# Sleep and Dreams > Sleep and Health >  >  How do you fall asleep?

## Jonathan

You know, Your lying in bed and want to fall asleep, but can't. What do you do?

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## Blargh

Get fustrated.

Seriously I lie there and do what I've been doing the whole time, trying to relax or let myself get carried away in my thoughts. If I've been lying there a long time and it's obvious I've made no progress I'll get on dvchat until i'm tired enough that I HAVE to fall asleep  :smiley:

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## ThePhobiaViewed

Here are some things I do:

-listen to music
-listen to a radio talk show (this especially helps because the voices put you to sleep and you don't even pay attention to what is being said
-listen to morse code (I'm trying to learn it finally)
-listen to a lucid dreaming mp3 (they are meant to soothe and they usually knock me out before the end)
-get up and remake the bed if it isnt comfortable
-day dream about something happy
-count sheep

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## Woozie

For me, daydreaming usually does the trick.  And if I have a really bad night, and no matter what I try I won't fall asleep, I just get out of bed for a little while. Without turning the lights on, except a few "low" lights. 

Usually I go over to the kitchen, get myself a warm glass of milk, light a smoke and try to make peace with everything going through my head at the time. Or I just stay in bed and read a few pages of my dream journal 


Here's some more tips: http://www.wikihow.com/Fall-Asleep

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## MrGrEmLiN

I relax my body through meditation while lying in bed with calm music and then turn to my side and fall asleep.

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## ninja9578

I meditate if I can't get to sleep.

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## Pyrofan1

i have sex/masturbate.

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## Scarred_for_life

I close my eyes and tell myself that I won't open them until it is light outside

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## LucidFlanders

Think of sex. Roleplay in your head. I do this every single night before i fall asleep since it takes me forever to fall asleep. :smiley:

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## Idolfan

with great difficulty.

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## Nefarious

Put some funeral doom music (very slow relaxing ), lie on my back and just try to feel tired while listening to the music. Sometimes even pretend to be dead in a coffin. ^^

I don't even think about anything my body does I just try to stay on my back even though thats not my natural sleeping position.

I hear the beat of the music and feel the gap between each beat increasing. Eventually the beat is jolting me slightly after a few jolts I lose consciousness and fall asleep.

In the morning I remember at which track I fell asleep, it's usually after 3rd or 4th something like ~25 min.

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## roguext22

get unconscious !

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## Jdeadevil

> You know, Your lying in bed and want to fall asleep, but can't. What do you do?



Try to enter the dreaming state - You're in a dream, pretend you're dreaming. You'll soon find you like imaging stuff, then bingo - You'll find yourself lying there with your eyes closed and sleeping like a baby.

That's my sleeping method anyway.





> i have sex/masturbate.



That's on and off for me.

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## ~Erin~

Like Scarred for life said, I usually say I won't open my eyes until tomorrow. If I get desperate I count. But usually what I do is I try not to think I just tell myself to rest.

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## Amethyst Star

Sometimes I've found that certain thoughts will keep me awake, namely related to video games (if I've been playing for a long time, or right before bed).  One thing you can try is to let your mind wander, but steer it away from thoughts that might keep you awake, such as worrying about something coming up or about something that's just happened.

Another thing that might help is to get yourself into a bedtime routine.  Going to bed at the same time every night, even though it may be difficult, can do wonders for falling asleep/getting up.  If you get yourself into a nightly routine (i.e. brushing teeth, reading a book, etc.)  your body will learn that at a certain time or when you do these things, it's time to get ready for sleep.  It may take a little while to get it down, but it really can work.

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## Boosted180

Contrary to other people here, if I have trouble getting to sleep I will just blank out my mind. Everytime my mind starts wandering and thinking about things, then I will immediately try to lose that thought. When successful in doing this, then you have more or less entered a meditative state and therefore easier to drift into full sleep.

