Sleep Help.

[Pyle_PMG]

I come bearing another thread. This is concerning the sleeping troubles I've had that started this year. I get about 4 hours of sleep a night max currently and its unhealthy. I've tried everything, sleeping in my bed, on a couch, chair, floor, in complete darkness, with all the lights on, with music, without music, outside, at other peoples houses, in pyjamas, in regular clothes. The only thing I haven't tried are sleeping pills. So I'm asking you, fellow GTPlanet members, what can I do? Could personal issues (secrets) be affecting me? Is there changes in my eating habits that could be able to help? I just need solutions, so I can get the sleep I so desperately need and be normal again.

 

[CAM]

In my opinion, and this is just my personal opinion, the biggest things that determine whether or not I sleep at night are two things. I had trouble sleeping a lot when I was younger (mostly due to night terrors), and the two things I found that helped me sleep the most were a cool temperature and having some type of food in me prior to laying down. I hope it helps 👍. Although after posting this, I doubt ill be able to sleep tonight.. knock on wood.

 

[Joel]

Being on GTPlanet at 1:30 AM is probably a big part of it. You need to make a routine for yourself, so your body will recognize that it's time to sleep. This routine means you have to shut off the TV and computer, iPods, cell phones, etc etc a half hour to an hour before it's time to sleep. Staying on the internet or watching TV keeps your brain actively engaged, and there's no way to fall asleep when your mind is so active.

Shut off the computer, don't eat a few hours before you sleep, lay down and read something, preferably fiction. And keep your room dark.

^What he said about food there, I can't sleep if I'm hungry, but eating right before bed isn't a great idea.

 

[Omnis]

Manual labor should help you out a lot.

Go to the gym and lift heavy-ass weight, come home, eat a meal and pass out. Also, don't allow yourself to snooze when you have to wake up in the morning.

 

[Joel]

Manual labor should help you out a lot.

Go to the gym and lift heavy-ass weight, come home, eat a meal and pass out.

I'm too lazy for that 🤬. I prefer the read a book method.

Although really he's right, I don't work out but after an 8 hour shift at work I'm ready to collapse and fall asleep as soon as I walk in the front door.

 

[CAM]

Being on GTPlanet at 1:30 AM is probably a big part of it. You need to make a routine for yourself, so your body will recognize that it's time to sleep. This routine means you have to shut off the TV and computer, iPods, cell phones, etc etc a half hour to an hour before it's time to sleep. Staying on the internet or watching TV keeps your brain actively engaged, and there's no way to fall asleep when your mind is so active.

Shut off the computer, don't eat a few hours before you sleep, lay down and read something, preferably fiction. And keep your room dark.

^What he said about food there, I can't sleep if I'm hungry, but eating right before bed isn't a great idea.

Yeah, what he said about food is a much better way of saying what I had in my head. Don't go to an all-you-can-eat buffet before bed by any means, just stay somewhat full.

 

[dice1998]

With me, it's hard for me to actually sleep sometimes because right when i'm about to sleep, a slight noise would keep me from actually falling asleep and then I start thinking about what that sound was and where it came from and why it was made.. (using sound as an example)

For me to actually fall asleep, and this may sound weird, I force myself to clear my head of any thoughts whatsoever and just concentrate on one single thing that would relax me (music for example).

As far as personal secrets go, I'd tell you to just not think about them since nothing will change what has been done already, but i know firsthand that saying it and doing it is two different things.

Do you have a comfortable sleeping position? Maybe that'll help.

With me, also, I sometimes drink something warm (like milk) before I head to bed to help me relax more.

I also watch some videos which would tire me out (things like rewatching some episodes of my favorite show)..


Maybe doing some kind of task before you hit the sack (like exercising?) could help you too..





*edit* all of which has been said in above posts while i was typing this up

 

[W3H5]

Exercise really helps with sleep troubles. Even if it's and hours bike ride or a few miles walk in the evening it can help. I've had sleep issues during my stint on this Earth and found nothing worked as well as exercise and regular, reasonably healthy meals.

Sleeping pills should be a last resort although they'll not do damage to you.

Stress can be a major sleep killer so do what you can to relax. I've spent hours playing GT in the past as meditation to help me to lower stress levels. Now I drink too much and have no problems sleeping!

If it gets too bad that it's affecting your health a lot then see a doctor and get some professional help, there's only so much advice us lot can offer but a specialist will have a lot more ways to help you. Good luck.

EDIT: Like Omnis said, doing some weights can help. I push 30k for half an hour after working all day and I'm out like a light.

 

[dice1998]

Actually, yeah.

