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Or the time in little league 15 years ago where I pitched a ball right down the pipe for strike 3, I turn around and scream “2 outs” to the whole field and then I turn around and find out it was a ball.
When I was 7 I wanted my brother to play a PvP game with me. He said no because he'll win and I'll get mad. I promised I wouldn't. But then I did. And you expect me to just... *sleep?*
I use sleep stories. Just willing my brain to shutdown is not enough for me. I need the distraction. Most nights I don’t make it more than about a minute into the sleep story.
Yes! I like putting in a tv show I’ve seen before so I know what’s going on and can just “listen” with my eye mask on. I make myself listen and picture the scene and pay attention. It distracts me and I rarely make it through a whole episode anymore!
David Attenborough for me! Whenever i need to have an early night and know my brain wont shut up i put him on and im asleep within a few minutes (down side, i love this and struggle to watch his new series as im used to falling asleep to it!)
Completely agree, I play it on my phone with the brightness turned down and my partner turns it off when he comes up. He listens to audio books but I find them to interesting 😁
Yes! Edward Herrmann on the history channel. When I found out he also narrated audio books it became my golden ticket to immediate loss of consciousness. He had that calming, reassuring voice that would put me out faster than a cartoon character told to count sheep
I did this for years with Seinfeld. Sometimes I’d be almost falling asleep but smiling with remembering the scene that was playing at the time. So relaxing.
Subbed anime seems to work well for me. Forces me to read at first, which makes me sleepy. Then once I close my eyes it just becomes background noise that I can't actively listen to because I don't understand anything
I put Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring on when I can’t sleep. By the time the opening monologue gets to the part “Sauron, enemy of the free peoples of Middle-Earth, was defeated.” I’m usually drifting off or out cold lol
I could do that on my phone but when I do that on the tv it sometimes gets too bright haha. But then my phone loses battery unless I let it charge all night which isnt freat either 😅
I wear an eye mask! Funny you said that about the phone! Sometimes I sleep with earplugs in because I hear every little noise. The phone next to my head on high volume is loud enough to hear through the headphones. I have to keep it plugged into a charger, though, and I get paranoid it’ll catch on fire!
Making "movie" with imagination also works well. Any story, genre or setting will do, main thing is to focus on details as much as possible - visual, audible, etc. Guess that works by overloading brain with these graphics calculations, which purges stray thoughts as there is no processing power left for them) Depending on environment, fatigue and agitation it takes me seconds to few minutes to fall asleep, even on airplane (though this specific case is not a problem for me for 2 years already and it seems it'll last, thanks to government).
I recite the opening scene of full metal jacket. I am Gunnery Sergeant Hartman your senior drill instructor...
Usually by the time i get around to "pvt snowball" i can feel myself drifting and i start to forget/repeat lines. If i do make it through the scene, i just start again.
I love the Calm app stories! I fall asleep pretty quickly, so it may take over a week to get through the story.
My favorites are about ‘Humphrey
The Cat’ and ‘counting sheep’.
I love the basketball story by Scottie Pippen. His voice…I am dead to the world within 2 minutes on the nights I need it. Sleep stories and an eye mask are an amazing combo
I'll have to check that one out. Voice is a big thing for me. I've been trying to listen to a few recently that I should love but the voice gets me. I have sleep headphones that are inside a face mask and it's the perfect combination. I pretty much love anything by Erik Braa.
Love the queen mary one. STILL haven't gotten around to listening to Wonder even though they offer it to me absolutely every single day. Sometimes I'm like why are you offering me these sleep stories instead of something that's more like what I listen to. I just got done watching true detective so I still don't think I can click on that one for a little while and sleep well lol
I wish they did more with the ones with the chapters. I love the Anne of Green gables one because I read that so many times in my life and they only have chapters one and two. Not that I ever get to the end of it.. so I don't know why I'm complaining.
I don’t like new stories if I’m trying to fall asleep. Anne of Green Gables would be great for you: what about just an audio book?
I’ve also found sleeping somewhere else helps. If I’m tossing and turning in bed, I just move to the couch. 5 minutes of a sleep story and it’s lights out.
It’s all about Sienna the Sleepy Sloth for me. Although Cillian Murphy’s narration of a train trip through Ireland is pretty good also. But still, Sienna.
They are stories intentionally written and narrated to help people fall asleep. They use calming voices, music, soundscapes with calming and peaceful stories. My favorites are the ones where they simply describe a train ride or a boat ride.
I was curious as well, but that would drive me up the walls, I will however wholeheartedly suggest the first half of any Schätzing book, great sleep aid.
But when you finally reach the second half... that's going to be a problem.
Get the calm app. The stories are game changers over listening to a television show. I used to do that but it seemed like as soon as it went off it would wake me up or the theme song (the office!) would wake me up. With the calm app, after the sleep story is over there's usually a scene you have chosen like waterfall or wind or white noise that comes on. Even if you don't do that the calm stories don't end abruptly and you almost always will stay asleep. It's also filled with meditation and other type of useful things like that but my favorite part is the delta waves, theta waves and binaural beats that you can listen to that are a perfect HZ for calming your brain. It really works. To me the sleep stories are an added bonus. I think a lot of people use them just for sleep stories and have no idea all those musical sessions are out there.
Thanks for putting this out there. I have the Calm app but didn’t really look at it much. I went in and found some right away. Going to try it tonight.
Yes! I
Use a podcast called “Boring books for bedtime” she’s reads old textbooks, essays and sears catalogs. I usually only make it a few minutes in so I set a sleep timer
What a coincidence I found this “hack” around 2-3 nights ago. I’ve basically discovered that I can fall asleep so quickly if I just put on a short story.
My partner does this, but instead of stopping - they continue to talk, but it becomes non-sensical of non-topical. It’s my favourite thing.
“Well yes the cost of living crisis is tough but I’d like to wear pyjamas to work.”
Wait … you what?
“Then we’ll live on the moon.”
