Insomnia cures. Hit me with them. Have already tried Lord of the Rings again, and it didn't work.
I was just saying in the comments to the Ferretblogging post that everybody assumes Kick is the problem with me sleeping when actually I am the problem with me sleeping. I'm coming off a long two weeks at the day job, got a couple other projects I'm trying to finish up, but none of that should result in staring at the walls until midnight every night when I have to get up at 6.
(That still sounds like a lot of sleep to my inner 19-year-old, but she was 20 years ago and I'm desperate here.)
A.
My doctor finally said “intractable insomnia” and now I take a pill.
You can buy melatonin over the counter. I can’t use it because it screws up stuff if you have a thyroid prob, but many say it’s great. Also too, before doing that try a drink brand called ‘Neuro’ and the ‘Sleep’ drink. It has melatonin in it as well as some other stuff. Half a bottle will probably work and make you sleepy.
The app Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson works for me most of the time. My offspring says good things about the Neuro drinks, so I would say to try that too.
And wouldn’t it be great to only need the sleep that the inner 19-year-old needs? That inner 19-year-old should have kicked me out of bed to run at 5 this morning as planned, but the outer 40-year-old kept me in the house until 8. She paid the price with some awful heat.
I have good luck with these things: Try to eat a healthy supper and then nothing else but water or relaxing herbal tea, use only dim light, no TV or computer or energetic music, read a book that isn’t very exciting. Exercise early in the day can help but not after about 5 pm. You can try Dramamine (which makes you sleepy as a side effect).
I recommend reading biochemical pathways…..Krebs cycle, electron transport, the metabolism of various amino acids…..and also I second trying melatonin!
What J said. No toys in the crib — no electronic media of any sort for at least 2 hours before bed, and don’t use them in the bedroom at all. Read a book. Melatonin worked a bit for me for a while, but it turned out I had other things going on and now have to use a prescription medication.
Melatonin and a small glass of tawny port 2 hours before bedtime.
For me what works: Go to bed at a regular time, limit caffeine intake, limit screen/computer time in evening, keep the bedroom dark. Don’t eat rich foods late. Slow down a bit.
For me reality: Go to bed at irregular times, drink coffee like water all day, read online for hours, have lights on, eat pizza at 11pm. Better to burn out than fade away.
i used to read an old dictionary or play cards on yahoo. now i just stay up til the wee hours like an extreme night owl i am.
Half a 25 mg Benadryl will put me over the edge into sleep. Sometimes
Your body’s core temperature must drop a couple degrees as part of the process of falling asleep.
So help that happen.
Get slightly chilled before getting into bed — if it’s cool out, shed a layer and go outside briefly, otherwise stand in your skivvies in front of a fan or air conditioner. Run cool water over the wrists, or dabble your feet and ankles in a cool lake or basin of cool water.
Then don’t over-blanket when you first retire. Try using one less than usual.
If you can arrange to sleep in a cool room, do so.
Instead of reading LotR, try reading The Silmarillion. More effective than opioids, and completely non-addictive.
I usually like to watch a British detective show, something about the accents and lower level of shooting and explosions seems to help. New Tricks is a great sleeping show.
Lately, I’ve discovered a new technique with the lights out and TV off. I try to recount the plot of a movie start to finish. I use movies with an involved plot, such as The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo or Bourne Identity. I never seem to recount the whole movie before I’m lost to REM.