Thread: Tips for getting to sleep

I need some help getting to sleep. I have been a fussy sleeper my whole life, but now that I'm trying to LD it's just not going to work for me anymore.

My problem is that even if I'm super exhausted and thinking "ok, I'm going to bed right at 10:00", it never happens. I was talking about it with a friend and it almost feels like a waste of time to go to bed at 10:00 when I could stay up and add a couple more hours to my day. And even though I'm not thinking that and staying up for that reason, I know deep down that's what it is. By the time I get home from work, shower, eat dinner, clean up, it's 10:00. Why would I want to go to bed then? So although I am exhausted, I find myself in front of a computer or tv or cleaning or doing anything other than sleeping. But I have to wake up at 7:00 and it takes me a while to fall asleep, so I'm usually getting 5-6 hours of sleep.

5-6 hours of sleep does not result in good dream recall for me, much less LDing.

I need some REALLY GOOD tips or pshychological tricks, or behavior change ideas to inspire me to want to go to sleep at 10:00. How do I stop looking at this as a bad thing?

I try to remind myself of my ultimate goal of LDing, but somehow the idea seems to get forgotten. I need...........something. Really good. Something really good.

Help.

PS - I'm dying to LD at this point, so ANY suggestions would be more than welcome. Even if you think it might be stupid, maybe I can take something from you're suggestion and make it work for me, so please don't be afraid to respond.

I had a problem with falling asleep(and...still kind of do from time to time)but here's a few suggestions.
1. You could try and pick up a sleep aid from walmart, cvs, etc, most places carry them. The two major ingredients(two different boxes/pills) are Diiphenhydramine HCI or DoxyLamine Succinate. You could buy both(if you buy both, and they're generic, it might be around 5 or six dollars). Go with the generic if you can(no point spending extra money on a brand name like unisom). I say try both since each has different affects for different people. They are not supposed to be habbit forming(or so they claim)but using sleep aids for an extended period of time is never good(it says on all boxes that you shouldn't take for more then 7-10 days). If OTC(over the counter)sleep aids don't help, you could see your doctor and ask him/her about it. I can't think of the words as to what they can do for you or tell you, but they could also provide you with stronger medicine(EX. Ambien or that new sleep aid that isn't supposed to be habbit forming. Ambien is pretty strong by the way).

2. A lot of people would suggest relaxation or meditation over sleep aids. Exercising before going to sleep can also be useful. Warm Milk or turkey is supposed to cause you to become tired also(never tried really.) A warm/hot shower is always nice.
I'm sure others can come up with more suggestions.
I would love to LD also.....

Thanks for the suggestions Yayotters. I have tried sleeping pills before, made me feel like crap the next day so I'm done with those. Also tried Valerian root and it didn't do anything, so I don't think any kind of sleeping pill is gonna work for me. And definitely no turkey - I don't meat.

You're meditation suggestion made me remember something someone else had suggested to me before. They said to do some kind of meditation a half hour before bed each night or just lay on my bed without music on or tv or anything and just relax. I never actually tried it, so maybe I'll do that. Maybe my brain just needs a break for half an hour and after that I'll be ready for sleep.

Had a great sleep last night though! I was so exhausted from not sleeping the last couple nights and then working all day (wine helped too) that I passed out at about 9:30. I remembered something like 5 or 6 dreams and kept remembering them in more detail as the day went on. Lots of sleep makes SUCH a difference. It feels so good to remember my dreams and feel like I'm on my way to lucidity.

Anyone else have some suggestions? Pleeeeeaaaaaaaase...............

If you are trying to aquair lucid dreaming as well as slepp most sleeping aids/pills do not go well with that.
There is a section in the Sleeping Disorders that may be of some help.

I have heard too that you should not do work related things in your place of sleep. Computor, homework, whatever.
Provide a good sleep area.
Dark.
Comfortable temp.
Some fragrances from herbs may help.
Earplugs if it is noisy.
White noise, constant like a fan

[quote]If you are trying to aquair lucid dreaming as well as slepp most sleeping aids/pills do not go well with that.
There is a section in the Sleeping Disorders that may be of some help.

