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GAF, how do you sleep at night?

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DietRob

DietRob

i've been begging for over 5 years.
Not in a moral metaphorical way but in an actual get to sleep way. I know some people my wife included that 3 minutes after their head hits the pillow they are out like a light. For me that has never been the case.

When I lay down to try and sleep it is like my senses and brain become hyper aware of everything. The slightest tingle of an itch, start obsessing over my breathing patterns, my brain replaying the interactions from the day and what I could have done better or worse. My mind races from subject to subject and I just lay there with my eyes pinched shut hoping to dose off.

I don't drink caffeine or eat sugary foods so I'm not hyped up for those sorts of reasons. I have one cup of coffee in the morning and then the rest of my day I drink water. I don't eat late at night. My last meal for the day is usually around 7pm.

What I have learned works best for me is to actually count with my breath. Example when I inhale I think of the number one. When I exhale I think of the number two. This helps keep my mind from wandering off to the conversation I had with my boss, wife, co-worker, GAF, whatever. For some reason I have to be laying on my right side facing my wife to get to sleep. If I face the other way I somehow never get to sleep.

This has been a issue for me, well, forever.

So GAF how do you get to sleep at night?
Do you sleep on your side, back, stomach?
Does anyone have 'tricks' like me they have to perform in order to get to sleep?

I'm genuinely curious.
 
First I do my daily workout, then I watch about an hour of TV (Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, etc.), then I put some music in my iPod and, bam, I fall asleep in like 3 minutes.

My sleep time has been consistently great for over a year, mainly because of working out and eating right.
 
You should put effort into relaxing before going to bed. Not only physically, but mentally.
Don't go from watching TV straight to bed, try not to read GAF on your iPad right before you want to go to sleep.

Listen to some music or read a book instead. Take a hot bath maybe. Then go to sleep. It works for me.
 
WhatRobEats said:
So GAF how do you get to sleep at night?
Do you sleep on your side, back, stomach?
Does anyone have 'tricks' like me they have to perform in order to get to sleep?

I'm genuinely curious.
Click to expand...

Lately I'll just get as high as possible and head off to bed shortly afterwards. Usually I sleep on my side with a pillow to cuddle with between my legs. Sometimes I'll shift and sleep on my stomach.

A little trick that I know of is if you can't sleep, just put your head under the covers until you pass out from the lack of oxygen.
 
Very well. A lot better than I used to. I think it's related to getting 99% of the caffeine and sugar I used to consume out of my diet.

I turn on my heated mattress pad a 1/2 hour before going to bed, then read after getting in bed until I have trouble keeping my eyes open. Then I turn over and go to sleep.
 
I usually just "daydream" and my brain would eventually autopilot and take it from there and starts dreaming on its own, then I doze off, when my brain starts thinking of random shit that doesn't make sense, I know I'm on the right track.

Or I get tired of imagining things and fall into sleep.

Sometimes putting my blanket over my eyes would help.
 
FairyD said:
Lately I'll just get as high as possible and get head off to bed. Usually I sleep on my side with a pillow to cuddle with between my legs. Sometimes I'll shift and sleep on my stomach.

A little trick that I know of is if you can't sleep, just put your head under the covers until you pass out from the lack of oxygen.
Click to expand...

When I do this it just makes my mind race even more. So now I try to not partake in those activities after about 7pm.
 
WhatRobEats said:
Not in a moral metaphorical way but in an actual get to sleep way. I know some people my wife included that 3 minutes after their head hits the pillow they are out like a light. For me that has never been the case.

When I lay down to try and sleep it is like my senses and brain become hyper aware of everything. The slightest tingle of an itch, start obsessing over my breathing patterns, my brain replaying the interactions from the day and what I could have done better or worse. My mind races from subject to subject and I just lay there with my eyes pinched shut hoping to dose off.

I don't drink caffeine or eat sugary foods so I'm not hyped up for those sorts of reasons. I have one cup of coffee in the morning and then the rest of my day I drink water. I don't eat late at night. My last meal for the day is usually around 7pm.

What I have learned works best for me is to actually count with my breath. Example when I inhale I think of the number one. When I exhale I think of the number two. This helps keep my mind from wandering off to the conversation I had with my boss, wife, co-worker, GAF, whatever. For some reason I have to be laying on my right side facing my wife to get to sleep. If I face the other way I somehow never get to sleep.

This has been a issue for me, well, forever.

So GAF how do you get to sleep at night?
Do you sleep on your side, back, stomach?
Does anyone have 'tricks' like me they have to perform in order to get to sleep?

I'm genuinely curious.
Click to expand...

I have similar issues. Heavy routine helped a lot. But when I cannot sleep I try to get up and do something else. Funny enough I often tend to work through the day following an insomnic night and then sleep like a baby the night afterwards. Another little trick that helps me: Shower my feet and legs up to the knees with cold water, do not dry them and then just get the fuck under the blanket. I dont know why but it often helps. probably just another routine that tells your brain to switch the fuck off cause its sleeping time now.
 
FairyD said:
Lately I'll just get as high as possible and head off to bed shortly afterwards. Usually I sleep on my side with a pillow to cuddle with between my legs. Sometimes I'll shift and sleep on my stomach.

A little trick that I know of is if you can't sleep, just put your head under the covers until you pass out from the lack of oxygen.
Click to expand...

