA, it’s a relaxation technique it gets you pretty sleepy!
you can find instructions here meditationiseasy.com sory for the pub
I am 16 (school starts at 7 AM). I don’t eat\drink (except water) right before going to bed. I usually feel exhausted when I get ready to go to bed, but still can’t happen to sleep. I’m not thinking by the time I’m in bed I sleep between 9-13 conformably.
Some (possible) problems could be that I have noisy neighbors, I can’t regulate my room temperature ( a house without air conditioning/heating), and my mattress…It’s just better to sleep on the floor.
If I WILD it won’t make a difference on my sleeping time (from my experience so far). When I WILD I avg. go to sleep at 11PM, I guess it’s better than last night at 2:30AM. I do meditate but not any active mediation (yoga, etc).
Omega3:
You should invest in some earplugs. I had a hard time getting to sleep for the first time in a long time so I popped them in; at least in the side that isn’t on the pillow. Also, have the least amount of covers on as possible. Don’t use flannel sheets, use… can’t remember the kind. They are for summer. Use those year round. Put a small fan on your night stand or a medium fan on the floor aimed at your face on low. It might take getting used to, but the coolness and the low hum should help lull you to sleep. If possible, get a new matress!! Not only for your sleep but also for your bones and muscles! Also, since you get up early (what, 5:30?) on a regular basis, make sure your time for going to bed and waking up is hardcore-consistent! This will program your body that when it’s … 8, it had better start shutting down for the night. And when it’s 5:30? it’ll start waking up. All these things should help significantly. No food before going to bed either. Try to have not eaten for 2 hours or so when you hit the hay.
I have a great suggestion for getting to sleep and sleeping well that I tried…
Place an amethyst crystal under your pillow. You can use more than one. I use 2 or 3 of them. The energy of amethyst helps you to get to sleep pretty fast and it also helps with dream recall.
I couldn’t agree more! I drive my partner crazy because I like the fan on by our bedside, even in the middle of winter. I find the windy/humming very relaxing.
If worse comes to worse, you can always try some Valerian (Valeriana officinalis), the best-researched herbal sleep aid around. Valerian has been known to be as good as, and in some circumstances better than, prescribed sleeping medication.
I’ve been meaning to get some myself.
Dude, word! LOL I do that too! I didn’t this winter though cos I was too lazy to get the fan and clean it, but I usually throw like 6 blankets on (hey, I live in Canada, aight?) and just have my face poking out.
I briefly read that having a fan helps you with flying-lucid dreams or something? Anyone have any experience with this?
Well, I guess cold things to help you out. While trying to sell some pit bull puppies I asked my neighbor about my insomnia. He said to try ice cream… Strangely it worked, I slept at 9:35, I also had an LD that I’ll post later.
I got some tips on my own, sorry if someone already mentioned any of them:
Perform exhausting activities during the day. Resting all the day (like sitting 'fronta your computer all day builds up energy) will only make it harder. (For those of you who are too lazy, play EyeToy Play for the Playstation2 console.)
Try drinking warm milk, or anything else that you know makes you drowsy.
Give your brains excercises regularly, like trying to solve riddles, study harder for school, etc.
Most psychological articles I’ve read recommend good sleep hygiene as one approach to insomnia. What this means is:
to only sleep (or have sex) in your bed. If you can’t get to sleep then get up and do something for 20 minutes or so, then go back to bed.
Keep a regular sleep schedule - go to bed at the same time, wake up at the same time (even on weekends!). Sleeping in only makes insomnia worse, making it more difficult to get to sleep the next night.
Cut down on your intake of caffeine, alcohol and/or nicotine, especially prior to bedtime.
Don’t exercise or eat within two hours of going to bed. I think this is due to the effect on your metabolism.
Be consistent and strict with appying the above hygiene tips, you shouldn’t expect success if you’re not diligent.
Also a number of other approaches are recommended by professionals, including herbal remedies, cognitive behavioural therapy (administered by professional clinicians), stress reduction and relaxation techniques (as in ETWOLD), all of which assist with combating insomnia.
Like White Mage Cid suggested, if you perform exhausting activited during the day (try going on a hike for a couple hours!) you’ll surely sleep like a baby. This works like a charm, speaking from personal experience!
I’ve got the same problem of getting to sleep. It usually takes me a fair while to nod off, and MILDing does make it damn near impossible (in fact, usually I’m MILDing for so long that my mind wanders elsewhere without me noticing). I’m definitely gonna try the cold shower technique tonight.
MILD should not keep you awake for more then 10 - 15 minutes. By then, quit and just go to sleep without giving it any more thought. However perhaps you referred to WILD (?), which is another story since falling asleep conscious is pretty hard when you have trouble falling asleep at all.
drink some warm milk and keep a clear head, my remedy for insomnia
if you are really strict with your MILD technique I can see how it might keep you up for a quite a while, but if thats the case and you don’t want to be kept up id only practice MILD for a few minutes before letting your mind wander… you still have the intention it just isnt focused on for such a long period of time.
Soon it’ll be fan-season in Canada. Right now it’s still way too cold out at night to have one, well… unless I shut the window I guess, but I’d rather keep the window open. It’s right over my head so I sleep pretty good (I know, it goes against the laws of Feng Shui, but it works for me.)
yes 20 min is enough).