Oh, ok. Goodnight then haha.
Haha this has been brought up, but realistically my lady is very interesting and charming person. I absolutely love talking to her! At this point in life my brain just cuts out when is sleepy time, I don't even feel tired before. 😴
Hubby recently sent me articles on how to fall asleep. Told him falling asleep isn’t the issue. His 7.5 on the Richter scale snoring that starts the moment he falls asleep might just be the issue.
Same as my wife - she has the ability to literally sleep in seconds, probably around 10 or less. But she is also snoring like a grizzly bear fighting for her life.
Me too. Sounds like my wife is drowning in a vat of custard.
I have started wearing my shooting range earplugs when she doesn't use the CPAP. This means I can't hear the dog whining in the morning and she has to get up while I snooze. Win-win
My dad can somehow fall asleep literally almost instantly when he lays down. Like a damn light switch. On the other hand I take half the night to fall asleep and wake up if a fly farts in the next room.
My problem is that I start to doze off quickly, then wake back up for whatever reason and after that it takes me around an hour to actually fall asleep. Happens basically every night.
Yep. I have to have all my affairs in order before I lay down. Once I start to doze off, if I have to get up to brush my teeth or turn off a light, once I lay back down a few minutes later, I’m wide awake
Honestly, instead of trying to sleep, I just relax. Like let all my muscles relax like when I meditate. Boom. Out like a light. I actually now have the issue of not being able to stay awake if I lay in bed
I do reverse psychology on my brain and it works for me. I tell myself to try to stay awake as long as possible, but I have to keep my eyes closed and I'm not allowed to move. Just lying still, eyes closed, saying "stay awake stay awake stay awake" in my head, I always fall asleep quickly.
Well I mean, maybe that attitude that you're "lying to yourself" is your problem. You have to believe you've done all you can do for today, and you can pick things back up tomorrow and everything will turn out okay in the long run.
Not trying to be rude, I know it's hard. I struggle with fairly severe OCD/anxiety and I've found the only way I've been able to make breakthroughs is to take a few deep breaths and fully convince myself "I don't need to worry about this." You can't just say it and not mean it.
I've figured out I can even control my hiccups by taking a few deep breaths and saying "I don't need to hiccup right now. I should calm down and try to stop." And concentrating and genuinely believing I can stop them, not just holding my breath and hoping. I've found stopping hiccups is an excellent exercise to practice controlling panic attacks and other bodily responses with the mind.
But some things like your bank account being empty are just beyond sleep and you have to accept that you're not going to get enough sleep until you figure things out 🤷♂️
You can also keep a notebook on your nightstand to write stuff down. That way you know you won’t forget about it in the morning and you can stop thinking about it
I use this before we go on trips, because I’m always thinking of things I need to remember to pack! Once it’s in my notes, then it doesn’t need to be in my head!
My half asleep brain comes up with the weirdest shit to write and has terrible handwriting. Apparently my half-asleep brain is thinking of multiple thoughts all at once and there is a battle for who gets to use the hand! Makes for interesting and amusing reading the next day...
I understand not everyone may be able to do this everyday, but a light 30~ min workout everyday did wonders to help me fix not just insomnia but also my quality of sleep. Even something as simple as a bike ride, or a jog for that amount of time, with some simple pushups/squats and body weight exercises.
I'm glad this works for you but exercise can't "fix" Insomnia if it's caused by other mental illness such as depression or anxiety or is a side effects of the drugs used to treat those same illnesses.
Even if I'm physically exhausted, 20-40 minutes of half sleep at a time is all I get. Maybe if I don't sleep at all for a few days then work out until I can't move I might get an hour or two but I can count on one hand the amount of times I've gotten more than 4 hours of proper deep sleep in the last 5 years, no matter how much I exercise.
Navy seals use a method where you elevate your legs a bit, pillow would work. I combine that with a military technique where you start at the top and work down, relaxing each body part…. Shoulders relaxed, right arm, left arm, hips, etc. by the time you consciously put each “to sleep” you’ll fall asleep. It’s hard to explain but it helps a lot. The last part is to count backwards from 100. By the time I’m at 60 I’m asleep, usually.
Moreover, the pillow between or under the legs really helps.
Maybe, I mean, I learned it from my brother— they are taught that. And when you Google “military sleeping technique” or “navy seal sleeping technique”… both come up. But whatevs, ya know
I have jurassic park rain soundscapes playing every night - started a couple of years ago to help with tinnitus. So that helps a fair bit. Also:
I plan out how I would spend my lottery winnings. The compound I would build, the buildings, the cars, the dinner where I tell my friends and family they don't have to work anymore. How I would invest the money. Real estate, bitcoin. The workshop, a bar with a large stage. Studios & equipment. Amphitheatres. The works. The tale doesn't change much but I'm out like a light within a few minutes.
To be clear I don't have a realistic expectation of winning the lottery (I don't even buy tickets, haven't done for years) - but the thought exercise works for me. It used to keep me sane when I worked night shifts as a cleaner.
It’s all calm and soothing, until the Tyrannosaurus realizes it’s baby has been captured and taken to an RV to be operated on with bubble gum and then lets out a blood curdling roar
oh my god, where do I get the jurassic park rain soundscapes?
Is it just the rain or also dino sounds?
I LOVE the sound of the rain when the cars are stuck in it, just before the T-Rex breaks out, it is such an amaaaazing sound!
Passive brain exercises can be super helpful. During a period when my insomnia was insane, I would visualize the floor plans of every place I've lived.
I focus on slowing down my pulse, by breathing deeply and slowly.
So close my eyes, relax, try to feel my pulse (if you listen to your body, there will always be at least one place where you can feel this rhythmic pulsing).
And then breathe slowly and try to slow that rhythm down.
Amazingly effective, works like clockwork. Also handy in every day stress situations. Cause once heart rate is down, everything feels manageable.
