How do you sleep? tips for a better nights rest

[Wolfmans_BrothEr]

Personally unless I'm on some sort of drug that knocks me out I can't fall asleep on my back. I'm always most comfortable on my stomach with my head onn the edge of the pillow with one arm extended under it and the other off to my side...either that or on my side resting my head on the bottom arm under the pillow

kinda wondering how the majority of other people sleep and if anyone has any tips that don't involve drugs for a better nights rest since I find myself waking feeling tired most days

I usually just put on some Floyd and control my breathing until I drift off. I've found when I had a girlfriend in bed next to me I tend to fall asleep a lot easier...it's either cause I feel more relaxed, but it's probly jus cause chances are I just finished having sex

 

[justsayknow]

One thing I find helps me is if I do a lot of physical exercise during the day.
Also apparently if you can get out in the sunshine it helps your natural sleep and wakefulness cycles

Some other things Ive heard people say are: Use the bedroom only for sleep and sex and get in a routine ie do certain things at a certain time before you go to bed and go to bed at the same time every night.

 

[malakaix]

What are you normally doing just before you goto bed?

Organizing some sort of 'wind-down/relaxing' activity an hour or so before you goto bed makes easing into sleep alot smoother. In my own experience, "routine" is one of the most important factors when it comes to sleep.. your body loves routine, and if you can get in the routine of going to bed and waking up at the same time it makes a huge difference as your body is already preparing to shut-down and wake-up around those times.

Sleeping to little or to much can contribute to tiredness and fatigue in the morning, it's generally not good to get into the habit of 'sleeping in' because oversleeping can make you seriously tired when you wake up. I usually focus on a balance of 8 hours.. any more or less and i can feel fatigued, but some people can manage on less.

As for sleeping positions, i usually lay on my back initially to let myself relax and as i begin to feel myself drift off i turn onto my stomach or side with my head on the edge of the pillow and im out!

 

[JoshE]

Id say the best thing is defiantly some kind of exercise beforehand..ie: running or boxing. I remember when I was doing Korean Kickboxing it helped me heaps with my "falling asleep problems"

Also, Imo going to bed with a full stomach also helps..Nowadays I'm usually knackered by the time I'm ready for bed, so ill just chuck on the TV and set it to sleep in 60 minutes..Next thing I know, my alarm is going off at 4am.

I'm the same as malakaix when it comes to sleeping positions..Back to begin with then I'll end up turning on my side.

 

[badboybrian]

one of the easier (although challenging) things to do is associating the bedroom with relaxation. take the tv out of the bedroom. dont do homework, or any kind of work, on your bed. you basically want to remove as many stimulants as possible. this supposedly aids in a better night sleep.

 

[grimble crumble]

when you wake up in the morning go for a 2 mile run before you start your day, then after dinner work out with wieghts, then right before bed, read while you sip on ONE glass of wine. you will sleep like a god damn baby. this has been my routine this summer and my sleep has been heavyyyy at night

 

[alasdairm]

if you drink caffeinated drinks, try switching to decaf. after noon.

alasdair

 

[_a_A_C_c_]

i am weird, i like falling asleep in an empty bed. actually, i like sleeping alone because i tend to move to the cold spots on the bed throughout the night. and i hate people snoring or breathing on me.

i like the room to be dark and have some sort of white noise like a fan. i also use an eye mask that looks like this:

 

[nekointheclouds]

Beyond the many good points others have made about general health and stuff during the day I also have to have the right sleeping environment.

I Require total darkness, for the air to be cool enough for me to be able to at least use a blanket to snuggle with. And a soft love but constant white noise, like a fan. Gotta have a fan.

I get woken up easily by little noises and distracted easily by sounds even outside of my control, so i have to have that fan on to drown out any noise irregularities.

 

[Keaton]

I find that a nice indica makes the night very sweet.

 

[TINK]

I have chronic sleeping issues even with medication. FIRST THING - use youre bedroom as your bedroom and nothing else. Like BBB said no tv no nothing.
Try to avoid caffine and nicotine 3-4 hrs before bedtime.
Hell, I went as far as to go out and spend 3500 bucks on a bed to help me sleep better
And like neko I need a fan running, something about the constant white noise
I also sleep better if it is cold, I get to snuggle with my comforter
Avoid napping during the day of lengths more than 20 mins. this will disturb your sleep cycle
Having a night time ritual doesn't hurt either. Mediation, calming music, cup of decaf tea, etc.

