Insomniacs Explain What Actually Helps Them Fall Asleep
Falling asleep and insomnia have been hot topics in the media for more than a decade. Is the reason you can't sleep because of your bad sleep habits—inconsistent bedtime, hitting snooze every morning, drinking alcohol before bed, etc.—or is it that evilblue light we've all been warned emanates from our beloved electronic devices?
Different tricks work for different people, so if you're struggling to get a few good hours of shuteyw, take a look at some of these ways that fellow insomniacs relax and drift off to see if any of them work for you.
Reddit user u/20shepherd01 asked:
"Insomniacs of Reddit, what helps you sleep?"
10.
Like a lot of folks mentioned, melatonin and white noise (though I prefer "brown" noise better tonally, it's more like a fan whirring that tv static) helps for me.
I have adhd so winding down is important and staying off my phone. So lately I have been working on building better sleep hygiene and using an app called "Sleep Town" that has a scheduled "sleep" time that basically keeps me off my phone and focusing on going to bed.
It will navigate you away from any app that you try to open while its switched on to sleep mode and doesnt interfere with Spotify, which is nice since I use that for white noise.
app is on android, idk about iPhone
9.
Easiest question ever. I read a chapter of my AP Biology textbook. I guarantee you that book will knock you out any day of the week.
8.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation. Start by trying to relax your toes until you can barely feel them, then the soles of your feet, calves, etc.. trick I learned from a military friend. Usually out by the time I get to my waist.
7.
My younger brother is an insomniac from child hood trauma while sleeping. Nothing my parents did but my neighbours. They had this motor bike they'd rev outside his window when he was a baby and it terrified him.
He couldn't sleep unless he was with my dad. And obviously this became a problem when he got older. He was around 7 and my dad would have to sit with him every night till he fell asleep. We tried therapy, teddies, whale noises. All of it. I recommended headphones rather than playing the noises aloud in the room as it was outside noises that upset him.
So he started going to bed listening to whale noises in headphones and it worked. Now he sleeps with AirPods / any wireless headphones he's got charged, playing night time playlists on Spotify and he can't sleep without them. He's better now but it's made him a complete daddies boy.
6.
I don't ascribe to 'tingles' but a lot of ASMR videos deal with white noise like tapping or whispering, gentle rain sounds and the like that help me dose off at night. I don't know if there is a correlation but a lot of "t*tty" ASMRists actually have very pleasant voices as well, usually I just pull their videos, put my phone face down or minimize the video on my computer, then pick up a book and a cup of sleepy tea and just let it put me to sleep. Anything that's massage or just 'conversationalist' will knock me out.
5.
Sleep with Me podcast works every time!
It's almost magical. When i'm having a restless night i just pop this podcast on and i'm asleep in ten minutes tops.
4.
Overworking myself during the day seems to do the trick, although I cannot guarantee the healthiness of this approach
Same double shift life helps me get 8 hour of sleep.
3.
I have major insomnia because of my schizophrenia. My mind just can't turn off at night. I have not had a sleep schedule since I went crazy 10 years ago. For Christmas this year I got a huge weighted blanket and holy shit it works!!! I can actually lay down at a decent hour go to sleep in 15 minutes. I can actively feel my mind fighting against the weight of the blanket but it just starts sputtering out and then there is actual silence and I go to sleep. Because of my disease I also wake up about 8 times a night and sometimes I can't go back to sleep but the weighted blanket makes me stay asleep. I can't believe it. I haven't slept this well this consistently in almost a decade. I absolutely love it. I can't reccomend it enough.
2.
Music, but don't fall asleep to it just let it relax you, then stop the music and sleep. Also for me, never think 'this position is comfortable' because for me when I do that it immediately stops being comfortable