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Tips to get a good night's sleep

Black Sun

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Hey guys. Interested in hearing about what you do to wind down and encourage deeper sleep.

Since childhood I've had a lot of disturbing dreams and I go through periods where they get intense and I don't get a deep enough sleep. I exercise to get out any unhealthy pent up energy that tends to interrupt my sleep too. I wish I could get some anesthesia lol. Melatonin works pretty well but can make me groggy during the day (but it makes my dreams pretty long and vivid, which is cool. I recommend it if you're interested in lucid dreaming).

Let me know.
 

highlander

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Hey guys. Interested in hearing about what you do to wind down and encourage deeper sleep. Since childhood I've had a lot of disturbing dreams and I go through periods where they get intense and I don't get a deep enough sleep. I exercise to get out any unhealthy pent up energy that tends to interrupt my sleep too. I wish I could get some anesthesia lol. Melatonin works pretty well but can make me groggy during the day (but it makes my dreams pretty long and vivid, which is cool. I recommend it if you're interested in lucid dreaming). Let me know.
I woke up at 4am this morning then couldn't sleep for an hour and a half then couldn't get up at 730 when my alarm went off. When you find out, let me know! Ambien worked for years but not as much lately

Actually there is a book I read once on it. The Promise of Sleep it was very good and i just bought it after all these years because the author just died. Will need to reread it
 

ceecee

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Yoga, specifically before bed yoga that I do in bed. Also speak to a doctor, I take medications for a month or two once or twice a year. It seems to reset things when I'm having a hard time falling/staying asleep.

Restoril is the one that works best for me.
 

Luminous

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I sleep better since going on anxiety medication. Exercising to get anxiety out is good, possibly an activity that requires you to use your brain in such a way that you can't worry or ruminate (like sudoku or a puzzle game) at bedtime or when you're having trouble. I've started using this lotion at bedtime and I think it's very soothing, Argan Oil & Lavender Collection | Love Beauty and Planet. Breathing exercises could be good, and progressive muscle relaxation. Ear plugs or some kind of white noise.
 

Lark

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In my experience the following points are good ones:-

- A lot of hard strenuous exercise or activity during the day but particularly before you intend to go to sleep, most people exercise to a point at which they are stimulated or ready for more exercise but not to the point of true tiredness requiring recuperation through rest.

- No stimulants, or reduce them a lot, and especially not after six in the day.

- Do not eat a lot before bedtime or drink a lot but conversely if you're very thirsty you will wake up and it can be a good idea to keep something to drink by the bed.

- Write all the shit down that you could be worrying about, especially tasks, and then you can look at it first thing in the morning and wont have to think about it right then at night.

- Have a productive day, wake early at the same time or as near the same time as possible, go to bed as close to the same time as possible each day, and if you can look forward to sleeping and dont have yourself trained into thinking that its just lost time or something like that, it also helps, peoples attitudes to sleep and whether they value it or not is really a thing and it really matters.

- Think about the benefits of sleep. Sleep is like exercise, no one ever thinks of it in the way they do their very favourite food and all three of those things are as important as one another and you should value them the same and feel good about them and desire them. You will hear people complain about missing a meal more than missing exercise or sleep, most of the time. If you get seven hours of sleep and are lifting weight you will get muscle definition faster than if you arent. It also helps to lose weight.
 

Peter Deadpan

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Melatonin nightly helps, and when it's really bad, I'll throw in a Benadryl. I don't recommend long-term use of the Benadryl though because it may have negative effects on the brain, potentially linked to dementia. Full-spectrum CBD is also something I regularly use.

If you notice any patterns or new insights from your disturbing dreams or midnight thoughts, perhaps try to take some time during the day to dive into those a bit. If you can work them out to some extent, maybe they won't keep you up at night.
 

Earl Grey

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I use melatonin as well. It's only been a while, but I notice that its effects depend on what I do before sleep- it's not something that's meant to knock you out the way sleeping pills do, after all. Personally, on an empty stomach, it acts faster, and if I've eaten, I take melatonin 3-4 hours before bed- the sleepiness takes longer to set in but also lasts longer and I remain groggy upon waking if I take it too early.

You may want to adjust your dosage or at least the timing. Also, when I was looking up melatonin online I found that there are ones that are slow-acting that you take X hours before bed, and ones that are fast acting- meant to be taken right before bed. One or the other may fit your needs better.

