Insomnia Cures

[SNAFU]

It's early in the morning for me, and I have just realized that I have not consistently had a proper nights sleep in about 5 years. I do a few tricks to coax myself into sleep like making balls with my feet, using white-noise, sleeping on a hard surface and sleeping with a hat on (Hey, it works perfectly until you get used to it).

I'm a bit curious what some of you guys do when you have insomnia.

Please don't say, "I close my eyes and think of nothing." That really doesn't help me.

[Mike McC]

I just sorta.. lie there until I fall asleep. And, barring that, Tylenol PM seems to do the trick.

But, turning to drugs to help you sleep will only lead to sleep, and sleeping is a gateway drug to being awake again. Remember that.

[Toastburner B]

TV, usually. In fact, I just had a night last night where my brain wouldn't shut down. You know what I mean. Well, I laid there for about a half hour, with nothing turning off in my head, so I just turned on my TV. Instead of having nothing to think about while active, it gave my brain something to pay attention to, so that it would shut up so I could go to sleep. It works great for me.

[G.I.R.]

That happened to me to TB. Lats night, actually. I think it was because I was playing LOTR: The 3rd age pretty much all day. When I went to bed, I couldn't sleep, so I turned on the TV. Watched pretty much all of K-19: The Widowmaker before falling asleep because it was a decent movie. But I got at least 5 hours of sleep last night!

[Thanatos]

I generally read a good book or listen to some soothing music. But On those nights when nothing else seems to work, I have to send my mind into overdrive in order to make it want to shut down, so I start doing complex math problems working with percentiles and fractions trying to make each succeeding problem slightly harder than the last, using no paper or calculators. This requires my mind to work harder, drawing it closer to a point of wanting to shut down for the night.

[Cloud Strife]

I usually have classical music playing in the background softly. Nothing like Pacabel's (sp?) cannon, of course, but it's always helped me out.

[Terex4]

Aroma therepy works for me. You just have to be aware of when you're about to fall asleep so you can blow out the candle.

[BlackMageGirl!]

I usually eat something filling in order to fall asleep. I find that I often feel sleepy after a snack or a glass of milk (Yeah yeah I know, it works for me okay? :P )

[G.I.R.]

I just sorta.. lie there until I fall asleep. And, barring that, Tylenol PM seems to do the trick.

But, turning to drugs to help you sleep will only lead to sleep, and sleeping is a gateway drug to being awake again. Remember that.


hahaha...

Nice They Might Be Giants quote.

[Dante]

Banging your head against the wall helps... As does reading boring textbooks...

[Skyshot]

I hear NyQuil is quite successful, though it never has been for me. And it should work for me, much the same way it should of worked for Brian.

(Off Topic in the Off Topic forum: Does anyone have a copy of that by chance? I thought it was hilarious, and I'd love to see it again.)

Ahem...

Clearly, you are not sleeping well due to guilt. You feel guilty you do not produce the Fortuna Saga on a daily basis rather than a twice weekly basis, but don't realize it. Maybe now that Cutting will take it over, the curse will be transferred to him.

Seriously though, have you tried wearing yourself out before bed? I don't mean a little bit of mild exercise, I mean physically wearing yourself out. I can't guarantee it would work, but it might. (Wait, you're with the military somehow, aren't you? Maybe it's occurred to you that it wouldn't work too well. Never mind, then.)

Hmm...you say five years. Has anything been going on for five years? Maybe that's your problem. Give us an answer and hopefully I'll be back with more ideas.

[Stabbitty Death]

Watch the last two shows on Adult Swim. Witch Hunter Robin should knock you out pretty quickly, but if it doesn't, there's always Wolf's Rain there for backup.

[MasterOfMagic]

You saying those shows are boring? I like those shows....

Anyway. I listen to music. Anything I like will do. Anything I don't, well it just agitates me, meaning no sleepiness. I also try and find the most boring show I can find. Political shows normally win this contest, and they make me loose lucidity and conciousness so fast its just plain scary.

And then there is day-dreaming (well, awake-dreaming). It leads my mind into that dreamlike state, and I fall asleep.

Books never worked for me, I never want to put them down...