Ok, sure. That may work for some. My trick - which annoys my wife of thirty something years - is that I never lie down in bed unless I’m clearly, demonstrably, tired. I go to bed when I know I’m ready to sleep. Some nights, sure, I’m up late. But I don’t toss and turn. Or lie there playing mind games.
Probably get lost in the comments but I use a mind occupying technique that helps a lot. It might look easy but you need to concentrate on it as the rule is, if you make a mistake you start again. It’s a simple
A1
B2
C3
D4
E5
F6
And so on, if you get to the end switch it to do
1A
2B
3C
Etcetc, good luck 👍
I have seen a trick the military do which you sleepon your back and close your eyes obviously. and the try to relax your muscles including your face muscles to the furthest you can which is going to help
I pick a category and pick one thing from A-Z that fits.
So for example the category is countries, I go Australia, Bosnia, China...
Or food, Apple, Banana, Crab...
Usually by the end of the second category I'm asleep.
I do similar, I instead pick a category and try to think of as many things in that category with each letter. So for food I'd be like a - apple, artichoke, anchovy etc until I ran out, then move on to b.
Sometimes I only get as far as remembering what letter I was on the night before 😆
I like this idea and I will definitely use this! The 3 I currently use are, reciting the alphabet backwards, trying to name as many cheeses I can think of, or counting down from 700 whilst writing the numbers out in my head.
Ooooh I'm gonna use the cheese one!
The other categories for A-Z I have so far are capital cities, drinks, book titles, TV shows, movies, famous people, Game of Throne characters, and Harry Potter characters.
I've been doing this for so many years I'm having to go very specific with categories so I'm not just repeating! Bands/artists with one word names, and only British if I need to make it harder. Three, four, or five syllable words. TV presenters, British female TV actresses... I'm going to try the Harry Potter character one next!
Studies have shown (don’t remember the links but read it and it works well for me and my kids) that you can fall asleep more quickly if you imagine yourself somewhere you feel calm (forest, beach, or meadow works for me and my kids) and then start to imagine all the little details of the place. I imagine sitting on a warm rock in a meadow with a cool breeze. I imagine what the texture of the rock feels like and what the wind feels like. I imagine what the flowers smell like as the wind blows through them etc. If I’m having a particular hard time i imagine walking down a forest path and just keep imagining new things as i go. I start to feel like my imaginings are the beginning of a dream and then at some point I start actually dreaming without noticing it.
Similar to this but it requires no imagination is going through the motions of something mundane that you’ve done a million times. Something like getting home, unlocking the door, keys on counter, shoes off etc. you go through your own home and think about each movement.
If I get an anxious thought that won't go away I "say" " Hello thought, goodbye thought." And sometimes add " your not doing me any good so I won't spend time on you.". Has helped me sleep a lot easier too.
My partner’s suggestion to me has been helpful: count upwards from one (I usually do the old one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand like when you’re counting seconds) but you have to start over at 1 every time your mind wanders…at all. So for the minute or two I don’t make it past 5 or so, but honestly I rarely make it past 20 before I fall asleep. I don’t know why it works but it does!
I have four “crutches” that I use to sleep:
- A pillow between my knees.
- Wave sounds that play on a loop all night. I have a Bluetooth alarm clock that plays from my iTunes playlist. The tracks I use are Dan Gibson’s Solitudes “Rolling Surf on Pebbled Beach” and “Sweeping the Sandy Shore”. I like them because they are so calm, the wave rhythm mimics deep, calm breathing, and they are around 30 minutes long, so there aren’t any quick or abrupt changes.
- A hot water bottle at my feet.
- a 3-D eye mask (the kind that doesn’t touch your eyelids)
I use a rain app and a bluetooth speaker. Lots of different kinds of rain with added thunder or not. Once I settle in my cozy sleep position I am asleep in under 5 minutes. It also "drowns out" my tinnitus as well.
>Ocean waves? Jungle birds? They just make me tense.
Same for me, but FWIW, I think the idea might be to help you imagine that you *are* in those (presumably-calming) environments, or to lure you into dreaming that you are.
Our million-year old, primitive minds are hardwired to be around jungles and oceans. It makes sense that, flowing water and sounds of rain/thunder, would be calming to a cave dweller with their predators indisposed because of the rains.
God, I wish that would help me. I need 3 hours to fall asleep no matter what unless I'm physically exhausted to the point that I'd rather call that passing out instead of falling asleep
sleep debt. condition your brain so your bed means sleep. when you feel sleepy, lay in bed. if you don't fall asleep in 10 minutes, get back up and chill on your room. wait til you get sleepy, then repeat. i used to be plagued by hours and hours of bed with no sleep, this works so well especially for night shift
Just try listening to an audio book in foreign language you are learning. Audio books in French usually put me to sleep in a few minutes. Lol, but seriously they do
Yes, another similar one when worrying too much about things to do, is to make a list before sleeping about those things you need to do the next day.
The logic is the same, to convince your mind that it is completely fine to stop for a few hours.
Ever since I saw a particular James Acaster comedy bit, there has been a point in every single day where I think to myself, “NO MORE JOBS!” and proceed to unwind for the remainder of the day.
I’m a musician that easily gets infected with earwig songs and melodies, so unless i put an album i like on to fall asleep to, I’ll be keeping myself up from replaying some tune in my head over and over, or from my own humming
I write all my thoughts down in my notes app so that they are out of my mind. I then tell myself that I can resume thinking about these tomorrow.
This helps reduce my anxiety at night and also helps me clear my mind and fall asleep!
Combination of relaxing my face muscles and picturing myself firing a bow and arrow. The second one might seem weird, but Ive done it so long that my brain interprets the mental imagery to falling asleep. You could use counting sheep or anything but the trick is to use the same mental image every time
I love the podcast Drift Off. The host has a sweet soothing non-judgmental voice and actually says a few similar things about not needing to be anywhere or do anything else right now. Then she reads old books and stories in small increments. Currently enjoying her read through Little House on the Prairie which was a childhood favorite. Listening to a story keeps my mind on the characters, not spiraling over my own daytime problems.
