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Thread: Best practices for falling asleep?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2021
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    Default Best practices for falling asleep?

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    Hey all, I've always had a difficult time falling asleep at night, and I was wondering if anyone who has had this issue and improved it has any tips or suggestions? I will feel tired, I'll turn the lights off and lay in bed, and ostensibly I should fall asleep, but I just... don'g. My mind wanders restlessly for hours it seems.

    Anyway, just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and had any suggestions.

  2. #2
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    Here are my recommendations:

    -Get to sleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time regardless of what you're doing that day
    -No caffeine after a certain time of the day (experiment and find out what works for you)
    -1.5mg Melatonin. If it's not relaxing you, try a higher dose. If you have psychedelic, trippy dreams and wake up restless at 3am, you took too much. Take a lower dose.
    -Exercise 3-7 times per week
    -Figure out a way to not be sexually restless (you figure it out)
    -No blue light from computer screens two hours or less before bed. I recommend the program f.lux which changes the output light of your screen. Blue light inhibits melatonin release.
    -If you can't stop thinking about what you need to do tomorrow while lying in bed, get a notepad or book to write down your "to do" list on it. Getting it on paper will allow you to relax better.
    -No long naps during the day.
    -Do something relaxing just before bed. I read.
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  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ryan DCNT View Post
    My mind wanders restlessly for hours it seems.
    Don't let it do that. Create a story, imagine a landscape, or whatever. Concentrate on a specific task.

  4. #4
    Ray Gillenwater's Avatar
    Ray Gillenwater is offline Administrator, Starting Strength Gyms
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    Good list, Andrew.

    Ryan- Do you give your brain time to process information, unstimulated, throughout the day? If not, try taking ten minute breaks with no external stimulation (screens, music, etc) to settle your mind. It's too easy to be distracted all day in 2021 and it definitely interferes with my sleep if I don't take time to think.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2020
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    As the apostles experienced in Gethsemane, trying to pray with Jesus at night can be very sleep-inducing. But don't worry, if you fall asleep praying the rosary, I'm told that your guardian angel finishes it for you!

  6. #6
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    Feb 2020
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    50mg of Benadryl works better than anything for me. It isn't magic but its the best OTC thing I've used, and use. It's the same active ingredient as in most sleep aids and if you buy the generic store brand, it's super cheap. Melatonin, zinc and all that other stuff doesn't do much, if anything, for me but some people swear by it so it's worth a try if you want. Im not saying this from the perspective of someone who occasionally has trouble sleeping - I'm a terrible sleeper, always, and have been for years so I feel your pain.

  7. #7
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    Sep 2014
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    Quote Originally Posted by AndrewLewis View Post
    Here are my recommendations:

    -Get to sleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time regardless of what you're doing that day
    -No caffeine after a certain time of the day (experiment and find out what works for you)
    -1.5mg Melatonin. If it's not relaxing you, try a higher dose. If you have psychedelic, trippy dreams and wake up restless at 3am, you took too much. Take a lower dose.
    -Exercise 3-7 times per week
    -Figure out a way to not be sexually restless (you figure it out)
    -No blue light from computer screens two hours or less before bed. I recommend the program f.lux which changes the output light of your screen. Blue light inhibits melatonin release.
    -If you can't stop thinking about what you need to do tomorrow while lying in bed, get a notepad or book to write down your "to do" list on it. Getting it on paper will allow you to relax better.
    -No long naps during the day.
    -Do something relaxing just before bed. I read.
    - A good quality, comfortable mattress.
    - Keep the room cool and completely dark (eyeshades are a great, inexpensive investment).
    - If you snore, a sleep study could determine if you have some sort of apnea that is interfering with your sleep.

  8. #8
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    Feb 2021
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    I listen to an audiobook. Has to be a decently interesting one to keep my mind from wandering. But also one I’ve listened to quite a few times so I’m not hanging on every word.

    I set the sleep timer and fall asleep pretty fast. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I hit the 30 min more button, puts me right back to sleep before I can start worrying about stuff.

  9. #9
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    This has been discussed dozens of times, with lots of very good answers. Don't make us retype this for you. Look it up.

  10. #10
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