Things to help you sleep?!


Question: Things to help you sleep?
Lately I haven't been sleeping very well, which is complicating things, seeing as I have school at 8 every weekday. If I go to bed early, I wake up every 30 minutes IF I even fall asleep at all. It even happens when i'm tired. :/

So my question is, what are some things that I can do to help me sleep? Anything that I can drink, or eat before going to sleep? Or anything else? And don't say sleeping pills, because we don't have any and it is too late to go get some. Thanks :0

Answers:

1. Don’t exercise for at least 3 hours before bed. Exercising increases blood flow and wakes you up. Getting in your daily workout just before bedtime will keep your heart rate elevated and make it difficult to calm down enough to sleep.

2. Keep the TV and computer off for 30 to 60 minutes before bed. The light from the screens can trick your body into thinking that it’s still daylight and not time for sleeping. Read, write in a notebook, or listen to soothing music at a quiet volume just before bed.

3. A turkey sandwich with lettuce on whole wheat bread and a glass of milk may help make you drowsy. These foods all contain Tryptophan, an amino acid that helps the body relax. Though it’s questionable whether the levels contained in one meal are high enough to actually induce drowsiness, at least you’ll get a nice healthy meal in the process.

4. While we’re on the subject of food: try not to eat for at least four hours before bedtime. Eating too close to sleeping time can lead to heartburn, which is likely to keep you awake most of the night.

5. You’ve heard this one before, but it’s one of the best pieces of sleep advice around: wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day. Your body will become conditioned to follow this schedule, meaning that you will become tired and be able to fall asleep at a predictable time every night.

6. Try to condition yourself to respond to a physical stimulus. Every night when you’re drifting off to sleep, give yourself a concrete physical cue - something that you wouldn’t do at any other time. A good example is stroking the bridge of your nose with your thumb. Continue repeating this movement until you fall asleep. In two or three weeks, your body will learn to recognize this cue as the beginning of sleep time. You will only have to repeat this action when you’re having trouble drifting off to convince your body that it’s sleepy.

7. Don’t read, watch TV, or work in bed. Associating waking activities with your sleeping space can confuse your body and make it more difficult to use that space for sleeping.

8. Try telling yourself a story in your head. Make it a calm and cheerful story and focus on nothing else. This will help you to block out the day’s events and all of the other thoughts that can swirl around in your mind and make it difficult to find sleep.

9. Set the stage for sleep. Make your sleeping space as quiet, dark, and pleasant as possible. Clean sheets, room-darkening drapes, and a pair of earplugs will all help to make the room as sleep-conducive as possible.

10. If all else fails, there are some very good self-hypnosis MP3s out there which can help you get to sleep peacefully and naturally. The relaxation methods you learn from these programs can help you learn to fall asleep on your own even without listening to the program.

11. Nicotine is a stimulant. That bedtime cigarette may be what’s keeping you up at night. Don’t smoke before bed or if you wake up in the middle of the night.

12. Your body’s systems are slowed and sluggish at lower temperatures, so sleeping in a cooler room may do the trick for you. Many people find it impossible to sleep when the room is too hot; turn on your air conditioner, take off your socks, or turn on an overhead fan to get your bedroom to a comfortable sleeping temperature in the summer.



I have been going through some sleeping problems as well lately. It really sucks but there is not much you can do. If you have a fan try turning it on. Cool air tends to make some people tired. Or just lay there with your eyes closed and your mind blank. If you just do it long enough without fussing you will fall in and out of a light sleep. Nothing that you actually want and it will seem like you haven't slept but your body will start to charge its self up. You will be surprised how you can trick your body into thinking your sleeping and you just open your eyes again when you want to and you do feel more refreshed.
Just keep your eyes closed and empty your mind, and DO NOT expect to fall asleep right away, so do NOT start fussing when you do that for ten min and it doesn't work.
Hope it helps a little bit



Foods high on the glycemic index help you sleep, but generally food wont help unless its eaten 4 hours before you want to sleep. So it wont help you tonight. try a glass of warm milk. for the future he are some foods that should help.
Golden Grahams
Plain Bagel
Corn chips
Watermelon
Honey
Mashed potatoes
Saltine crackers
Graham crackers
French fries
Frozen waffles
Vanilla wafers
Grape-Nuts Flakes
Jelly beans
Pretzels
Rice cakes
Cornflakes
Instant Rice
Red baked potato
French bread
Tofu frozen dessert



Warm milk

Turkey

Both have a chemical called Tryptophan which makes you sleepy

Exercise. Its great for you and it will tire you out. Go for a quick jog.

NO SLEEPING PILLS!

NO NAPS DURING THE DAY LONGER THAN 40 MINS!

Heck answer a few questions on here about politics. THAT will put you to sleep laughing at all the morons.



Try drinking warm milk before going to sleep. If you don't like regular cold milk, then you most likely definitely won't like it warmed, but it does help you sleep. At least it helps me whenever I am having difficulty sleeping. You could also dip some graham crackers in it if you can't just drink it straight. I've heard Graham crackers help you sleep as well, so that should help.

Before getting in to bed, try turning off all lights that could possibly distract you from sleep. Turn on a fan, and face it in the direction of where you sleep. The breeze blowing on you, and the sound of the fan should help you relax. However, if light noises such as a fan blowing irritates you, then I would not turn it on. (If you have anything of a Lavender scent, try putting it on your pillow or your covers. I've heard it helps you sleep.)

When IN bed, try relaxing your muscles. Keep your eyes closed, and your mind relaxed and clear of stressful thoughts. Try staying in one position unless you get uncomfortable.

If you are still unable to sleep after that, Try getting up and reading a boring book or organize your things for school the next day. Or you could try writing down what is keeping you from sleeping. DON'T get on the internet or watch TV. That will only alert your brain and keep you from sleeping longer.

Other additional things:
Don't go to bed when you aren't tired. -- If you are NOT tired when you try to go to sleep, you will not fall asleep.
Do NOT think about falling asleep -- Thinking and worrying about falling asleep is more than likely the cause of you not being ABLE to sleep. Relax and clear your mind, do not think of anything that has to do with sleeping. It will only keep you up.
Do NOT look at the clock.
You can try listening to some soft music if you have to sleep with sounds.
Do NOT drink ANY caffeine 4 hours before bed.

Hopefully some of the things I've said has helped you a little. Good luck!




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