What do you do when you can't sleep?

Read. If I get really engrossed in a book, and end up not going back to sleep, at least my time wasn’t wasted. But often enough, I fall asleep after about 20 minutes of reading, and awake in the morning with the book under the covers with me.

What I’m doing right this second (it’s almost midnight)
... FLUTHERING.

Fire up the Roor.

I rarely suffer from insomnia, sleep like a baby 99% of the time. Going to bed in a few minutes actually.

On the rare occasions I cannot fall asleep I usually put on a soothing cd, dream state music or sometimes a spiritual cd, Eckhart Tolle has the most soothing voice and I am big on subliminal messages while sleeping too. ;-)

I am fortunete to live in a great rural mountain community on a secluded property where the sounds of nature penetrate the night, zero human or traffic noise.

Right now the whole house is wide open and will remain so all night, just me and the crickets and the coyotes whoopin’ it up.

I have a hard time sleeping when I travel as I am so spoiled on total silence, can’t sleep well with unnatural noise.

Eating is the worst thing for you to do. I suggest reading or watching something very boring on television.

Also, do you get enough exercise during the day? I sleep better when I’m exhausted. If you have the time, take a long walk before bedtime.

Maybe your body produces low amonts of melatonin. The dietary supplements work. I wouldn’t suggest taking them regularly though, but it can help on getting you back to a normal sleep pattern.

A hot bath or hot tub before bed wroks wonders too. Hot water and darkness is a great relaxing tonic. zzzzzzzz

I just read that you should get up rather than stay in bed tossing and turning. Apparently your body will associate non-sleeping with being in bed and make it more difficult to go to sleep on subsequent nghts. You should get up and do something relaxing like a nice bath or reading, a crossword, anything that you can focus on and redirect your mind from your inability to sleep. Kind of re-route your brain.

if reading does not work, 25 or 50mg of diphenhydramine. If I am upset and know I wont be able to sleep because my thoughts are racing, i just take the 50mg about 30 minutes before going to bed…

Read, Fluther, watch TV.

That’s what I do and it works eventually.

You can also see if there’s any sleep labs nearby and get a sleep study done.

I chose not to go that route as I came to realize that I’m in that 30% of the population whose Circadian Rhythms (internal body clock) are atypical of the majority and thus are night owls. That’s just the way it is :)

When my body gets tired enough, it will sleep sooner or later.

sex—> result—> sleep

Eating would never occur to me. However, if I wake and can’t go back to sleep I usually get up and do something—- maybe even this.

Fluther, and I was just suggested a shower. I’m also thinking darkness, and when your in bed, do some creative thinking to get absorbed into a dream. My problem is I can’t stay still.

I watch the news on TV or surf a little on line.

I watch the History Channel. Pop a Tylenol PM. eventually I drift off.

@Coloma “I am fortunete to live in a great rural mountain community on a secluded property where the sounds of nature penetrate the night, zero human or traffic noise.

Right now the whole house is wide open and will remain so all night, just me and the crickets and the coyotes whoopin’ it up.” OOOHHHHH I am sooo jealous!!!!
Anyway, back to the question. Eating would Really keep me awake! Your body has to work to digest that food. And besides, it would probably form a habit. Watching tv or reading cuts out your Melatonin production from the light involved . I think we could turn on the Weather Channel and put on a black sleepmask.

I usually end up on the computer or play my DS in bed.

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There is a new TED talk on ted.com entitled “Why Do We Sleep” by Russell Foster. About 22 minutes long and really excellent. Changed my mind about what I should do to fall asleep.