Playing some video games (at least for me) tires me out after a certain amount of time on it.

For example, on GT5, 12 laps of the Nurburgring 24h layout in your favorite car or something along those lines can possibly help too.

 

[Omnis]

You could also apply for Mexican citizenship.


OH NO I DIDN'T. /TopGear

 

[dice1998]

I'd die in the first 12 mins of setting foot in mexico.


Seriously.



**edit**
Stay out in the sun. The heat tires anyone out.




















Except Zombies.

 

[Dravonic]

Do not take naps during the day (this is very important), do not eat any "heavy" food before sleeping and definitely force yourself to follow a sleep routine, for example going to bed at 11 no matter if you feel asleep or not. These three things are what help me the most.

If you have some kind of personal problem causing you trouble however, I guess nothing short of sleeping pills will get you a good night's sleep, other than solving the problem.

 

[Neal]

Judging by the amount of sleep you're getting I'd say you have a condition called "children". It's quite normal and should pass in approximately 18 years.

 

[Type S Tony]

Im quit an insomniac myself and I can confrim Noob616's post are bang on the money.

Due to my problems but I normally see myself asleep by about 1:30-2:00am sometimes 3am if I havent done anything all day and still ahev heaps of energy.

One important point about the reading method to note is do not use an electronic reading device before falling asleep, most of the times the light emited from it will stimulate your mind and mess up your circadian rhythm.

Note: weekends I'm usually up all night till about 5:30am - sleep for a few hours then do it all again

 

[Pyle_PMG]

@Noob616: Only reason I'm online right now is because for the last 3 hours I haven't been able to sleep. @Omnis: You sound just like my brother. I went for a 2km bike ride at 8pm, so that hasn't worked. @CamHJR: Thanks for the tip, I'll try it.

 

[Joel]

You're online because you can't sleep, and you can't sleep because you're online. Get off of the computer right now, get a lamp beside your bed (turn off every other light), and read a book (fiction). Something to help get your imagination going and not have to think too hard.

 

[Pyle_PMG]

Okay, got out Diary of a Wimpy Kid. See you guys in 12 hours.

 

[Peter.]

How about just a glass of milk?

 

[DG_Silva]

If you can get, Horlicks is always good, or some other kind of malted drink with hot milk.

 

[Prosthetic]

Manual labor should help you out a lot.

Go to the gym and lift heavy-ass weight, come home, eat a meal and pass out. Also, don't allow yourself to snooze when you have to wake up in the morning.

This. I used to have some problems sleeping.. Until I started working out a year ago. Now I'm used to 7-8 hours of sleep every night and falling asleep in 5 minutes. Its awesome.

 

[Submerged]

A warm to a hot shower about 30 minutes before you want to sleep will help, even if you haven't done anything all day. It is due to the temperature difference from being very warm to room-temperature that makes you feel sleepy and also relaxed. Well, it should work reasonably well, provided you are not watching television or gaming after the shower (or bath, whichever)

Running, cycling and weights can work, but if you do it at night, it is not likely to help as you can get a buzz going that can last for a long long time... cycling at 8pm, wouldn't really be ideal. Better to do it around 6pm or earlier. When you cycle, you need to go for longer, steadier paced work with some sprints involved in it, for about an hour. That should work to make you pretty tired, combined with the shower afterwards and you should start to drop off relatively quickly.

I used to swim at 8pm and finish at 10pm when I was younger at school and was always tired the following day as my body found it hard to sleep immediately after training. I changed training squads in swimming and swam from 6pm to 8pm, which helped my sleeping patterns a lot. Then I changed to a 4pm to 6pm and the sleeping patterns were much better as I could relax and have time to do my stuff (homework, resting, socialising) before having my much needed sleep! (The training was competitive standard, 6 to 8 kilometres a session).

Hope all of the above helps...

 

[boiltheocean]

@Omnis: You sound just like my brother. I went for a 2km bike ride at 8pm, so that hasn't worked.

2km isn't enough, you need to be worn out when you get home. If your sucking in air like a jet engine and sweating like a stuck pig it will work. Just have a relaxing shower and warm meal after for a decent sleep.

At the moment you sound like your not giving anything a chance, it takes a while for the body to adjust into a routine so you need to stick with it for at least a week.

 

[W3H5]

I went for a 2km bike ride at 8pm

2K? That must have taken all of............5 minutes! Come on mate, put some effort in and exhaust yourself. 13K only takes 40 minutes for me over mountains and I'm unhealthy, smoke and have the guts of an alcohol tester.

Okay, got out Diary of a Wimpy Kid. See you guys in 12 hours.

