How do you go to sleep?

What helps you sleep? Not just herbal things, or stuff like that.. but what do you do to go to sleep? What do you think of to drift off, do you have a set routine that means you're out for the count instantly?

I guess I just want to know how people turn their brains off at night to sleep.

Thoughts please!

*ps I've searched and haven't found anything other than NYC getting a dry throat at night, poor bloke*

usually throw on some enigma or lacuna coil. curling up with a gorgeous girly in your arms always helps. maybe. so i've heard. not that i'd know or anything... *hides the bike pump and inflate-a-wife*

I just lay down..... thats enough usually. If I wake up in the night I get up and do something instead of just laying there and then go back to bed about 1/2 hour later. I take a bath and sing or paint/draw something.

read until i cant read anymore. then i sleep. if i never feel like sleeping, i dont

Start counting when you close your eyes.

But count as you feel like it in relation to how sleepy you feel. So dont have a regular counting beat. Also dont get the counting in time with your breathing. Cos if you do this, it means you are counting regularly. And you dont want to do that.

Start tonight.....
and continue doing it every night.

At least you can always rely on the fact that you will be asleep before you reach 500.

and it wont really take so long to count to 500 anyway.

That's a good idea, UCoF. I guess it's kind of clearing the mind, and focussing on the breathing in an abstract way.. kinda like meditating crossed with counting sheep

I'll give that one a go!

Ive been waiting to post hat for a while actually.

i usually don't go to sleep until i'm pretty tired, but i always leave one of the blacklights on and it makes the black-light reactant froggies glow... and i always need some kinda quiet noise, so i usually turn on a fan and put it facing the wall... and with that i'm passed out in a few minutes at the most


much love
~Z

tv on a 45 min timer. i'm usually out before it shuts off.

i find it hard to sleep... i normally think bout weird stuff and scare myself..

just thinking bout someone or something you really like helps like pt yourself in a situation where you feel safe and comfortable it helps so much

I just read until I fall asleep, the stereo on smooth fm works too...

Please! Its quiet simple music!

"welcome to Jazz Club... Nice..."

I read.

Sometimes I... never mind.

yeah, that ehrm... 'never mind' part works for me too sometimes .
but if even that doesn't work the best thing you can do is think of the ocean.
picture yourself there, try to look for that line where the sea hits the sky, even little boats in the water, seagulls in the air or people walking the beach won't distract you from falling asleep. I usually get full audio with it as well.
and it doesn't have to be a tropical beach either, just the horrible, dirty beach we have here in holland works fine.
the only thing I find, is that the picture can't be movie like (in a screen): you have to picture yourself there and look with your eyes, so if you are lying on your side, the oceanview should be sideways as well.

i sleep very little if at all!.
i work irregular shifts from 8am till 1 am... some times all the way through, my work shifts change on a daily basis and i cant plan my life around it.

it is normally well after 4am before i reach a tired state, that is why im on hop til the early hours or doing other things.
I dont watch tv... i dont own one now either.

I tend to write my diary before i sleep or try to sleep, the other problem i have is that my pc is litterally on my bed so i can be lieing there and not falling asleep so i look at hop or other sites.

i'll drink one last coffee before my head hits the pillow and listen to some quiet italian music... or even my conversation cd's so that they sink in whist i sleep... seems to be working.

wish i could sleep more, but then i have always been the same.

on that note i just finished a coffee so im going to try and sleep.... just had a strange conversation with my ex girlfriends mother... feel myself drained now.

also i can only goto sleep with my girls favourite sweatshirt on, cos its the only thing that i have that lets me feel close to her... and it keeps me warm and snug in bed.

One word:
SLIPKNOT!

damn it youv'e gone and done it now S.M..


those 2 words! Subliminal Verses. and there is was listening to music from Amelie.

Yeah i listen to subliminal verses to go to sleep
i cant find my Iowa cd. mum packed it i think cos we're moving

I have a very hard time going to sleep at night. I even tried getting up really early and not taking a nap. I still couldn't sleep. So now I just nap during the day and deal with not sleeping very much at night.

this may sound dumb but i sort of meditate on letting go of the day's events

not exactly sure how to explain how i do that, except that i focus ever so slightly on knowing that i don't control whatever happens on a day to day basis (in a sense)

it's like a comfort not to have to worry and so you just drift to sleep sort of

*shrug*

Listening to Celtic Music and thinking about things that could be.

I seem to be gifted with the ability to sleep perfectly, most of my friends at school all have insomnia and can't get to sleep until about 2-3am. On school nights it's me sensibly deciding that I should go to sleep. Sometimes it's as early as 9.30....most nights it's between 10.30-11.30.

On the rare random insomnia nights I get, the ones that get me really stressed because I can't sleep... I play this game in my head and it probably sounds stupid.

I look at my digital clock and make a challenge for myself.

Say it's 10.33pm, I think to myself that I have to leave my eyes closed and I'm not allowed to open them until 10.34....then I extend it and to say 10.34 and close my eyes until 10.37...and gradually the minutes become more and I end up falling asleep.

I remember I was listening to my friend's beautiful CD of relaxation music and it was celtic and so soothing, and the next track was monks of some sort with their low chanting, now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against that but coming from violins and flutes to... 'HUUMMMMMMMM' made me jump and I've never used music to help me sleep since.

My older brother used to play games on his phone until he got sleepy, a friend of mine if she can't sleep sits up for a little bit and gradually her muscles get weary and she falls backwards asleep.

I've really written too much on this topic. Oh well.

Speaking of sleep...I should go and participate in said sleep.

Meditation's good for me - I sleep very badly, wake up lots and don't really know why. Trying to empty my head of all the day's cr@p is usually a good start!

sin

music. i normally fall asleep listening to my mo3 player, and just under 1 album is normally enough for me.

although i do always smoke before bed which helps...

Oi, I said NO herbal stuff

i sleep well now but when i never used to be able to get to sleep i counted in time with my breathing, in a sorta rhythimic steady beat.. i know Unatractive Cranky Old Freud said u shouldnt do that... lol but i guess different theings work on different people.

Snugggling up with my bloke always helps me sleep!

But then again i guess i'm pretty lucky i can generally sleep pretty well,

If i do have bouts of insomnia (which does occasionally happen) i just generally don't sleep and sit and play computer games or do something equally as interesting!

If my bloke ain't around though the cat makes a rather good substitute!

laying down is enough to make me go to sleep,it has to be dark otherwise i find it impossible to go to sleep ie lights.sex before going to bed helps or snuggling up with a sexy guy puts you at ease making you feel relaxed and drift away to sleep.

i just dont sleep weekends...2-4 hours for the entirity max...and every night during the week i fall fast asleep when i hit the bed....then again...i only need 4-6 hours of sleep........

I sleep at school...
I usually listen to my ipod and drift to sleep bout 11ish. sad really...