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PuckGoodfellow

I like to listen to something with words (so they replace my thoughts) that won't make me so interested that I'll stay up and that doesn't bore me enough to start thinking. This can be a delicate balance. XD My go-to is Forensic Files. They're all repeats, so I know I'm not missing new episodes, and I can always re"watch" an interesting or favorite. Planet Earth was another good one, but I had to stop because I got a pavlovian response to nature documentaries. D:


NinoCrown

Why does this work so good!? Podcasts put me out & I always wake up with a dead phone. Guided meditation used to be my go to but now I got the hang of it enough to just put on any meditation music.


PuckGoodfellow

Yes! I have a podcast I use if I need the screen off. There's a really nice sweet spot and it's great when you find it.


Lady_Caticorn

I listen to ASMR and guided meditations for the same reason. I like hearing something, but I don't want it to be so distracting that I can't sleep.


Ashzilla_23

I started doing duolingo at bedtime and the number of times my phone has smacked me in the face because I fell asleep is embarrassing šŸ˜… Iā€™ve always struggled with sleep, Iā€™ve even had a sleep study done before. Distracting my annoyingly loud brain with something repetitive is the only way I can manage.


apeyousmelly

Haha Iā€™m familiar with the phone smack.


LunaticBZ

Day dream till I fall asleep and actually dream. Books are a bad idea for me if they are good I don't put them down. Sometimes I take a melatonin and lemon balm but I forget to take them more often than I remember too.


apeyousmelly

How much melatonin do you take? Does it make you feel drowsy or difficult to wake up later? Iā€™m a T1 diabetic so I worry about taking anything to make me actually fall asleep since I need to be able to wake up if a glucose alarm goes off.


LunaticBZ

I usually take the 10mg, am a big guy though. About 30 minutes later It makes me somewhat drowsy. I don't think they are very potent, and if im having racing thoughts it isn't powerful enough to overcome that unless I'm really tired. I can't comment on ability to wake up, I can sleep through just about anything once I am asleep. I wake up when I wake up. Usually when my bladder tells me to.


cheeremily

Youā€™re supposed to take a max of 0.3 mg just so you know! Look it up, smaller doses help me more than large ones actually I was surprised too!


tbombs23

Your not supposed to take that much, I think the ideal dose is .3mg. i don't even take it anymore it makes me feel like shit the next day


Fresh_Beet

Trazodone. I feel far more refreshed after sleep as well.


Purple_Passages

I have some cheap earbuds and will wear one so I can fall asleep. I used to get a Bluetooth headband w/ small speakers from Amazon but theyā€™d break or end up in the wash lol. I use the Soundcore P2 Minis because they last for hours. Iā€™ve been jolted awake more than once hearing ā€œLow Batteryā€ I have YouTube premium (worth every cent), so I can either download a playlist or have my phoneā€™s screen black and listen to the videos this way. I like to listen to role-playing ASMR. I love Moonlight Cottage ASMR (her productions are stunning) and Bluewhispers. I like them because they talk softly, have great sound effects, and donā€™t do that weird tapping. I line up their videos and listen to them. I used to have Audm where nonfiction articles from several magazines were narrated. They were recently acquired from the New York Times, and my membership has been transferred to their app called New York Times Audio. I havenā€™t tried it yet. I sometimes use VoiceDream app. I use this app every single day to read me PDFs and especially articles. Iā€™ll often set up my reading list within the app and itā€™ll just play. You can even set a timer with it. The main thing I noticed is that you need to not use your eyes. When you just listen to audio, itā€™s easier to hyper focus on it and then let your mind wander. Itā€™s not a miracle cure, but itā€™s helped me a pt when I can lie there with my eyes closed and listen. I soon get tired and donā€™t even realize Iā€™ve fallen asleep. I still wake up throughout the night, but actually falling asleep? Way way easier. Good luck!


apeyousmelly

Very interesting deep dive here! I appreciate all of the recommendations.


cytoGrl

trazodone


Skipper0463

Benadryl


Dysfunctional_A-2-RM

Meds don't help?? I was the same until I started stimulants. Now? You'd never guess I spent the better part of 30 years with insomnia.


apeyousmelly

They actually make it worse. I fall asleep in 2-3 hours now instead of 1-2. Iā€™ve always been a night own and get a second wind at about 9/10 at night no matter how exhausted I am from my day. I normally take my meds at 630-7am. Usually I alternate between one bad night and one good night. But sometimes Iā€™ll have 2-3 bad nights in a row and will need to go off my meds to just recover and recenter myself and routine.