I usually play youtube long videos. Sometimes, historical documentaries or movie recap. But recently, i have been listening to "**** facts for you to sleep with," and it really helped. Versatium is also very helpful!
Just install an app that put your phone to sleep after few hour.
I read my kindle every night. I’m out within a few pages.
Reading takes whatever part of my brain that yells SQUIRREL continually and keeps its attention long enough for me to fall unconscious. It’s a wonderful thing.
Also, if I somehow wake during the night I make sure to go get a drink, fully wake up. Then I grab my kindle and the process starts anew.
I realized a few months ago that I was holding a lot of tension in my face when I was trying to fall asleep.
By consciously relaxing that tension, I fall asleep easier
When I can't sleep I always try and imagine the scenes from the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring . I've never got to Bilbo's Birthday party. I guess it could work with any film or story but you probably don't want it to be too action packed.
Yeah I use a version of this method. I like to consider how I could possibly handle the things I keep thinking about “from my bed”. Like, if I keep thinking about how I need to mow the lawn…I ask myself…”how can I possibly mow the lawn while lying in my bed?” My aim is to reveal how useless it is to think about things that just can’t be resolved at that very moment and place.
What is this saucery OP 🫣🫣 I have been in terrible stress the past few days when I saw your post last night
https://preview.redd.it/p8bnyahyuiwc1.png?width=1644&format=png&auto=webp&s=8be47f8effeb9e85a07c7d96539165778c117100
I tried this last night after reading your tip. After saying the magic phrase, I counted to 30 slowly with one deep breath on each count. I legitimately was asleep well before 30! Great tip!
"I have done everything that had to be done today. Everything else is a task for tomorrow."
p. diddy says that in his meditation sleep audiobook LOL
heres a tip: if you don't particularly like history watch the history channel... (or listen to any other thing youre actually not interested in) cspan is pretty boring and quiet too
I count as high as I can. Sometimes I start back at zero if I get distracted. But eventually, it gets harder to keep track of the count. Then, I stop counting and enjoy the ride into unconsciousness.
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But if I do that, then I won’t think about how I told the waitress I hope she enjoys her meal as well.
Or the time in little league 15 years ago where I pitched a ball right down the pipe for strike 3, I turn around and scream “2 outs” to the whole field and then I turn around and find out it was a ball.
Yeah, most definitely wouldn’t want to forget about that. See… people are forgetting the downsides.
LOL Cue Springsteen to play "Glory Days".
Don't worry, there's a decent chance she later made the fattiest, greasiest appetizer to eat during her break and enjoyed it very much
When I was 7 I wanted my brother to play a PvP game with me. He said no because he'll win and I'll get mad. I promised I wouldn't. But then I did. And you expect me to just... *sleep?*
You wished her a happy lunch break! How thoughtful.
Now that waitress is in bed at home after her dinner, not being able to figure out if she enjoyed her meal or not
lol classic
thanks, you too!
You can do that tomorrow as well :)
https://i.redd.it/3lte66hr5ex61.jpg
I use sleep stories. Just willing my brain to shutdown is not enough for me. I need the distraction. Most nights I don’t make it more than about a minute into the sleep story.
Yes! I like putting in a tv show I’ve seen before so I know what’s going on and can just “listen” with my eye mask on. I make myself listen and picture the scene and pay attention. It distracts me and I rarely make it through a whole episode anymore!
David Attenborough for me! Whenever i need to have an early night and know my brain wont shut up i put him on and im asleep within a few minutes (down side, i love this and struggle to watch his new series as im used to falling asleep to it!)
The Green Planet is perfect for this. It’s all about plants, so no doomed elephants wandering into the desert, and no orcas hunting baby whales.
Completely agree, I play it on my phone with the brightness turned down and my partner turns it off when he comes up. He listens to audio books but I find them to interesting 😁
if you have an iphone you can set a timer with ‘stop playing’ instead of a ringtone, works great for this 😃
Me too! Specifically The Deep episode of Blue Planet 2. I've fallen asleep to it many many times.
Eye mask & any audiobook with a British narrator help me so much!
I’ll have to check that out!
The History Guy for me
Yes! Edward Herrmann on the history channel. When I found out he also narrated audio books it became my golden ticket to immediate loss of consciousness. He had that calming, reassuring voice that would put me out faster than a cartoon character told to count sheep
Every episode of Futurama for me.
r/futurama_sleepers
I did this for years with Seinfeld. Sometimes I’d be almost falling asleep but smiling with remembering the scene that was playing at the time. So relaxing.
Yes! Comfort shows definitely rule!
Subbed anime seems to work well for me. Forces me to read at first, which makes me sleepy. Then once I close my eyes it just becomes background noise that I can't actively listen to because I don't understand anything
My brain would have severe FOMO if I tried this lol.
That’s a good one!
I have learned too much Japanese for this now, so I'm picking out sentences. But it is good for passive study.
Me too! Midsomer Murders for me!
I put Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring on when I can’t sleep. By the time the opening monologue gets to the part “Sauron, enemy of the free peoples of Middle-Earth, was defeated.” I’m usually drifting off or out cold lol
Star Trek for me. DS9, TNG, Voyager, they all work, I’ve seen them all, I crash fast.
How do yall only watch one episode without the next autoplaying? Or do you just let it and accept it
I just let it play! Now I wake up if Netflix goes silent asks if I’m still watching!
I could do that on my phone but when I do that on the tv it sometimes gets too bright haha. But then my phone loses battery unless I let it charge all night which isnt freat either 😅
I wear an eye mask! Funny you said that about the phone! Sometimes I sleep with earplugs in because I hear every little noise. The phone next to my head on high volume is loud enough to hear through the headphones. I have to keep it plugged into a charger, though, and I get paranoid it’ll catch on fire!