[Nosferatu]

As sarda said Tire yourself out.

Push-ups, sit-ups, leg lifts, going outside and running.

Just beat the hell outa your body untill it has no choice but to sleep.

Unfortionatly since I do this hehe, I had to Run 4 miles in my first period at school today so 2+3+4 = sleep

[My Lead Airbag]

Ya know, it has been proven, scientififically, that masturbation acts as a natural calm for your body. If all these other things don't work.

[Nosferatu]

lol lead airbag I was gonna say that, but didn't want anyone commenting about it.

[DragonDaimyo]

Like it has been said, tire yourself out.

I'll usually just listen to music and/or pace around in my room. It works great because it doesn't keep anyone else up and it tires me out after a little while.

[SNAFU]

Thanks guys. I've actually slept pretty well this week. (I know it's 2 AM now, but that's because I go out on Friday nights). I've installed a pull-up bar in my apartment; now I do about 30 before I go to sleep. I have forsaken caffeine (and yes, it HAS been tough), and I found a really good activity to bore myself to sleep. I'm trying to teach myself javascript. For now, it takes about 60 lines of code to knock me out cold.

Oh. Sarda. Expect a pick-up in comic production after I finish this semester and Cutting gets home from vacation.

[Silly Kitty]

I usualy watch tv early in the morning. Theres nothing on then but infomercials. Nothing can put you to sleep faster. But if that doesnt work at the time i just eat something then put like 3 pillows over my head and try to sleep.

[SNAFU]

The Onion(www.theonion.com) has posted some insomnia cures. I'd like to post them.
*Lewd content warning*

The Onion Presents: Insomnia Tips
Insomnia—the chronic inability to fall and remain asleep—affects roughly 20 percent of American adults. Here are some tips to get a better night's sleep:
Fighting Insomnia

* Although it's tempting to use liquor as a cure for chronic sleeplessness, be warned: Liquor is quite expensive.
* Getting more exercise can help combat insomnia. If you suffer from sleeplessness, try shuffling from the bed to the kitchen, opening and shutting the refrigerator door, and shuffling back to bed.
* According to researchers at the National Sleep Foundation, there is an actual National Sleep Foundation. Yes, for real.
* If you are going to take pills to help you sleep, be sure you take enough to knock yourself out. Watching Good Morning America while sleep-deprived and tranquilized is a hellish experience.
* Use your bed for sleeping only. Conduct all reading, eating, phone calls, and sexual relations on the kitchen table.
* Try counting sheep, rather than the number of times you've failed as a wife and mother.
* If you got less than three hours of sleep the previous night, it's important to inform everyone you meet of that fact all day long.
* If you're having night after night of hours-long jungle sex when all you really want is a decent night's rest, go cry on someone else's shoulder.
* Minimize noise, light, excessive temperature—all factors that could potentially disrupt rest—by sleeping indoors.
* Sleeping pills can and do become addictive. Before you know it, you'll be giving back-alley blow jobs for hits of Ambien.
* Remember: Insomnia is only a problem if you are employed or have a reason to live.

[Gilgamesh in a Hat]

WARNING: DO NOT DO THIS UNLESS INSOMNIA IS AT A HORRID AMOUNT

Tetris

Just tell yourself i bet I can beat 40,000 points, it's easy. Your body will not let you stop until you A) beat level 14 or B) Pass out/Sleep/Die/Combination of the three. Actually this tires the heck out of me. it sould work for you. Have fun dreaming about tiles for a while though.

[Pixie]

Heh, I have the worst insomnia. It's 3:16 right now and I doubt i'll be sleeping for hours. I don't have a life in the mornings, so it doesn't matter. I'm on a perfect sleeping schedule for me. =]

When I did have to sleep at certain hours, I always talked on the phone with a friend until I got tired. As long as you don't let the conversation get to interesting. It works. Heh, I used to do that with my ex boyfriend, and he would tell me stories until I got tired.

Uhm, other then that, listening to music, excercising, or writing. When I take out a pen and paper and force myself to just write random thoughts down, I get all the frustration of the day out and it calms my brain enough to sleep. That might help you.