Aside from that however, I tend to either keep all (ALL) the lights off or stick to a light that has the colour temperature that promotes the release of natural melatonin (took a bit of tinkering to find a temperature that suited me best), and is as dim / bright as I'd like. I notice that sometimes some form of repetitive white noise (rain, the sound of the ocean) helps me sleep because my mind wanders less. The aggravating thing about my sleep is that physical tiredness doesn't help me sleep, but at least these other things are very simple to do and can be set up without much effort- I do these as well as take melatonin.
 

Lexicon

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F.lux or other blue light filters (like night shift mode on some devices) can be helpful near bedtime, or steer clear of electronics entirely within an hour or so of bedtime.

Practice good sleep hygiene— don’t do anything in bed but sleep (and sex, unless there’s another preferred location for that). Don’t lay there playing on your phone or watching TV.

Have a consistent bedtime routine (part of sleep hygiene). A pattern you stick to. For me, it’s my nightly skincare regimen, & brushing my & my cat’s teeth. It gets your brain conditioned & ready for sleep.

Will add more later as I think of them.
 

Tellenbach

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What Lark said, but I'd add - reading a chapter or two of a book before bedtime. The melatonin definitely helps. I've read that background noise, like the sound of rain, helps. I do sleep much better when it rains.
 

Maou

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Melatonin and ibuprofen 30min before bed if I really want a good night's sleep. Idk if the ibuprofen actually works, but I've always felt better taking it. I also tend to use the blue light filter on my phone as well. And yeah, having a clean and fresh bed and pillow can do wonders too.
 

Luminous

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Melatonin and ibuprofen 30min before bed if I really want a good night's sleep. Idk if the ibuprofen actually works, but I've always felt better taking it. I also tend to use the blue light filter on my phone as well. And yeah, having a clean and fresh bed and pillow can do wonders too.

Ibuprofen helps me sleep better too.
 

Abcdenfp

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Seriously I've discovered lately that the ocean sounds setting on Alexa really works. It's very weird I had a couple weeks of no sleep and I remembered someone mentioning soothing sounds. This works like a charm !
 

Maou

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Seriously I've discovered lately that the ocean sounds setting on Alexa really works. It's very weird I had a couple weeks of no sleep and I remembered someone mentioning soothing sounds. This works like a charm !

I think you can find "sleeping music" on youtube, iirc. Or brainwave music, it might be called.

I personally cannot stand white noise and sounds while sleeping, because it amplifies my hypnagogic/hypnapompic hallucinations. It also registers as a radio or TV on in the next room. The only way I can tolerate it, is like an air conditioner. Because the heat is a bigger concern for me while sleeping. I am one of those people who prefer an ice cold bedroom.
 

Abcdenfp

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I think you can find "sleeping music" on youtube, iirc. Or brainwave music, it might be called. I personally cannot stand white noise and sounds while sleeping, because it amplifies my hypnagogic/hypnapompic hallucinations. It also registers as a radio or TV on in the next room. The only way I can tolerate it, is like an air conditioner. Because the heat is a bigger concern for me while sleeping. I am one of those people who prefer an ice cold bedroom.
I'm the opposite I need a white noise of some sorts to sleep. When I went to college in Canada none of the rooms had fans in it so I struggled to sleep for 3 months couldn't figure out why. When I returned home and slept in my room for the first time I realized it was sound of the Fan that was missing.
 

Maou

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I'm the opposite I need a white noise of some sorts to sleep. When I went to college in Canada none of the rooms had fans in it so I struggled to sleep for 3 months couldn't figure out why. When I returned home and slept in my room for the first time I realized it was sound of the Fan that was missing.

Oh yeah, everyone is different. I kinda wonder if it is linked to genetics or something else. My BF for example, needs a fan or AC as well, even when it is cold out. The silence disturbs him more than anything else. It honestly might be linked to anxiety, and or paranoia.
 

J. Starke

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I only believe in chemistry, so melatonin, zinc or half a xanax before bed. Knocks you out pretty well.
 

Polaris

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According to one scientific study, pink noise increases the depth of a person's sleep. Aside from that, its presence will block out more distracting forms of noise. So, if you aren't the kind of person who requires absolute silence in order to go to sleep, I would recommend getting a noise machine that can produce pink noise or putting on a pink noise Youtube video the next time you want a night's rest.
 
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Silence doesn't work on me because silence is another word for the sounds of furniture creaking and feeling like someone is stalking me outside my door.

Fans, rain, music, pink noise, whatever it may be, is a necessity to calm & tame my imagination.
 
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