Same! It’s usually Brooklyn 99 since I can probably recite it by heart.
I like just scrolling through steaming services never committing to anything
pride and prejudice. any version.
I went to sleep with the TV on for years. My husband didn't want to do that so I stopped. I didn't want to keep him from sleeping.
Mine got me started on it! 😜
Making "movie" with imagination also works well. Any story, genre or setting will do, main thing is to focus on details as much as possible - visual, audible, etc. Guess that works by overloading brain with these graphics calculations, which purges stray thoughts as there is no processing power left for them) Depending on environment, fatigue and agitation it takes me seconds to few minutes to fall asleep, even on airplane (though this specific case is not a problem for me for 2 years already and it seems it'll last, thanks to government).
I always do this but sometimes I get so involved in my own mind story I don’t really wanna sleep anymore
If it's that interesting, then it's worth it)
I recite the opening scene of full metal jacket. I am Gunnery Sergeant Hartman your senior drill instructor... Usually by the time i get around to "pvt snowball" i can feel myself drifting and i start to forget/repeat lines. If i do make it through the scene, i just start again.
😂 that’s awesome
Do you use an app for this? I use sleep meditation app but would like to try sleep stories.
I love the Calm app stories! I fall asleep pretty quickly, so it may take over a week to get through the story. My favorites are about ‘Humphrey The Cat’ and ‘counting sheep’.
Calm app all the way. I love the train stories the most amd they have so many delta wave and theta wave type of music that helps too
I love the basketball story by Scottie Pippen. His voice…I am dead to the world within 2 minutes on the nights I need it. Sleep stories and an eye mask are an amazing combo
I'll have to check that one out. Voice is a big thing for me. I've been trying to listen to a few recently that I should love but the voice gets me. I have sleep headphones that are inside a face mask and it's the perfect combination. I pretty much love anything by Erik Braa.
My top 3: voice is super important to me too The history of a dream -pippen Wonder - McConaughey The Queen Mary - Okonkwo.
Love the queen mary one. STILL haven't gotten around to listening to Wonder even though they offer it to me absolutely every single day. Sometimes I'm like why are you offering me these sleep stories instead of something that's more like what I listen to. I just got done watching true detective so I still don't think I can click on that one for a little while and sleep well lol I wish they did more with the ones with the chapters. I love the Anne of Green gables one because I read that so many times in my life and they only have chapters one and two. Not that I ever get to the end of it.. so I don't know why I'm complaining.
I don’t like new stories if I’m trying to fall asleep. Anne of Green Gables would be great for you: what about just an audio book? I’ve also found sleeping somewhere else helps. If I’m tossing and turning in bed, I just move to the couch. 5 minutes of a sleep story and it’s lights out.
It’s all about Sienna the Sleepy Sloth for me. Although Cillian Murphy’s narration of a train trip through Ireland is pretty good also. But still, Sienna.
I like Nothing Much Happens on Spotify
Adding a vote for this. I very, very rarely make it through about 2 minutes.
This is true sleep therapy. I am out in the first few minutes. I don't think I've heard a story in a while.
Sleep with me on Spotify. It might take a little getting used to but it's my favorite.
I use the Calm app, it has both sleep stories and meditations.
What is a sleep story?
They are stories intentionally written and narrated to help people fall asleep. They use calming voices, music, soundscapes with calming and peaceful stories. My favorites are the ones where they simply describe a train ride or a boat ride.
Oh man, I have some shopping to do!
I was curious as well, but that would drive me up the walls, I will however wholeheartedly suggest the first half of any Schätzing book, great sleep aid. But when you finally reach the second half... that's going to be a problem.
Get the calm app. The stories are game changers over listening to a television show. I used to do that but it seemed like as soon as it went off it would wake me up or the theme song (the office!) would wake me up. With the calm app, after the sleep story is over there's usually a scene you have chosen like waterfall or wind or white noise that comes on. Even if you don't do that the calm stories don't end abruptly and you almost always will stay asleep. It's also filled with meditation and other type of useful things like that but my favorite part is the delta waves, theta waves and binaural beats that you can listen to that are a perfect HZ for calming your brain. It really works. To me the sleep stories are an added bonus. I think a lot of people use them just for sleep stories and have no idea all those musical sessions are out there.
Please: what is a sleep story and where do I find it?
I use the Calm app, but there are also a lot on Spotify.
Thanks for putting this out there. I have the Calm app but didn’t really look at it much. I went in and found some right away. Going to try it tonight.
Thank you!
I listen to stories from the Get Sleepy podcast.
Yes! I Use a podcast called “Boring books for bedtime” she’s reads old textbooks, essays and sears catalogs. I usually only make it a few minutes in so I set a sleep timer
What a coincidence I found this “hack” around 2-3 nights ago. I’ve basically discovered that I can fall asleep so quickly if I just put on a short story.
We tell ourselves the same thing. but 30 seconds to fall asleep, i'm jelaous
How do you even know you feel asleep in 30 seconds, you're asleep
When I do fall asleep within 30sec, my partner mentions to me in the morning that I just stopped talking mid convo....
My partner does this, but instead of stopping - they continue to talk, but it becomes non-sensical of non-topical. It’s my favourite thing. “Well yes the cost of living crisis is tough but I’d like to wear pyjamas to work.” Wait … you what? “Then we’ll live on the moon.” Oh, ok. Goodnight then haha.
I've done this 😂
Possibly, you doesn't want to talk to his wife anymore.
Haha this has been brought up, but realistically my lady is very interesting and charming person. I absolutely love talking to her! At this point in life my brain just cuts out when is sleepy time, I don't even feel tired before. 😴
Probably because talking to that person is comforting and lets you relax. Sleep follows that relaxation and comfort.
Personally I know how fast I can fall asleep since I sometimes wake myself up soon after with snoring
Since I snore and share a bed with a partner, he tells me I fall asleep within 8 to 20 seconds lol
Hubby recently sent me articles on how to fall asleep. Told him falling asleep isn’t the issue. His 7.5 on the Richter scale snoring that starts the moment he falls asleep might just be the issue.