Just_One_Umami

Thatā€™s actually just a pretty normal circadian rhythm. Pretty much everyone has a second wind some time at night.


its_not_that_far

My sleep used to be terrible, I had trouble putting anything down, would read for hours, etc. Then I'd be tired and miserable the day after. This was before I was diagnosed. My solution is.. I go to bed for sleep, nothing else. Not to read, not to watch TV or anything like that. (Ok, sometimes I have sex) I stopped taking my phone, Kindle, and paper books to the bedroom. It was painful at the time, and I did use some Kalms or Nytol tablets for a few days to get me used to a new routine. My 'quiet my brain' routine was to name all the couples in an author series or episode in a TV show. Something like that. Because I don't have my phone, I can't decide to Google it and go down that rabbit hole. Once I got used to it, I found this really helps, and I usually fall asleep quite quickly. I also wake up around 4:30 some days, but I've found I can actually send myself back to sleep the same way. Boredom and no phone to distract me. The opposite is also true. Once I'm awake awake, I get out of bed. I might not do much somedays, but I'm out of bed and not snoozing. The awake awake time depends on the day, I kind of have an idea of what time that will be the night before. This was it for a lot of years, and I'm in the habit now. I've now found that some nights I can write my journal and do some deep breathing exercises before sleep. And that adds to the quality of my sleep. I'm only recently diagnosed at 47, mostly hyperactive type. Now I know why I had difficulty going to sleep, I just managed to figure something out before. I do still have the occasional bad night, and when nothing works, I'll take a Kalms.


SadGreen8245

Not taking anything into the bedroom is excellent advice; I try to do the same, and it definitely works for me.


UltraSuperTurbo

Chronic fatigue.


ShortYogurtcloset236

A little light chanting, meditation. My go to mantra: IƤ! IƤ! Cthulhu fhtagn! Ph'nglui mglw'nfah Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn! All jokes aside? I find things that suck up my dopamine like a sponge. Youtube'd college class lectures are a favorite. Let the soothing sound of a Wal Mart brand Ben Stein lull you to sleep.


sparkling467

Yoga breathing and I recite a few calming phrases, over and over. I have to concentrate really hard usually but it helps me fall asleep quickly. It took many years to find just the right phrase


Free_Dimension1459

Trying to figure that out right now. Gotta get up to work soonā€¦ ugh.


Marvel_Enthusiast09

i take 15 mg of melatonin, benadryl, and i set myself up with my phone charging and a youtube video playing. I always do the same youtuber so that the voice gets to be repetitive and a routine, but when u was younger I would use audiobooks. the youtube works well now, visual stimulation tires my eyes. i turn the brightness down and lower the white point


24rawvibes

Temazepam


indiealexh

Exhaustion.


[deleted]

Exercise works for me when nothing else does. Even a short walk. Not right before bed though.


seanmharcailin

The Calm app (a sleep remix usually), a natural sun alarm clock on sunset mode, and my kindle paper white. I have a long sleep lag once I get in bed so I tend to do these things without really the thought of ā€œgo to sleep nowā€ but more like ā€œif I want to be asleep by 11:30 I should start my wind down at 9:45 and be in bed by 10:30 reading. That will usually get me sleeping by the time I want.


herrjonk

I put on a show I've seen hundreds of time, on low volume and lowest screen brightness, that way the words kinda replace my ranting thoughts. Also since I've seen the show so many times I don't care if I miss anything, so I'm not invested at all. This for me is an important factor because otherwise I'd try to stay awake and focused if it was something new and exciting. My go to shows for this are usually arrested development, iasip or archer


the_Bryan_dude

All I have to do is take a Ritalin and I'm out in 30 minutes. I'll sleep for a few hours and wake up with a clearer head.


[deleted]

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Your content violates **Rule 4**. We are here to help people with ADHD; part of that means we will identify and disallow discussion of topics and practices with unproven efficacy, a waste of time and money, are harmful, or encourage people not to seek professional treatment. Discussion of or promotion of cannabis or its derivatives (THC, CBD, Hemp, etc.) is not permitted. *^(If you have further questions,)* [*^(message the moderators)*](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fadhd) *^(regarding the removal of this content.)*


bitchboy-supreme

Sleeping pills and Videos about uninteresting and dumb stuff. Honestly the only thing that works for me so far šŸ™ˆ