Wut
 
i cry myself to sleep pretending my pillow is another human being. after a while, my eyes hurt because i cry so much
 
Fritz said:
Another little trick that helps me: Shower my feet and legs up to the knees with cold water, do not dry them and then just get the fuck under the blanket.
Click to expand...

I.. I.. just don't comprehend that. Isn't your bed soaking wet at that point? I don't think I could get to sleep very well in a puddle of cold water.
 
When I was younger, I would have problems falling asleep, similar to what the OP describes. Then I had kids. Now I pass the fuck out minutes after my head hits the pillow.
 
gutshot said:
When I was younger, I would have problems falling asleep, similar to what the OP describes. Then I had kids. Now I pass the fuck out minutes after my head hits the pillow.
Click to expand...

I have kids as well. This has been going on for me since I can remember. I'm 34 in 4 days.

AlexMogil said:
With Melatonin.
Click to expand...
I have tried this too. On really bad nights it's usually a cocktail of my anti anxiety meds and a melatonin pill.
 
I don't. My sleep is all fucked up. I stay up until I'm utterly exhausted and pass out, then I only tend to sleep about 5 hours. I have no schedule.
 
Dice said:
I don't. My sleep is all fucked up. I stay up until I'm utterly exhausted and pass out, then I only tend to sleep about 5 hours. I have no schedule.
Click to expand...

For me no matter when I got sleep I wake up 6 or 7 hours later. I'm not a person that can lay in bed and sleep 10 - 12 hours.
 
My fiancee falls asleep almost right when she lays down. It's odd.

The best thing I've found to help me fall asleep is by laying in bed and browsing the internet on my phone or playing my Vita. The laying down part sort of gets my body in "sleep mode", and I'll slowly start to get more and more tired.

I know it sounds odd, but it works. I've fallen asleep playing my handhelds before, so A+.
 
My mind wanders when I go to sleep as well. And I never sleep enough unless it's on weekends. I don't really sleep well unless I've been up for 18+ hours.

I know what the problem is though...the problem is that I'm still playing games up until the time I should be going to bed. If I were to read an hour before going to bed I'm sure I'd go to sleep sooner.
 
lol what sleep? I haven't had a full night's sleep in weeks. After I get home from work I pass out on the couch after dinner for 4-5 hours tops and wake up at around 4:30 in the morning. Sucks.
 
On my back, my right arm extended out as an additional pillow for the better half. She can't sleep unless it is there and it's comfortable enough for me to fall asleep quickly.
 
TheExodu5 said:
If I were to read an hour before going to bed I'm sure I'd go to sleep sooner.
Click to expand...

That is a really great suggestion. I'm usually watching TV so perhaps that keeps my brain stimulated with the lights and sounds of the television.

I've got plenty of reading I could be doing so perhaps I'll just read my Kindle for an hour or so instead of watching Stewart, Colbert, then Kimmel.

When I do head off to bed I feel exhausted but once my head hits the pillow my brain automatically starts going 100mph.
 
On top of a pile of money with many beautiful ladies.
 
For the past year I absolutely can't fall asleep unless I have a podcast or audiobook playing in the background. It really worries me that my brain refuses to relax in silence :/
 
WhatRobEats said:
I have kids as well. This has been going on for me since I can remember. I'm 34 in 4 days.


I have tried this too. On really bad nights it's usually a cocktail of my anti anxiety meds and a melatonin pill.
Click to expand...

Clearly your kids are better behaved than mine.
 
WhatRobEats said:
I.. I.. just don't comprehend that. Isn't your bed soaking wet at that point? I don't think I could get to sleep very well in a puddle of cold water.
Click to expand...

Probably has something to do with blood pressure/circulation. The bed shouldnt be "soaking" wet though just moist. Try it.
 
I have a messed up sleep cycle and I can't fall asleep without being both physically and mentally exhausted. Exercise and then heavy reading tend to work, along with background noise like music/TV (I dislike absolute silence). As for position, probably fetal more than anything else.
 
gutshot said:
Clearly your kids are better behaved than mine.
Click to expand...

Well, they are older. Both 11. That might have something to do with it. Though they are both still bad asses. Just not as much direct babysitting I suppose.
 
WhatRobEats said:
Not in a moral metaphorical way but in an actual get to sleep way. I know some people my wife included that 3 minutes after their head hits the pillow they are out like a light. For me that has never been the case.

When I lay down to try and sleep it is like my senses and brain become hyper aware of everything. The slightest tingle of an itch, start obsessing over my breathing patterns, my brain replaying the interactions from the day and what I could have done better or worse. My mind races from subject to subject and I just lay there with my eyes pinched shut hoping to dose off.

I don't drink caffeine or eat sugary foods so I'm not hyped up for those sorts of reasons. I have one cup of coffee in the morning and then the rest of my day I drink water. I don't eat late at night. My last meal for the day is usually around 7pm.

What I have learned works best for me is to actually count with my breath. Example when I inhale I think of the number one. When I exhale I think of the number two. This helps keep my mind from wandering off to the conversation I had with my boss, wife, co-worker, GAF, whatever. For some reason I have to be laying on my right side facing my wife to get to sleep. If I face the other way I somehow never get to sleep.

This has been a issue for me, well, forever.

So GAF how do you get to sleep at night?
Do you sleep on your side, back, stomach?
Does anyone have 'tricks' like me they have to perform in order to get to sleep?

I'm genuinely curious.
Click to expand...

I have the same problem of becoming hyper aware when I lay down. I solve it by crafting a random story in my head. But I might be weird.

I sleep on my side, pillow between my knees.
 
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