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## Abra

Much like Boosted, I blank out. First I rid myself of all stress by saying "This is dream time. Don't worry about tomorrow until tomorrow." Basically. Then I relax my muscles, acknowledge and become indifferent to all bodily sensations and everything outside me. After that, I focus on my breath. No internal duologue, no images. I mimic the sound of my breath in my head, and fall asleep in minutes...

I'm surprised people are putting down sex and television. Those _lessen_ the chance of drifting to sleep swiftly and comfortably...

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## mylucidworld

> Try to enter the dreaming state - You're in a dream, pretend you're dreaming. You'll soon find you like imaging stuff, then bingo - You'll find yourself lying there with your eyes closed and sleeping like a baby.
> 
> That's my sleeping method anyway.
> 
> 
> 
> That's on and off for me.



That works very well for me once i have been asleep, but takes alot longer before sleep.

Before slepp i put the t.v on sleep mode for about an hour (on low) and just think about random things and after a while hypnagogic imagery takes over, then i know i am close to sleep.

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## Hiros

I fantasize. Works every time. I rarely get very far into my imaginary scene before losing track and then falling asleep, then don't even remember at what point I fell asleep.

As long as I don't think about anything repetitive or regarding certain subjects. ie. Sex, something stressful coming up the next day, worrying about what someone thinks about me, anything related to sex such as girls I like etc. Those kinds of things will keep me awake.

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## velvet

- Take a hot shower
- Listen to Lucid MP3 and try to relax with a blank mind
- Stroke my arm with something soft like a feather, it tickles and it makes me really sleepy

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## Jdeadevil

> - Stroke my arm with something soft like a feather, it tickles and it makes me really sleepy



Ok that's quite creepy.

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## AmazeO XD

When I find that I can't fall asleep, I usually imagine a place that is familiar to me, and try to imagine doing something i'd really enjoy doing.

Take for example this...

I really enjoy videogames... so I imagine myself walking through my favorite game store, taking all the games I want off the shelves, and putting em in a big box, and purchasing all of them, with an infinite amount of money.  Since this store is located in the mall, I'll drop my stuff off and check out other stores....

Pretty soon my mind wanders and I find myself dreaming.

It works!

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## illusions

I try to relax my body to the point where I can feel almost detached from it, and listen to what I can hear outside. Somehow listening to noises outside gives me that distance feeling which then enables me to keep my mind quiet and fall asleep.  :smiley:

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## Oneria

i've heard to try reading a boring book, dunno if it really works tho cuz i get bored after reading it for like 30 seconds  ::D:

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## TripleX223

I play video games till my sleep cycle contiunes

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## Timothy Paradox

When I go to bed, I don't do anything. I thought the point of sleep is doing NOTHING? Sometimes (at night) it takes 2 hours before I can sleep, sometimes (usually during the day) it just happens instantly.

My dreams are also MUCH better during the day.

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## Spoof

I usually listen to music until I feel like I can fall asleep, then I take out my ear buds and focus on what I want to accomplish that night.  (wake up after each rem period, remember to do rcs in dreams etc.)  Or else I just lay there and let my mind wander on anything.

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## WaterSquirrel

I sort of.. fall asleep, you know?
Lol. I get all kinds of things. Like lying down and suddenly it's morning and I'm still tired, lol.
Or lying there and rolling around the bed and my head feels like it'll explode  :tongue2:

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## Falsn

never NEVER ask yourself that when your trying to fall asleep, I can't fall asleep when I say that to myself. I just let my mind wander or just talk to myself to fall asleep.

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## Stevehattan

I'm usually awake in bed for about an hour. I use the time to think, plan, daydream etc. Often times it delays my falling asleep because I can't fall asleep until I let my mind clear.

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## Angel Fae

> i've heard to try reading a boring book, dunno if it really works tho cuz i get bored after reading it for like 30 seconds



I agree to that...cause boring books make your eyes (and your mind) tired. Which just makes you want to close your eyes, rest, read it later...and before you know it, you're already dreaming!