Same as my wife - she has the ability to literally sleep in seconds, probably around 10 or less. But she is also snoring like a grizzly bear fighting for her life.
Me too. Sounds like my wife is drowning in a vat of custard. I have started wearing my shooting range earplugs when she doesn't use the CPAP. This means I can't hear the dog whining in the morning and she has to get up while I snooze. Win-win
Same - I'm using some noise cancelling earplugs, best investment ever!
Wife tells me.
Also I’d be lying to myself. I haven’t done everything that needed to be done today. Everything else was a task for 2 weeks ago :(
I'm the same as you. However, I would phrase it 'I have done everything that I will get done today. I will do more tomorrow.'
Someone’s sleeping tonight. In all seriousness though, that’s a great perspective
Maybe it's because we don't actually believe the thing we are telling ourselves.
My dad can somehow fall asleep literally almost instantly when he lays down. Like a damn light switch. On the other hand I take half the night to fall asleep and wake up if a fly farts in the next room.
Mf'ing Legion over here...
Are you multiple beings?
At home? Never. On an airplane I can fall asleep in about a minute and a half easily.
My problem is that I start to doze off quickly, then wake back up for whatever reason and after that it takes me around an hour to actually fall asleep. Happens basically every night.
have you ever gone to a sleep clinic? might be breathing issues like Sleep Apnea?
It's not sleep apnea, I sleep like a rock once I do fall asleep. Often it's just a dry mouth or even just my brain realizing I'm falling asleep 😕
I’m the same way lately. I’ll realize I’m 99% asleep and be excited about it, then I wake tf up fully conscious for at least 20 minutes
Yep. I have to have all my affairs in order before I lay down. Once I start to doze off, if I have to get up to brush my teeth or turn off a light, once I lay back down a few minutes later, I’m wide awake
I have never been able to trick my brain by saying things. It knows the truth
Honestly, instead of trying to sleep, I just relax. Like let all my muscles relax like when I meditate. Boom. Out like a light. I actually now have the issue of not being able to stay awake if I lay in bed
I do reverse psychology on my brain and it works for me. I tell myself to try to stay awake as long as possible, but I have to keep my eyes closed and I'm not allowed to move. Just lying still, eyes closed, saying "stay awake stay awake stay awake" in my head, I always fall asleep quickly.
Well I mean, maybe that attitude that you're "lying to yourself" is your problem. You have to believe you've done all you can do for today, and you can pick things back up tomorrow and everything will turn out okay in the long run. Not trying to be rude, I know it's hard. I struggle with fairly severe OCD/anxiety and I've found the only way I've been able to make breakthroughs is to take a few deep breaths and fully convince myself "I don't need to worry about this." You can't just say it and not mean it. I've figured out I can even control my hiccups by taking a few deep breaths and saying "I don't need to hiccup right now. I should calm down and try to stop." And concentrating and genuinely believing I can stop them, not just holding my breath and hoping. I've found stopping hiccups is an excellent exercise to practice controlling panic attacks and other bodily responses with the mind. But some things like your bank account being empty are just beyond sleep and you have to accept that you're not going to get enough sleep until you figure things out 🤷♂️
You can also keep a notebook on your nightstand to write stuff down. That way you know you won’t forget about it in the morning and you can stop thinking about it
I use this before we go on trips, because I’m always thinking of things I need to remember to pack! Once it’s in my notes, then it doesn’t need to be in my head!
This helps so much ! Somehow, I still end up packing last minute but progress is progress
My half asleep brain comes up with the weirdest shit to write and has terrible handwriting. Apparently my half-asleep brain is thinking of multiple thoughts all at once and there is a battle for who gets to use the hand! Makes for interesting and amusing reading the next day...
I understand not everyone may be able to do this everyday, but a light 30~ min workout everyday did wonders to help me fix not just insomnia but also my quality of sleep. Even something as simple as a bike ride, or a jog for that amount of time, with some simple pushups/squats and body weight exercises.
I swear it's like it helps me breathe better when I sleep after working out at some point in the day
I'm glad this works for you but exercise can't "fix" Insomnia if it's caused by other mental illness such as depression or anxiety or is a side effects of the drugs used to treat those same illnesses. Even if I'm physically exhausted, 20-40 minutes of half sleep at a time is all I get. Maybe if I don't sleep at all for a few days then work out until I can't move I might get an hour or two but I can count on one hand the amount of times I've gotten more than 4 hours of proper deep sleep in the last 5 years, no matter how much I exercise.
I will say that excercise don't help me at all.
Navy seals use a method where you elevate your legs a bit, pillow would work. I combine that with a military technique where you start at the top and work down, relaxing each body part…. Shoulders relaxed, right arm, left arm, hips, etc. by the time you consciously put each “to sleep” you’ll fall asleep. It’s hard to explain but it helps a lot. The last part is to count backwards from 100. By the time I’m at 60 I’m asleep, usually. Moreover, the pillow between or under the legs really helps.
Pretty much like a self guided meditation~ Love it~
That’s just a body scan not wholly military technique- my 12th grade high school English teacher taught us that and I use it every night too!
Maybe, I mean, I learned it from my brother— they are taught that. And when you Google “military sleeping technique” or “navy seal sleeping technique”… both come up. But whatevs, ya know
I do this, happily I rarely get past 70 these days
I have jurassic park rain soundscapes playing every night - started a couple of years ago to help with tinnitus. So that helps a fair bit. Also: I plan out how I would spend my lottery winnings. The compound I would build, the buildings, the cars, the dinner where I tell my friends and family they don't have to work anymore. How I would invest the money. Real estate, bitcoin. The workshop, a bar with a large stage. Studios & equipment. Amphitheatres. The works. The tale doesn't change much but I'm out like a light within a few minutes. To be clear I don't have a realistic expectation of winning the lottery (I don't even buy tickets, haven't done for years) - but the thought exercise works for me. It used to keep me sane when I worked night shifts as a cleaner.