I start on my stomach/side then wake up on my back with 2 angry cats staring me down wanting breakfast

 

[Bob Loblaw]

I lie down on one side and have to turn to the other and back again approximately every 10 minutes or else I will become extremely uncomfortable. As I get closer to falling asleep I find I can stay on one side longer and longer. It's weird I know.

 

[L2R]

^my sinuses sometimes makes me like that. used to be much worse before i had the septoplasty done to correct a deviated septum.


op,
turn off the music. get used to silence. it's a good thing.

exercise and eat well. drink more water throughout the day.

 

[RecklessWOT]

turn off the music. get used to silence. it's a good thing.

exercise and eat well. drink more water throughout the day.

Agreed. Music (or anything other than a constant white noise) disrupts your brain while sleeping and doesn't allow it to slip as deeply into restful sleep as it would without the music. I used to sleep with music on all the time, but since I stopped I notice a difference. Helps you fall asleep, but doesn't leave you as rested

I lie down on one side and have to turn to the other and back again approximately every 10 minutes or else I will become extremely uncomfortable. As I get closer to falling asleep I find I can stay on one side longer and longer. It's weird I know.

I'm the same way with the constantly changing positions. I usually start on my back. That's how I know if I drank a LOT the previous night if I wake up still on my back...

I also sleep in some really weird positions that look extremely uncomfortable to others but are some of my coziest ones. They're hard to explain, but one of these such positions is laying on my front but my shoulders are completely turned sideways so that I'm laying almost on my left shoulder, and I wrap my left arm around my neck so that my hand ends up resting on my back between my shoulder blades. My right knee is almost into a fetal position placement (if I were to be on my side but instead I have to just put it out to the side because I'm on my front) while my left leg would be fully extended. All sorts of twisted up. I usually don't intentionally put myself like that it just ends up that way.

That also brings up another point/ question I think about- most people have that one really weird position they find comfortable. I wonder if that maybe has something to do with your first 9 months of existence and how you were positioned in the womb?

 

[JoeTheStoner]

ill echo the routine. exercise during the day, no caffeine few hours before, etc stuff.

i've been on a routine and get around 9 hours sleep. well my routine is eat 3 hours before sleep, after eating i watch tv/movie then chill online for a few hour before i lay down withheadphones on and listen to an hour of an audiobook (right now its "As She Climbed Across the Table" good stuff, should check it out, just sayin) then i used my trusty youtube > mp3 converter to grab some "sleep hypnosis" vids off youtube. so after an hour of the audiobook on my playlist then it plays the sleep hypnosis vid ( http://youtu.be/xLLDuDiL5Us is a good one ) and like clockwork im drifting off to dream land after 10 minutes, slide the headphones off readjust pillow and im out. thats just what works for me, as others mentioned and i've heard before, no sounds, tv, etc... honestly that helps me personally, and i've listened to some noisey like industrial "pan sonic" music before sleep and even drifted out to that so to each their own. tis' audiobook time fellas, peace

 

[I NUK3D U]

Are you a smoker OP? Ever tried slapping on a weak nicotine patch before bed? Worked wonders for me as I would regularly wake up every 2-3 hours with my mind unable to relax in need of a cigarette.

Thankfully now I've given up but people underestimate the effect on the mind of needing a hit of nicotine.

 

[Wolfmans_BrothEr]

^i smoke and there's been times where I'll wake up in the morning smoke, and then be able to fall back asleep..I don't like doing it tho

I think it's just cause I'm still in the endtrails of opiate w.d

 

[Perpetual Indulgence]

physical exercise....Use the bedroom only for sleep and sex

^^this. I turn my alarm clock away from view. I used to be a clock watcher.

The room must be very dark and cool.
I am a nightly weed smoker. It seems to take longer to get to sleep if I don't smoke.
My last caffeine intake will be 1230-1p. Sometimes it is just the morning cup of coffee.

My weekly schedule is regimented. In bed no later than 10:30p and at 6a most mornings.

Occasionally, I will join my husband in a cup of Sleepytime (camomile and valerian root) herbal tea but the urge to pee will wake me up about 1-2 hours before I need to get up.

 

[Number Love]

Just do a ton of K, you'll sleep. Or pass out, its all relative.


Seriously though the only sleep aid I use these days is a nice indica. Anything else i find i become dependent on it quickly.

 

[_a_A_C_c_]

My last caffeine intake will be 1230-1p. Sometimes it is just the morning cup of coffee.

My weekly schedule is regimented. In bed no later than 10:30p and at 6a most mornings.

weekdays, i am usually in bed around 10 and sleeping around 10.30. i do a sort of meditating/relaxing routine i go through before falling asleep. i am actually surprised that i am feel awake for most of the day with no caffeine or naps.