sleepness nights

toffuna101

Does anyone have any tips and suggestions to what I should at night time if I cannot fall asleep? I can't really seem to fall asleep right now, so I had no choice but to go on my phone.
fyi: I'm considering logging onto my PC to revise, but I'm doubting the legitimacy of a midnight revision session. I tend work best when I revise in the late afternoon and the evening. Let me know what you all think because I'm really bored.

lunarcat522

@toffuna101

If you're really struggling with sleep sometimes I find it helpful to embrace it but I try to avoid technology as much as possible. If it would put you at ease you could draw up a revision routine for at night and maybe finish with a 30 minute revision session before bed if you find you work best then. I have the same thing with revising - afternoons and evenings/night are when I work best so you could maybe compromise with it and after the last revision session for the night start a routine of doing something before you go to bed as a signal to help you wind down, e.g. reading/yoga (something relaxing and not too strenuous). It's difficult but it also helps to leave your bed for being solely a sleeping space so that it's easier for your brain to wind down when you make the transition for sleep. Sometimes when I'm too tired to do "full on" revision I find it helpful to listen to relevant podcasts as well.

Some people find 4-7-8 breathing useful to help get to sleep where you breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 and out for 8. I find 8 seconds a long time to breathe out, but the idea is that it helps slow your heartbeat and breathing.

Some people also find weighted blankets useful to calm the nervous system, especially if you find you're restless in bed

I really benefit from asmr as it signals it's time for me to sleep but it's not everyone's thing

Some people find white noise/brown noise useful or having a certain temperature like a cooling fan or the window slightly open

I find a sleep mask quite helpful to block out any light as my neighbours have a motion sensor security light that shines through both my black out blinds and my curtains throughout the night

Sleep looks different for everyone and people have lots of different preferences so there's no harm in experimenting to figure out what works for you

If the struggle of getting to sleep is really impairing your life you could also flag this with a GP that might be able to assist more specifically to your needs and investigate things further

Hope this helps

toffuna101

@lunarcat522 thank you for the suggestions
ive been wanting to get a weighted blanket for a while now to help relieve my symptoms, so now that youve reminded me i definitely will
after i finishing texting through to the crisis messenger i will try to go to sleep using some of the tips

lunarcat522

@toffuna101 Hope you're alright but I'm glad to hear you're seeking support

I hope the suggestions help!

Katie12

Sometimes when i cannot sleep i pick a topic and work through the alphabet naming things related to it like types of food or names of tv shows. Or i will choose a film and work my way through the plot. I would say though that sometimes it doesnt work if i get stuck on a letter or part of the plot because then i'll overthink it and am back to not being able to sleep lol but most of the time i have fallen asleep before i reach the end

Azziman

Hey @toffuna101, I can hear that not being able to sleep easy can be frustrating!

Echoing some of what's been said, avoiding technology is an important one - the blue light from devices make it harder for us to feel sleepy, so giving yourself some space from screens is a good fix.

I'd also say that having a regular routine helps - waking and sleeping at the same time each day gets your body into a rhythm, so that it's ready to sleep when you need to.

Slowing your breathing down can also help your body to move into a more restful mode, making it easier to sleep.

Aids like ASMR, blankets, noises and masks can also be helpful to try, see what works for you!

Maisy

If I can't get to sleep, or I have woken early and can't get back to sleep, I just sit up in bed for a little while or just stand up and pace my room for a bit. It's really boring and I don't know how long I do this for probably 5-15 minutes. But it does tend to work for me. I just get really bored and notice myself feeling more tired. Then I go back to bed and normally, I end up sleeping fine. It's difficult to suggest things to do because if you do something that is interesting or engaging, you might have the opposite affect and end up staying awake instead.

And as Azziman said, things like keeping a routine and avoid technology can help. As can, making sure your room is comfortable (not too hot or cold), your bed is comfortable (taking the time to make your bed, plump your pillow etc), and your room isn't too light or you aren't being kept awake by noises also helps.

toffuna101

Maisy wrote: »

If I can't get to sleep, or I have woken early and can't get back to sleep, I just sit up in bed for a little while or just stand up and pace my room for a bit. It's really boring and I don't know how long I do this for probably 5-15 minutes. But it does tend to work for me. I just get really bored and notice myself feeling more tired. Then I go back to bed and normally, I end up sleeping fine. It's difficult to suggest things to do because if you do something that is interesting or engaging, you might have the opposite affect and end up staying awake instead.

And as Azziman said, things like keeping a routine and avoid technology can help. As can, making sure your room is comfortable (not too hot or cold), your bed is comfortable (taking the time to make your bed, plump your pillow etc), and your room isn't too light or you aren't being kept awake by noises also helps.

@Maisy i actually considered doing this but i didn't want to risk waking up my parents, even if they were in a deep sleep

Sunshine12

@toffuna101 hey sorry to hear you’re having difficulty sleeping, I heard somewhere (not sure if this works and it sounds a little weird but it’s worth a shot) that if you turn to the side on your bed and lift both of your legs up and lean them up against the wall for a couple of mins and practice your breathing it can help u feel tired. I’ve also heard some good stuff about loop earplugs if it’s things like noise that affects u at all, as I know for myself even just the smallest bit of noise is enough too keep me up! It can also help changing the end of the bed u sleep on, sometimes I like to switch from the side the headboard is to the other end and for some reason it helps ? 😂 I hope this has been at least slightly useful haha