No pharmaceutical aids preferably
Breathe deep, hold for five seconds, breathe out, hold for five seconds. Repeat until asleep.
I’ve slept on sidewalks, in ditches, in beds, and in snow banks. Focusing on your breathing works.
Educational videos. Lowest brightness and volume.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/military-sleep-method
Putting on some quiet music also helps.
Read
Caffeine the next day. Not trying to be funny or facetious. It’s actually what I do.
I used to struggle with this. What worked for me was waking at 5am and then being active all day.
I don’t know how to fix my circadian rhythm, but when it does decide to work right, it’s a happy thing. And then it goes wonky and I’m screwed. heh
Quetiapine.
I play games in my head like rimworld trying to simulate all the things makes my brain say fuck this and go to sleep.
Or if it way to energised I go for a run.
Whatever time you fall asleep, don’t sleep in.
Bi-polar, so sleep disorder since I was a child. Extremely strict routine is how I manage it (along with pharma for mood regulation). Sleeping pills if I have to break routine.
I put something on the television that is distracting but not mentally stimulating. Sitcoms that I’ve seen multiple times or old sci-fi movies on Tubi.
Tell yourself a story in your head. A book, movie, show, game…it doesn’t matter. It just needs to be a story you’re very very familiar with, know the details inside and out. Start from the very beginning and be as detailed as possible.
You’ll be out in 5 minutes
I’ve tried that, my brain typically scares me into not sleeping even longer.
I use a visualization technique, and this’ll probably sound dumb, but it works for me. Try it.
When I have an intrusive thought, I visualize it being consumed in a mushroom cloud and mutter “boom” a few times. There’s something about the combination of the visualization and vocalization that makes the intrusive thought go away.
I have no idea how or why it works. It just does.
I learned something similar decades ago. I picture a floating orb, the color changes based on whatever my head makes up. Then when I breath in, I imagine “awake particles” being pulled from all over my body into the orb which destroys them. Then I breath out and it releases whatever is left of them. Then I breath in again… I’ve gone to sleep in 2 breaths (after doing this for years).
Doesn’t sound silly to me, and I’m going to try it. In part because it makes sense - brain is a funny thing. But also because I’ve not had hiccups I didn’t stop almost immediately by concentrating hard on telling myself I no longer have gills. It has worked every time so far.
I hope it helps. :)
Melatonin helps me but i usually only take it to get into a pattern again
Late to the party, have a very good suggestion.
Some very very short back story. In my younger years I had a lot of issues with anxiety when going to bed. Thinking about things I needed to fix or what tommorow would bring. And I realised that imagining a story or a world and setting specific foundational points, like a framework that a story as an example could be worked from. Then each night building something additional on that framework every night in my mind, keeping the core fixed and every new addition as part of this world or story. I would eventually get less and less added and become relaxed and fall a sleep sooner and sooner.
Just like a child wanting the same story every night.
Going back to something known and adding just a little bit or playing with an idea within the set framework is soothing for the mind. Because it familiar.
Edit: a spelling