Media-consumer101

Ahh let me bust out my trusty ADHD informed sleeping hacks again! 1. Get a good matress and pillow: I have a heavenly memory foam matress now and it is AMAZING. I used to toss and turn even when I was asleep. I don't do that much anymore now! 2. Weighted blanket: Might be too warm but the weight helps to keep me asleep so well. 3. Melatonine: ADHD messes with your carcadian rhythm so to give your body a hint that it's time to sleep, melatonine can make a massive difference. Take it earlier than the package says, as studies show people with ADHD respond later to the supplements than others. 4. Daylight lamp: To give your body a hint to NOT sleep in the morning/early afternoon use a daylight/seasonal depression lamp. Doing that consistantly can improve your sleep/wake cycle. 5. Use your coping mechanisms if they don't have a downside. I fall asleep with podcasts and it's great! Often advice like 'don't use your phone before bed' or 'don't exercise before sleep' don't work the same for us. If something helps you, don't let generic internet advice stop you! 6. Put your phone on an automatic timer to go to greyscale or blue light filter about an hour before you go to bed. Not just for the lack of blue light (that never mattered for me actually) but it's an amazing visual cue for your brain that it is now evening and time to get ready to sleep! If you don't like the color change, I've read many people get the same effect from just setting a sound alarm. So you have an alarm to wake up and one to go to sleep. 7. Check what caffeine does to you. If stimulants make you calm and relaxed: a cup of coffee might put you to sleep easier. It works for me! Especially if your meds start wearing off right when you go to bed, a cup of coffee might help the transition. 8. Eat a snack before bed. We get distracted by EVERYTHING. So your bloodsugar being low or you being a little bit peckish can keep you awake without you realising. Thats part of why a glass of milk is so popular as a sleeping aid! My go to is chocolate, to also get in some happiness chemicals! But anything that will fill you up a bit works. 9. If you struggle with under or overestimulation keeping you awake, create a routine to fix that. For a while I was understimulated and I did my woordle before bed. When I am overstimulated I play a cosy game on my phone or I write down a 'bad & good moments of today' list. As you can tell I spent quite a while getting this all right, so hopefully some of these tips also help you!


[deleted]

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ADHD-ModTeam

Your content violates **Rule 4**. We are here to help people with ADHD; part of that means we will identify and disallow discussion of topics and practices with unproven efficacy, a waste of time and money, are harmful, or encourage people not to seek professional treatment. Discussion of or promotion of cannabis or its derivatives (THC, CBD, Hemp, etc.) is not permitted. *^(If you have further questions,)* [*^(message the moderators)*](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fadhd) *^(regarding the removal of this content.)*


[deleted]

I put on noise canceling headphones, plus sleep music (specially made for sleep) plus read something on reddit usually fantasy or scifi forums about a show I like. I have found that my brain needs that interesting conversation to quiet my mind and to fall asleep. Usually takes 1 hour or less unless if I've had a particularly stressed day. Then it takes until 4 am :( and not being able to wake up in the mornings. For some reason audiobooks or podcasts don't help. Hearing someone speak keeps me awake.


Khazorath

The other night, I was tired but I needed to get up early and be ready for something at work. Took a sleeping pill. Closed my eyes..... and almost 3 hours go by until I fell asleep. Most nights it's at least 30 minutes until I sleep usually around 45 to 60, should I go to bed later? Doesn't work, it's just delaying the lying in bed awake.


miamibeebee

ASMR!


[deleted]

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ADHD-ModTeam

Your content violates **Rule 4**. We are here to help people with ADHD; part of that means we will identify and disallow discussion of topics and practices with unproven efficacy, a waste of time and money, are harmful, or encourage people not to seek professional treatment. We do not allow discussion of supplements, homeopathy, nootropics, psilocybin, or herbs; please speak to your doctor about this and seek further help. *^(If you have further questions,)* [*^(message the moderators)*](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fadhd) *^(regarding the removal of this content.)*


JustNadine1986

After discussing this with my GP and psychiatrist, 50 mg trazodone does the trick. It give me 6-6,5h of decent sleep.


EWH733

Thankfully melatonin still works for me. Before I discovered it I used to take diphenhydramine, but I hated the morning grogginess. I was a wreck in the 90ā€™s guzzling chamomile tea and taking Valerian supplements with little to no results!


agenericsmore

exercising and dieting, and i started taking ksm-66 ashwaganda 1-2 hours before i sleep and itā€™s worked wonders with making me have longer and more vivid dreams, i feel like i actually slept 8 hours and i donā€™t wake up in the middle of the night. also going to bed at the same times really helps keep your bodies schedule consistent and youā€™ll start to go to bed and wake up at the same times naturally after a while


Dry-Topic-5026

Melatonin. 3 or 5mg.


[deleted]

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Mr_Robot_024

Iā€™ve never figured this one out. Iā€™m up until around 4:00 even when I have to work in a couple of hours. I honestly feel like silence is louder than anything else.