I have heard too that you should not do work related things in your place of sleep. Computor, homework, whatever.
Provide a good sleep area.
Dark.
Comfortable temp.
Some fragrances from herbs may help.
Earplugs if it is noisy.
White noise, constant like a fan

But my biggest problem is actually GETTING to bed. No matter how tired I am most of the time I just don't want to go to bed at 10:00. It just feels like I'm cutting my day way too short. I need to learn to look at 8 hours of sleep as more important than all the other stuff I'm doing at that time, but I don't know how to do it. When the time comes, I just think of a million other things to do.

Maybe I'm not disciplined enough? I am doing something someone else suggested in another thread. I'm giving myself one task to do a day that isn't particulary pleasant and so far I've been doing well. Maybe once a week I'll make my task to be in bed at 9:30 relaxing and not watching tv or listening to music, and then 10:00 it's lights out. Maybe after a while I'll up it to two days and so on and see how it goes.

Why didn't I think of that before? Howetzer, I think your post really got me thinking. Thanks man! Much appreciated.

I work shifts, and often don't finish work till nine fifteen. It might be ten pm before i get in, sometimes later, if a mate and i get chatting.
Here's what i do to get to sleep at night.
Come home, make a cup of peppermint tea. Check my emails (no messing, that's all i do) turn my computer off. While i'm doing this, i burn some lavender essential oil in the room i'm sleeping in. (which is not the one with my computer in)
I then go into the bedroom, get into something comfortable, and climb into bed with my peppermint tea and a good book.
I start to feel drowsy, and then it's lights out, dream recall on!
I swear by the lavender!

I am glad I can help kichu!
It appears to me that you are a go goetter. Wich most people would pay for. So don't loose that. But if you are fatigued during the day, then in all acuallity your assertiveness may not be as productive as if you were to go to bed earlier.
You have to ask yourself. What are you actually doing those couple hours you stay up later?

[quote]I am glad I can help kichu!
It appears to me that you are a go goetter. Wich most people would pay for. So don't loose that. But if you are fatigued during the day, then in all acuallity your assertiveness may not be as productive as if you were to go to bed earlier.
You have to ask yourself. What are you actually doing those couple hours you stay up later?

I know I'm not being productive or anything in those couple of hours, I know I'm just doing stupid things and that's the problem, I CAN NOT STOP DOING THE STUPID THINGS. It's sooooooo dumb.

Good news though, with the task of the day thing I've really been getting myself together. In the last week I've felt really organized and on top of things. Now when I say I'm going to have a task for the day, not only do I do it for sure, but I add like three other things to it and do those as well. I feel like I'm getting a lot out of my days now and I feel like my head is more clear. I'm definitely ready to get into bed early tonight, no problem.

I think this task of the day thing definitely deserves some more looking into by everyone. If you give it a good effort, it can totally change things for you.

Thanks for all the help guys

Originally posted by irishcream
I work shifts, and often don't finish work till nine fifteen. It might be ten pm before i get in, sometimes later, if a mate and i get chatting.
Here's what i do to get to sleep at night.
Come home, make a cup of peppermint tea. Check my emails (no messing, that's all i do) turn my computer off. While i'm doing this, i burn some lavender essential oil in the room i'm sleeping in. (which is not the one with my computer in)
I then go into the bedroom, get into something comfortable, and climb into bed with my peppermint tea and a good book.
I start to feel drowsy, and then it's lights out, dream recall on!
I swear by the lavender!

Lavender is known to aid in sleep. You can also put some on your bed(not a lot to where it's going to get all over you, but put it on in the begining of the day so it absorbs). I'll have to take a look at lavender oils(along with all of the oils)next time I'm....anywhere that sells them. Congrats on being able to get in bed early....(sounds corny, couldn't think of how to put it).