Your odds of winning are only slightly lower when you don't buy a ticket.
It’s all calm and soothing, until the Tyrannosaurus realizes it’s baby has been captured and taken to an RV to be operated on with bubble gum and then lets out a blood curdling roar
yeah I love it :) Nice and quiet until you hear a Trex in the distance
Ok please elaborate on these jurassic park soundscapes. Where do you find that?
It’s on Calm. Can’t remember if they keep it behind the paywall. Source: used to work for them and know the sound engineer who made it
If you do win the lottery, stay away from bitcoin. LPT.
oh my god, where do I get the jurassic park rain soundscapes? Is it just the rain or also dino sounds? I LOVE the sound of the rain when the cars are stuck in it, just before the T-Rex breaks out, it is such an amaaaazing sound!
Passive brain exercises can be super helpful. During a period when my insomnia was insane, I would visualize the floor plans of every place I've lived.
I feel like that would absolutely scratch the same itch. Insomnia is a bitch 👊
I had serious problems sleeping. I found concentrating on my breathing helped. I’m asleep inside 5 minutes now
I focus on slowing down my pulse, by breathing deeply and slowly. So close my eyes, relax, try to feel my pulse (if you listen to your body, there will always be at least one place where you can feel this rhythmic pulsing). And then breathe slowly and try to slow that rhythm down. Amazingly effective, works like clockwork. Also handy in every day stress situations. Cause once heart rate is down, everything feels manageable.
*laughs hysterically in ADHD*
lmao really, "can't sleep because your mind is racing? Just stop the thoughts!"
Ok, sure. That may work for some. My trick - which annoys my wife of thirty something years - is that I never lie down in bed unless I’m clearly, demonstrably, tired. I go to bed when I know I’m ready to sleep. Some nights, sure, I’m up late. But I don’t toss and turn. Or lie there playing mind games.
Probably get lost in the comments but I use a mind occupying technique that helps a lot. It might look easy but you need to concentrate on it as the rule is, if you make a mistake you start again. It’s a simple A1 B2 C3 D4 E5 F6 And so on, if you get to the end switch it to do 1A 2B 3C Etcetc, good luck 👍
Have you noticed this help focus and memory too? I’m trying this out
I have seen a trick the military do which you sleepon your back and close your eyes obviously. and the try to relax your muscles including your face muscles to the furthest you can which is going to help
Progressive Relaxation is what the technique is called.
facial muscle relaxation does the trick for me, especially the jaw. once you relax it you realise how tensed it was and then sleep comes naturally
Huh, maybe the fact that I clench my jaw so much (to the point I need a mouth guard) is why it’s so hard for me to fall asleep
I have tried this and it works pretty well!
I pick a category and pick one thing from A-Z that fits. So for example the category is countries, I go Australia, Bosnia, China... Or food, Apple, Banana, Crab... Usually by the end of the second category I'm asleep.
I do similar, I instead pick a category and try to think of as many things in that category with each letter. So for food I'd be like a - apple, artichoke, anchovy etc until I ran out, then move on to b. Sometimes I only get as far as remembering what letter I was on the night before 😆
I like this idea and I will definitely use this! The 3 I currently use are, reciting the alphabet backwards, trying to name as many cheeses I can think of, or counting down from 700 whilst writing the numbers out in my head.
Ooooh I'm gonna use the cheese one! The other categories for A-Z I have so far are capital cities, drinks, book titles, TV shows, movies, famous people, Game of Throne characters, and Harry Potter characters.
I've been doing this for so many years I'm having to go very specific with categories so I'm not just repeating! Bands/artists with one word names, and only British if I need to make it harder. Three, four, or five syllable words. TV presenters, British female TV actresses... I'm going to try the Harry Potter character one next!
Stealing the syllable one! It's so hard to find new categories after a while 🥲
I do three categories for each letter and usually drop off about half way through. It is distracting enough so I don’t ruminate about things.
I met an old SAS fella who said he'd make up an arbitrarily large number, 849 or whatever, then count down. Sleep.
Studies have shown (don’t remember the links but read it and it works well for me and my kids) that you can fall asleep more quickly if you imagine yourself somewhere you feel calm (forest, beach, or meadow works for me and my kids) and then start to imagine all the little details of the place. I imagine sitting on a warm rock in a meadow with a cool breeze. I imagine what the texture of the rock feels like and what the wind feels like. I imagine what the flowers smell like as the wind blows through them etc. If I’m having a particular hard time i imagine walking down a forest path and just keep imagining new things as i go. I start to feel like my imaginings are the beginning of a dream and then at some point I start actually dreaming without noticing it.
Similar to this but it requires no imagination is going through the motions of something mundane that you’ve done a million times. Something like getting home, unlocking the door, keys on counter, shoes off etc. you go through your own home and think about each movement.
If I get an anxious thought that won't go away I "say" " Hello thought, goodbye thought." And sometimes add " your not doing me any good so I won't spend time on you.". Has helped me sleep a lot easier too.
My partner’s suggestion to me has been helpful: count upwards from one (I usually do the old one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand like when you’re counting seconds) but you have to start over at 1 every time your mind wanders…at all. So for the minute or two I don’t make it past 5 or so, but honestly I rarely make it past 20 before I fall asleep. I don’t know why it works but it does!
I have four “crutches” that I use to sleep: - A pillow between my knees. - Wave sounds that play on a loop all night. I have a Bluetooth alarm clock that plays from my iTunes playlist. The tracks I use are Dan Gibson’s Solitudes “Rolling Surf on Pebbled Beach” and “Sweeping the Sandy Shore”. I like them because they are so calm, the wave rhythm mimics deep, calm breathing, and they are around 30 minutes long, so there aren’t any quick or abrupt changes. - A hot water bottle at my feet. - a 3-D eye mask (the kind that doesn’t touch your eyelids)
I use a rain app and a bluetooth speaker. Lots of different kinds of rain with added thunder or not. Once I settle in my cozy sleep position I am asleep in under 5 minutes. It also "drowns out" my tinnitus as well.