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## superlox3

I lie in bed, getting tired.  I get more and more tired, until at one point I feel my head a bit heavy.  I lie like this letting my mind wander, maybe thinking about having LDs, and then eventually I just wink out.

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## Namio

if i can't sleep i count my breaths in and out till i have breathed in 50 time and breathed out50 times

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## Goldney

Good topic. I was wondering this myself as I tried to Wild a few days ago.

I lie on my back at first until I'm all relaxed and calm (I do this subconsciously, I don't think "Oh I'm relaxed, now let's do the next part.") Then I get into my favourite sleeping postition and just let all muscle tension go. Everything. Then there's a special state of mind I go in. It's hard to descibe, but it's like I compartmentalise my mind and just switch off all the more complex functions. To be honest, it feels like I "move" the conscious part of my brain to kind of near the top-back of my skull. It may sound pretentious and a lie, but it's what works for me. I don't have trouble sleeping. I can get to sleep in about 10-15 mins.

I sleep on my side, which I believe is better for relaxation because you're not fighting gravity to breathe. I also think you should have a fixed sleeping position so your body knows what it's supposed to do next.

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## Wrathful

Yeah, it's quite hard for me to get to sleep as well but I tried thinking about something else and away I go.

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## maxihaus

If you have sex in your bed, do it with your head on the opposite side of the bed. Also, if you're lying down in bed, do not lie down the way you would sleep. The way you lie down to sleep should only be associated with sleep. Everything else you do, do it on the opposite side of the bed.

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## Jamie7777

(from http://www.sleepphones.com/hygiene)
If you have insomnia, do not lay in bed for more than 20 minutes getting frustrated. Get up and do something else (such as reading a book) until you feel tired again. Then return to bed.

If your mind won't shut off when trying to sleep, consider keeping a journal by the bed where you can write down your thoughts or make to-do lists for 10-15 minutes before sleeping. 

   1.  Most important: Get up at the same time every single day, including the weekends.
   2. Try to go to bed at a reasonable hour, so that you are not tired the next day. Remember to follow rule number one.
   3. Allow for at least 1 hour to unwind before bedtime. You may try relaxation or meditation techniques to help you unwind. (The SleepPhones System is designed to help you relax quickly.)
   4. Use the bedroom only for sex and sleep. This enhances your brain's association of the bedroom to be a place for sleep.
   5. Avoid caffeine after dinner. Some people are so sensitive they need to avoid caffeine after lunch.
   6. Avoid large meals just before bed. Eating just before lying down often results in heartburn.
   7. Exercise daily, but avoid exercise 2-4 hours prior to bedtime.
   8. Keep the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet to facilitate your body's ability to wind down. No TV!
   9. Avoid napping during the day. This can confuse your biological clock.

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## Alucinor XIII

Huh... Apparently I have a relatively unique method.

I just think about stuff. Maybe something I wish I had done/done different during the day, an idea for a novel, trying to figure something out, ask "Why?" on random subjects... It gets rather philosophical sometimes.

 I eventually just think and analyze so much that my brain just kinda goes "For christ's sake, shut the hell up already! -Click.-" And I fall to sleep. usually takes about 30 minutes.

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## dragonoverlord

I have trouble sleeping and recently my strategy has been just to stay awake really long until im so tired i fall asleep within minutes. its a bad thing to do and when i start going back to school again i have to get a more regular sleep patern.

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## kingofclutch

A lot of people say to wait until you get tired. The problem with that is that some people like me have to get up early in the morning and we don't get enough sleep if we go to sleep later.

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## Lord Toaster

> A lot of people say to wait until you get tired. The problem with that is that some people like me have to get up early in the morning and we don't get enough sleep if we go to sleep later.



This is exactly my problem. My screwed up body clock is not at all tired at 11 pm, or even 12pm, but come 7:15 the next morning, I have trouble keeping my eyes open  :Sad: 

I'll try some of these techniques, and also try to get off the computer longer before going to bed.

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