Thread: A problem with falling asleep.

Here are a few things which may help.

Progressive Relaxation.

This involves tensing and then relaxing each muscle group one by one. The neck, shoulders, back, thighs, etc.

Hypnotic script.

There are many of these online. It is pretty much as it sounds, one reads or listens to a page of text designed to direct you in stages into a deep level of mental tranquilization.

Trance Inducing Visualisations.

Like the script visualisation can be used to induce a trance state. A few examples: Visualising yourself riding down a escalator, standing in a elevator going down, walking down stairs, etc.

Meditation.

This is very helpful for calming the mind and relaxing the body. This usually involves concentrating on a anchor, common examples of this are the breath and mantras, one focuses on these anchors while maintaining peripheral awareness. Some things you may wish to look into: Zazen, Shamatha, Zhine, and Tranquillity meditation.

Herbs and amino Acids which may help.

L-theanine is a excellent choice, it calms the mind without causing any unwanted torpor.

Chamomile, passionflower, lavender, and Lemon balm are all relaxing but too much can make you groggy, for Lucid dreaming purposes start with the lowest possible dose, you want enough to make you tired without suppressing awareness or REM.

Things to avoid.

Bright light sources.

Television and computer screens.

Intense physical exertion.

Coffee, Tea, or stimulating drugs in general.

You may also want to look into 'binaural beats' and 'isochronic tones' which use sound to incline the mind toward particular states of consciousness. They make some specifically for inducing sleep, trance states, meditative states, lucid dreams, and even out of body experience. There is not much scientific validation around them, but they seem to work for some people and may be worth a try. There are various web sites where you can find them for free.

Thanks for the advise.