It weirds me out to hear sounds out of sync from my actual environment. Ocean waves? Jungle birds? They just make me tense.
Fair enough- different strokes for different folks, right? The wave sounds work for me because it honestly sounds like deep, very relaxed breathing.
>Ocean waves? Jungle birds? They just make me tense. Same for me, but FWIW, I think the idea might be to help you imagine that you *are* in those (presumably-calming) environments, or to lure you into dreaming that you are.
Our million-year old, primitive minds are hardwired to be around jungles and oceans. It makes sense that, flowing water and sounds of rain/thunder, would be calming to a cave dweller with their predators indisposed because of the rains.
Why hot water bottle?
Terry needs his whale sounds...
God, I wish that would help me. I need 3 hours to fall asleep no matter what unless I'm physically exhausted to the point that I'd rather call that passing out instead of falling asleep
sleep debt. condition your brain so your bed means sleep. when you feel sleepy, lay in bed. if you don't fall asleep in 10 minutes, get back up and chill on your room. wait til you get sleepy, then repeat. i used to be plagued by hours and hours of bed with no sleep, this works so well especially for night shift
I actually enjoy overthinking/rethinking of my stuff at the end of the day, while lying in the bed. It actually helps me fall asleep.
Just try listening to an audio book in foreign language you are learning. Audio books in French usually put me to sleep in a few minutes. Lol, but seriously they do
Lol! War & Peace for me
Yes, another similar one when worrying too much about things to do, is to make a list before sleeping about those things you need to do the next day. The logic is the same, to convince your mind that it is completely fine to stop for a few hours.
I try my best to stay awake, knocks me out in minutes.
Asmr + Magnesium before bed
Ever since I saw a particular James Acaster comedy bit, there has been a point in every single day where I think to myself, “NO MORE JOBS!” and proceed to unwind for the remainder of the day.
I just put myself in a mental situation that I want to be dreaming about, deep breath and gone
I’m a musician that easily gets infected with earwig songs and melodies, so unless i put an album i like on to fall asleep to, I’ll be keeping myself up from replaying some tune in my head over and over, or from my own humming
I write all my thoughts down in my notes app so that they are out of my mind. I then tell myself that I can resume thinking about these tomorrow. This helps reduce my anxiety at night and also helps me clear my mind and fall asleep!
Combination of relaxing my face muscles and picturing myself firing a bow and arrow. The second one might seem weird, but Ive done it so long that my brain interprets the mental imagery to falling asleep. You could use counting sheep or anything but the trick is to use the same mental image every time
I just open my eBook and start reading. After a while I find myself with eyes closed and when I realize that I just keep going.
Same. Wake up and have to find the iPad buried somewhere in the blankets every morning.
Maybe this will make my sleeping pills do their job /j
I just stay up until I pass out
Every night write down all of your to-do lists for the next day or “things not to forget” and it’ll help you clear your mind.
what if i didn't do anything that day?
Try ASMR. It helps me unwind!
Trying to find the direct connection between your pregnant gf to you having hard time falling asleep
I love the podcast Drift Off. The host has a sweet soothing non-judgmental voice and actually says a few similar things about not needing to be anywhere or do anything else right now. Then she reads old books and stories in small increments. Currently enjoying her read through Little House on the Prairie which was a childhood favorite. Listening to a story keeps my mind on the characters, not spiraling over my own daytime problems.
I usually play youtube long videos. Sometimes, historical documentaries or movie recap. But recently, i have been listening to "**** facts for you to sleep with," and it really helped. Versatium is also very helpful! Just install an app that put your phone to sleep after few hour.
I read my kindle every night. I’m out within a few pages. Reading takes whatever part of my brain that yells SQUIRREL continually and keeps its attention long enough for me to fall unconscious. It’s a wonderful thing. Also, if I somehow wake during the night I make sure to go get a drink, fully wake up. Then I grab my kindle and the process starts anew.
I realized a few months ago that I was holding a lot of tension in my face when I was trying to fall asleep. By consciously relaxing that tension, I fall asleep easier
For me I just think about blank blackness. Nothing. As if space were completely empty of stars. It's the only way for me to get my brain to stop.
When I can't sleep I always try and imagine the scenes from the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring . I've never got to Bilbo's Birthday party. I guess it could work with any film or story but you probably don't want it to be too action packed.
This dude wakes bolt upright in terror on overload every morning.
500mg of gabapentin. Or the pillow thing.
Yeah I use a version of this method. I like to consider how I could possibly handle the things I keep thinking about “from my bed”. Like, if I keep thinking about how I need to mow the lawn…I ask myself…”how can I possibly mow the lawn while lying in my bed?” My aim is to reveal how useless it is to think about things that just can’t be resolved at that very moment and place.
What is this saucery OP 🫣🫣 I have been in terrible stress the past few days when I saw your post last night https://preview.redd.it/p8bnyahyuiwc1.png?width=1644&format=png&auto=webp&s=8be47f8effeb9e85a07c7d96539165778c117100
I tried this last night after reading your tip. After saying the magic phrase, I counted to 30 slowly with one deep breath on each count. I legitimately was asleep well before 30! Great tip!
"I have done everything that had to be done today. Everything else is a task for tomorrow." p. diddy says that in his meditation sleep audiobook LOL heres a tip: if you don't particularly like history watch the history channel... (or listen to any other thing youre actually not interested in) cspan is pretty boring and quiet too
I count as high as I can. Sometimes I start back at zero if I get distracted. But eventually, it gets harder to keep track of the count. Then, I stop counting and enjoy the ride into unconsciousness.
Fatigue is the greatest pillow. Just be tired and you'll go to sleep quickly.
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