It's approaching 12 hours, how's it going? Let me know if I should get a copy for myself.

 

[Dennisch]

1 well placed strike, and it's nightynight!

 

[Horde_R35]

Count from 300 to 0, subtracting 3 to 3 numbers.

 

[Sage]

I used to be the type who'd lay in bed for 3, 4, even 5 hours and not be able to fall asleep. Every single night. Now I can usually fall asleep in under a half hour. I have a few things that I know that've helped me, although I wouldn't have any idea how to prioritize them:

1. The first time I ever got a really good night's sleep was a few years ago when I switched from a spring mattress to a cheapie $100 IKEA foam mattress. Probably the best 100 bucks I've ever spent.
2. I have an app on my phone that'll play a podcast, and I've set the volume so that it's just barely below what I can hear - i.e., I can make out ~50% of the words - and it gradually fades out the volume over the course of 25 minutes. This keeps me from just laying wide awake thinking of random things, while at the same time not being loud enough to accidentally wake me up if I fall asleep.
3. I also use an app called Flux that changes my monitor's white balance at night. Looking at a "cold" screen can mess up your circadian rhythm (ideally you'd shut off your monitor >1 hour before you go to sleep as some have suggested, but I know I can't be bothered to do that, so this is the next best thing).
4. Figure out how long your sleep cycle is. There are a few ways to do this, but (again) I used an app to figure it out. Once you know how long your sleep cycles usually are you can create a routine, which will help your body naturally fall asleep and wake up at the correct times.

 

[Coxis]

I had a problem like this 2 years ago. Solution? my dad (a doctor) gave me half a pill of valium (I know ) for 4 consecutive nights. After that I got used to sleeping my 6 to 8 hours. Haven't had any trouble sleeping ever since.

 

[Jordan]

Like Sage, I have long had a problem with actually going to sleep. This has affected me since I was very young, but I believe my constant computer use and very high stress levels have exacerbated the problem as I grow older. Taking a melatonin supplement (just 1mg) about 30 minutes before going to bed has helped me tremendously. It's inexpensive and you'll find it at nearly any drugstore, so I highly recommend giving it a try in addition to the other suggestions here (exercise, reducing computer/TV usage before bed, etc.).

I used to be the type who'd lay in bed for 3, 4, even 5 hours and not be able to fall asleep. Every single night. Now I can usually fall asleep in under a half hour. I have a few things that I know that've helped me, although I wouldn't have any idea how to prioritize them:

1. The first time I ever got a really good night's sleep was a few years ago when I switched from a spring mattress to a cheapie $100 IKEA foam mattress. Probably the best 100 bucks I've ever spent.
2. I have an app on my phone that'll play a podcast, and I've set the volume so that it's just barely below what I can hear - i.e., I can make out ~50% of the words - and it gradually fades out the volume over the course of 25 minutes. This keeps me from just laying wide awake thinking of random things, while at the same time not being loud enough to accidentally wake me up if I fall asleep.
3. I also use an app called Flux that changes my monitor's white balance at night. Looking at a "cold" screen can mess up your circadian rhythm (ideally you'd shut off your monitor >1 hour before you go to sleep as some have suggested, but I know I can't be bothered to do that, so this is the next best thing).
4. Figure out how long your sleep cycle is. There are a few ways to do this, but (again) I used an app to figure it out. Once you know how long your sleep cycles usually are you can create a routine, which will help your body naturally fall asleep and wake up at the correct times.

Thanks for recommending Flux there, Sage, I'm definitely going to look into that. I've seen the Sleep Cycle iOS app before, but was turned off by the reviews that claimed it fabricated the graphs (recording a cycle even when left on a table overnight, for example). Have you tested it?

 

[AudiPro]

When you go to sleep try to be as comftorable as possible. Usually when I have trouble sleeping its cause its too hot or im laying in an a way that makes my back hurt. So just get comftorable and concentrate on sleeping.

EDIT: Also, watching movies on my iPod helps me fall asleep. It kinda makes my eyes feel tired and helps me relax

 

[Hollow]

Take out a physics or chemistry book, you'll feel sleepy within 5-10 minutes garunteed.

Or another technique that really works is to clean and organize everything in your room if you can't sleep instead of watching tv or Internet. Sometimes a cluttered or messy room can subconsciously be stopping you from falling asleep. Also try and put some cucumbers on your eyes, this works wonders, it relaxes your eyes and makes you not want to open them, which results into sleep. If you don't want to put them directly, you can soak a cotton pad in cucumber which is soaked in water itself and put it on your eyes. It also helps with under eye circles so that's an added plus point.